Dolby Audio Decoder missing after Premiere CC 2018 (V12) update

[zeno303]

I just updated to the most recent version of Premiere: CC 2018 from Creative Cloud.

When I opened a project I had been working on earlier today that has some .ac3 tracks on some of the sequences, those tracks are redded out and I now get an error message "Missing Dolby Audio Encoder." I get the same message when I try to import .ac3 files into the updated Audition program.

I have been using Premiere CC for several years, have installed all the updates & never had this problem before.

I have an individual (not Enterprise) Subscription on Windows 7.  I ran CC Cleaner Registry check after the install.  It cleared up some paths, but didn't fix this issue.

Please help.  I am up against a deadline!

Wsquared

[Jim_Simon]

Adobe should give us our money back.

I believe there's a 30 day refund policy.

[francescoc86483304]

I am reading people who suggest to convert mts files every time. Do you think that a pro user that has to manage dozens of video files a day can do this? Seriously?

Adobe is not acting like a company that produces software for pros.

[Jim_Simon]

Do you think that a pro user that has to manage dozens of video files a day can do this?

I think it not only can be done, but should be done.

Most media in use these days is H.264, which is horrible for editing.  You should transcode or use proxies in every case.  It's just better.

So I find this a poor counter-argument for the suggestion referenced.

[MichaelHanna]

I think it is disingenuous for Adobe to say that they still support Windows 7 for CC 2018 apps. As of December 2nd, the minimum system requirements for PrePro still say:

• Microsoft Windows 7 with Service Pack 1 (64 bit) or Windows 8.1 (64 bit), or Windows 10 (64 bit)

On my Creative Cloud launcher app, it tells me that my OS is not compatible with XD CC:

(Clicking on the question mark opens a modal telling me I need Windows 10.)

Why couldn't Adobe have implemented that when they rolled out the October updates? Or even have added a popup, telling me my OS was not fully supported? It still would have frustrated me, but I wouldn't have installed the new versions of PrePro and Prelude.

[FaroutImsogoddamgood]

1. Upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 10.

2. Still had missing audio on my AVCHD files when I linked footage.

3. Re copied my source files and kept the .copy name (change it to what you like as long as it is different to the original).

4. Replaced & relinked my Premiere edits & source files to the new .copy files.

5. Bingo. Sound and video back!

Hope this helps.

cheers mike

PS: A word of advice to the bean counters and marketing knobs that swept this issue under the carpet. Talk and listen to you tech team before putting out an update with issues that leave a stain on what is a great product. I'm now forced to keep an eye on what Avid are up to.

[RjL190365]

I now believe that the real reason for the omission of AC-3 support in the newest versions of Premiere Pro CC:

Dolby's last patents for AC-3 had expired this past March, so the AC-3 codec is now free to use. However, Adobe opted not to include a separate decoder/encoder, instead choosing to use native AC-3 decoding capability in newer OSes (which are currently incapable of encoding to AC-3 by themselves). The removal of most later versions of Premiere Pro CC has a lot more to do with the inclusion of the Dolby trademark in the actual products, and Dolby is now no longer permitting any software company outside of a select few to use the Dolby trademark on their AC-3 encoder/decoders.

EDIT: The CS6 and original (2013) CC versions are still available because they've been archived and EOL'd. it's the 2014 through 2017.1.2 versions that have been removed due to the Dolby trademark issue, and it's the 2014 version that serves as a prototype for all of the versions that followed.

[geofftechUK]

i'm sure i read somewhere that on the day that CC2018 came out, they did a "point upgrade" to CC2017 as well with the codec taken out, meaning that if you 'rolled back' to the 2017 version, you got the newer "older" version - still without the AC3 codec.  Can someone confirm this, i'm sure in this thread the version numbers were mention (e.g. it went from 11.2.2 to 11.2.4 or similar ...)

In the meantime, i got a nice (but ultimately useless) reply from Adobe.  it means my Sony video camera that i have is rendered useless, and and I can never use it again with Premiere, all the while i have Windows 7 installed (which i love, because it is solid and stable).

