Mavic 3 D-Log playback

[jvrichardson]

Looking for any suggestions on improving d-log playback in Premiere.

Adobe Premiere Pro CC (updates through 2022-08-29)
Windows 10 (updates through 2022-08-29)
64GB Ram
11th Gen i7 2.8Ghz
k-lite standard codec updated through 2022-08-29

Mavic 3 Pro has updated firmware through 2022-08-29

Mavic 3
D-Log
3840x2160
59.94 frame rate
H.264

The above plays back in Premiere a bit choppy in the source window and 1/2, 1/4, or 1/8 resolution. The video pauses/stops/skips every second or so for some parts of the playback. Playback is the same in the sequence playback when the sequence is set at 1920x1080 and either 59.94 frame rate or 29.97 frame rate.

When I play back the footage in Windows with Media Player Classic or Movies & TV, it plays back fine. It plays back smoothly on my cell phone as well.

Mavic 3
Normal
3840x2160
59.94 frame rate
H.264

The above plays back fine in Premiere in every circumstance. What is it about D-log that makes the playback so slow and choppy in Premiere? I'll note that D-log playback from my former Mavic 2 Pro was fine in Premiere. 

[Ishan Y]

Hey jvrichardson,

Sorry about the issue. Could you share a sample source file with us for testing purposes through DM? Also, could you go to Edit > Preferences > Media and disable H264/HEVC hardware accelerated decoding and encoding, restart the app and let us know if you still see the issue? 

Thanks,

Ishan

[R Neil Haugen · Accepted solution]

You've got a 60fps clip of interframe long-GOP media there, in UHD frame size ... that's a right difficult bit of processing to do for an NLE.

You may not be aware, but intraframe codecs like ProRes, Cineform, and DNx are decompressed one frame at a time sequentially for playback. A very straightforward computing task.

H.264/5 long-GOP media in contrast has to be not only decompressed ... but de-encoded, and it has to do a BUNCH of frames at a time because there are very few 'complete' frames. All other frames are data computations ... take the image of the last (or next, or ... both!) complete or 'i-frames', and then compute this frame from 1) the pixels of that image decompressed and 2) a data-set of the pixels that a) have changed since the last i-frame or b) will change before the next i-frame or c) BOTH.

It's a far more complex operation. Some computers do have the built-in chips that help with the computations to a certain extent, but they aren't exact dupes of the specialized in-camera chips that make this media to begin with. So they get better playback than without them, but ... not necessarily perfect playback. And they'll do better with one H.264 source than another one.

My many colorist acquaintances typically work on MASSIVE machines, and even then, they tend to hate any H.264/HEVC media in a job. So most will simply transcode or proxy every H.264 clip in the job before even starting the grading process.

So ... you may be able to get somewhat better playback, but ... it may work better to make ProRes or Cineform proxies. Your choice of course.

Neil

[jvrichardson]

Any idea why D-Log worked well in Premiere when from the Mavic 2 Pro versus now on the Mavic 3? Is what I am seeing simply due to the resolution increase from 1080p to 4k?

[R Neil Haugen]

You've got two variables there.

First one, a new camera in that drone, which probably has different details for how the images are written to disc.

And second, you quadrupled the data needing to be handled to make each frame's image.

Neil