Premiere Pro 14.6 not using GPU to decode H.264 or HEVC

[gulli_86]

This is an issue that started with version 14.5, however I cannot see this has been adressed in version 14.6. I cannot see that GPU-accelerated hardware decoding for H.264/HEVC is working on my machine (see configuration below).

I checked that H.264 hardware decoding was ticked (Nvidia) under Preferences->Media. I do not have a CPU that includes Intel Quick Sync so this is my only way to go.

I tried editing a sequence with video files from my Canon R6 (filmed in C-log, H.264 format @ both 23.976 fps and 59.94 fps interpreted back to 23.976 to fit the sequence).

The scrubbing/playback performance is still very choppy. What I find strange is that the CPU is showing 100 % utilization while scrubbing/playback while the GPU is showing near 0% (1-2% at most and no use of video decode). Isn't GPU hardware decoding supposed to take advantage of the GPU to smooth scrubbing? Wouldn't the GPU usage go up when scrubbing then?

I did a test with GPU hardware encoding just to check there was nothing wrong with the GPU and this does work, I can definitely see the GPU load increase to around 50% while exporting with GPU encoding enabled.

Could this be a bug of some kind?

My configuration:

• Adobe Premiere Pro v14.6
• Windows 10
• Processor: Intel Core i7-7820X
• MoB: MSI X299 SLI Plus
• GPU: ASUS GeForce GTX 1080Ti ROG Strix 11 GB
• RAM : Corsair  64GB (4x16Go)
• 2 x 960 EVO NVMe M.2 SSD 500GB (1 for Windows / Premiere Pro, 1 for scratch files and media files combined)

[Kevin-Monahan]

Gulli,

Sorry for this. Can you try standard H.264 footage and not footage shot in C-Log, 4:2:2 or 10 bit as a test for decoding. Just ordinary H.264. What happens then?

Thanks,
Kevin

[RjL190365]

Gulli,

If you tested the plain H.264 footage as Kevin suggested, and that playback is still choppy, then it's your GPU's NVDEC performance. Even an RTX 2060 Super isn't quite as powerful for NVDEC hardware decoding as integrated Intel UHD Graphics on a cheapo quad-core 10th-Gen Intel i3 CPU is for QuickSync decoding (for H.264).

And if your system's hardware-decoded playback is bad enough, that same system's software-only decoding performance will likely be worse.

[gulli_86 · Accepted solution]

@Kevin-Monahan , @RjL190365 , thank you both for your inputs.

After doing further research based on your thoughts I think I found out about this. My suspicion was that something was off with the GPU. This has been confirmed with the following tests:

1- playback of Mavic Air 4K H.264 4:2:0 footage @ 23.976 fps works like a charm and I can definitely see the GPU being used for decoding during playback/scrubbing on the timeline.

2- playback of Canon R6 4K CLOG HVEC 10 bit 4:2:2 footage @ 23.976 fps is very choppy and I cannot see the GPU being used for decoding during playback/scrubbing on the timeline. All the load goes to the CPU working at 100%.

This made me thing the GPU was not able to decode HVEC 10 bit 4:2:2 as it was working for the H.264 4:2:0 footage. I went to the nVidia website and found out that none of their GPUs currently support HVEC 10 bit 4:2:2 decoding.

I guess that explains why my GPU is not showing any load during playback/srubbing.

Pretty desappointing as HVEC 10 bit 4:2:2 is now used widely in new mirorless cameras (Canon, Sony among others). I hope nVidia will do something about this in the future. In the meanwhile I will just have to work with proxies.

I guess there is nothing Adobe can do to make the HVEC 10 bit 4:2:2 editing smoother on their side as this is an hardware issue?

[hy7at]

What is the situation like, one year after in November 2021 on decoding HEVC 10-bit 4:2:2 on GPU?

[RjL190365]

It's limited in Nvidia hardware. None of its GPUs currently support 4:2:2 for hardware decoding. For HEVC, only 4:2:0 or 4:4:4 are supported (and a Turing or later GPU is required for 4:4:4 hardware decoding; older GPUs are limited to 4:2:0 hardware decoding). And Adobe does not currently support, nor has any current plans to support, 4:4:4 hardware decoding.

[Amirdavran5E8F]

totally disagree , it is supported , friend of mine has gtx 1080ti aourus same as me , and he has hardware decoding , he scrubbing thrue the timeline with 10bit footag 422 120fps x4000 speed reversed like its nothing without proxies . 

The problem is in not in gpu !!! 

[RjL190365]

I actually looked at the specs from Nvidia itself. The NVDEC support portion of the site makes absolutely no mention whatsoever about 4:2:2. Only 4:2:0 and 4:4:4.

[hlup9020]

I have also a 10xx-series Nvidia GPU and when trying H.264/H.265, 10-bit, 4:2:2 with Premiere Pro v15, v22, v22 Beta, no activity from the GPU is noticable, but the CPU is 100% busy and footage is completely stuck in Preview.

When using XAVC S-I 4K, 10-bit- 4:2:2 from my Sony A7SIII it works smoothly, maybe this is what
Amirdavran5E8F is describing.