Adobe, you are being dreadful to your paying customers. And you know it.

--

Hello Geoff,

Sorry for the delay. I was able to review your case and I see the trouble now.

Unfortunately, we do not have a version of Premiere Pro which contains internal Dolby decoding available, so there is no way I can restore your previous version as it was before. I wish we could, but we cannot due to legal restrictions (as I understand it, I'm not a lawyer!).

I read that your previous version of Premiere Pro CC 2017 was also deleted so you cannot return to that version's previous function for decoding.

That's a very terrible situation and I'm sorry that happened to you. Unfortunately, this is the default behavior of the Creative Cloud application. I will definitely provide this feedback to the support management team and developers.

In the future, if you didn't already know, you can defeat the option of previous application removal and leave previous versions installed under Advanced Options when installing.

Since I cannot offer you a version of Premiere Pro CC 2017 with internal Dolby decoding intact, you still have some options: 1) Update to Windows 8, 8.1 or 10 2) Buy a plug-in or 3) Transcode the files and reconnect them to new media.

I'm very sorry I cannot give you what you wish in the form of Premiere Pro CC 2017 as it was, but at least you have some possibilities to complete your project.

As to the quality issues, the lack of warnings, and other issues you brought up related to this decision, the installation process, and related troubles, you'd need to provide feedback directly to the developers via this form: http://www.adobe.com/go/wish  Please feel free to do so. I will pass on your feedback to the developers but it is much better if it comes in writing from you (if you have the time).

Sorry again for this issue. I am here should you require further troubleshooting. Please let me know if you need assistance with anything at all.

[ProDesignTools]

Another suggestion is to roll back the state of applications installed on your computer to the time before you upgraded to CC 2018 and CC 2017 was removed.

On a PC you would use Windows Restore, and on a Mac you would use Apple's Time Machine.

That could restore the state of your machine to when CC 2017 was installed and running.

(Or you could restore/re-image your drive yourself from a system backup, if you have a recent one.)

Alternatively, some customers are using Handbrake (a free open-source video transcoder) as a option to transcode their MTS/AC3 files with CC 2018 on Windows 7.

[iconostar]

Please don't lose heart just yet.  I have a Sony HXR-NX5U, and in the menu, it can be set either for DOLBY DIGITAL or for LINEAR PCM.  In a test I did, LINEAR PCM works. There are also low-cost conversion software.  When using Movavi, you will have to enter settings and change audio to MP3.  This will be compatible with the new 2018 Premiere Pro CC.

[Stan Jones]

geofftechUK  wrote

i'm sure i read somewhere that on the day that CC2018 came out, they did a "point upgrade" to CC2017 as well with the codec taken out, meaning that if you 'rolled back' to the 2017 version, you got the newer "older" version - still without the AC3 codec.  Can someone confirm this, i'm sure in this thread the version numbers were mention (e.g. it went from 11.2.2 to 11.2.4 or similar ...)

There was some confusion, so we don't know it was the "day of," that the 2017 installer changed. But the last version of PR CC 2017 before 2018 was 11.1.2. The installer/label of the 2017 now available is 11.1.4 (but when installed it shows as 11.1.2 in the "help, about" screen. The version installed by 11.1.4 is without dolby codecs being installed by the Adobe app.

[truthseekers]

I tried putting 2017 back on and it wont work. I also tried rolling the clock back and reinstalling to try and see if it was a date thing... and nothing. They have done a total and utter stitch up. They are raking in Billions in profits and they take a dump on customers like this. —

Edited by Moderator: Warning. Do not discuss legal issues on these forums. It is against our community guidelines.

[ProDesignTools]

Check this thread and see if any of the solutions posted there will work for you:

Dolby Codec Missing in CC 2018, MTS/AC3 No Audio

(read through all suggestions on both pages of the thread)

[glaustin]

Hi Geoff

1. I saw your comment and Stan’s reply about the latest version of cc2017 had the Dolby codec removed. Is that true? I run the latest version of cc2017 and my .mxf and .mts files are working so, if that truly is the case, I assume if I install cc2018, that particular problem should not arise?

2. So far all the discussion has been about decoding avchd files. What about encoding? Isn’t it a major hole in the claim Pr is a professional editing system if, in a top end project, you can’t encode to the industry standard?

[Jan_Berlin]

AME CC 2017 still works with Dolby Digital Codec (via MPEG2 DVD Preset) on Export.

[DMH79]

Jan_Berlin  wrote

AME CC 2017 still works with Dolby Digital Codec (via MPEG2 DVD Preset) on Export.

But what if the project was edited in Premiere CC 2018? It won't open in AME CC 2017. I just tried. (I'm on windows 10 by the way)

[Jan_Berlin]

Yepp, and this decision from Adobe is still a complete fail.

Workaround: Export to WAV and use AME CC 2017 for encoding. Transfering Timelines from 2018 to 2017 may work via XML Export, but Effect Handling will be a mess.

[Ann Bens]

Jan_Berlin  wrote

AME CC 2017 still works with Dolby Digital Codec (via MPEG2 DVD Preset) on Export.

That  is only true if you are still on 2017.1.2.

2017.1.4. has the codec removed.

[Jan_Berlin]

You are right. But the Adobe Cloud Tool does not offer an update on Mac. Thanks for the information, I will keep an eye on it!

[N McAlpine]

Not helpful now but remember in the future, when you update any of your CC apps, uncheck the 'uninstall previous versions' option. Adobe likes to auto select that option and they bury it in a dropdown menut but you can uncheck that and when you realize the update breaks your workflow, you can always delete the update and go back to the old version. Problem is, if you open a project with the updated version, you can no longer open that project with the previous version. So save a copy!

[ProDesignTools]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/N+McAlpine wrote:

... So save a copy!

Yes, true that! In that vein, these guides may help:

Use the Advanced Options to specify the app update behavior

Updating and backing up Premiere project files: Best practices

Are Adobe Creative Cloud (CC) Files Backwards Compatible?

[AshrafAziz]

Always helpful. Thank you.

Ashraf

[nagkanatsios]

And Windows 10 will only provide you the decoder.  There is no Dolby encoder support in Pr CC 2018, even if you had Win 10.  Really unacceptable for video editing software.  If Adobe were cheap, I would say it makes sense, but Adobe is no close to being cheap.  Very unfortunate.

[DJ_12_Inches]

This turned out to be pretty annoying, I just had a bunch of vacation videos that I wanted to piece together, no big deal.  I was able to convert them to .MP4 using Handbrake (thanks for the suggestion), and this allowed me to import them with sound. 

That being said........now my little underwater camera is pretty much useless for capturing video if I want to do some editing later on. 

So, I guess my Sony is no longer going to be an option for me.  What does that mean?  Sorry for being a weekend hobby type guy....but what camera options do I have now if I don't want anything to be recorded in Dolby?

[truthseekers]

Yes I found that by using Media Encoder (adobe) I could run off my doplby digital videos files into mp3 format and then re LINK the video in premiere so it would re-appear with the video and then reattach the audio. this worked for lectures where there werent any edits in the audio.

Provided you upscale the video into a lossless format like cineform, theres no reason you couldnt "REPLACE FOOTAGE" with new clips with working audio.

I remember in teh old days when there were tonnes more transition effects in premiere also. They got ripped out for no good reason. Pay more - then take it away adobe.

Moderator: Edited for content. Legal issues cannot be discussed in these forums. It is against our guidelines.

[emcarp]

Hey guys had the same issue too lost the dolby codec so could not export AC3 files. Fortunately a co worker of mines did not upgrade their PPro and they still had the dolby codec on their system.....

to check go to Users/Shared/Adobeinstalledcodecs/1.0 folder there you should see if the dolby plugin is installed or if it is not...maybe find an old version of PPro lurking around and navigate to that folder and if it is there just copy it to a thumbnail drive and drop it into the folder on the system that does not have it...voila life is good again....until the next update