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

[dmhuffman]

Bought a new ASUS laptop with Windows 10. Had same issue when using PP2017, no audio.  Click on "install Dolby" didn't work either.  I have upgraded to PP2018 and the audio is back. 

Another work around is, Media encoder 2018 will save the audio file from a video as an mpeg3.  So I can add this to the timeline along with the video track.  Media Encoder 2017 did not work doing this.  Not the best solution but it's working.

Adobe can be very frustrating and hard to deal with.  I don't like calling support, it's usually a waste of time and usually hard to understand them.  Adobe should do better to support it's clients.

[CGamble]

This is ridiculous and really slowing down my workflow searching for work arounds smfh like what am I sending an arm and a leg for? This needs to be addressed asap Adobe. Completely unacceptable smh

[winstons55931541]

I was able to use the Creative Cloud to rollback to the 2017 version, and my problem went away.

[winstons55931541]

I'm going to summarize in a few points all that has transpired here:
1)  Adobe had a licensing dispute with a known vendor of a sound tool that we all rely on. Adobe decided to end its relationship with that vendor
2)   Knowing that people use Adobe products for crunch-time production and time-critical projects, Adobe still did not inform users before updating,  that Dolby would not be readily available in Adobe software unless time-wasting steps were taken.  Adobe and Adobe-sycophant users responded that we should all be moving on up to Windows 10 anyway, which may or may not be true. I'm quite sure that the sudden an unannounced discarding of Dolby has cost its users many hours of lost project time, big headaches, scoldings by Project Managers and perhaps even loss of employment over missed deadlines caused by Adobe's neglect.
3)  The problem is not really Adobe's business decision to end Dolby plug-in support, but rather, its failure to tell its users BEFORE updating -- that this issue would affect them.
4)  As for me, I had a few hours to tinker with the problem, and have had much experience in software vendors playing fast-and-loose with the needs of their users, and was able to solve the problem with a few workarounds. But those who had no time, who had no experience with rapacious software producers and didn't anticipate such a roadblock, I'm sure Adobe's actions affected them greatly.
5) I must say that, from now on, in advice given to young users of video and sound-editing software, in my frequent Facebook posts on the topic, and in daily discussions, I'll steer younger users away from Premiere Pro and the entire catalog of upper-end Adobe products, and direct them, instead, to look into HitFilmPro, Similar Corel products and others, and to think long and hard before stepping into the mind-boggling universe of Adobe Products.
6) Us old-timers are used to this sort of treatment, and can roll with these punches. But a younger generation of users will not be willing to put up with such poor business practices as demonstrated here.

[Stan Jones]

No argument that this has caused problems for many users. Adobe did provide some cautions, but not nearly enough.

winstons55931541  wrote

1)  ... Adobe decided to end its relationship with that vendor

I don't believe this is an accurate description of what happened. But it is difficult to describe, because we really don't know what the discussion/battle that occurred (is occurring?) behind the scenes. Adobe surely still has a relationship with Dolby through paying fees for versions of its software that use Dolby that is not the "new" reliance on the OS.

In any event, a sad state of affairs.

[JFKa]

My sollution: Use Sony Vegas to export the audio file to .wav.

So ridiculous as it sounds.

[winstons55931541]

Sony Vegas is probably the fastest and takes the fewest steps for conversion. Most dedicated audio programs won't know what to do with .mts video.  Cheaper conversion programs like Format Factory and Audacity would probably work as well, but I don't know if their converters are so good.

[ProDesignTools]

Handbrake is a free video transcoder that can be used to convert your MTS/ACS files.

[RisenVideoProduction]

291. Re: Dolby Audio Decoder missing after Premiere CC 2018 (V12) update

ProDesignTools Mar 5, 2018 6:18 AM (in response to winstons55931541)

Handbrake is a free video transcoder that can be used to convert your MTS/ACS files.

THANK YOU!!! It worked like a charm!

[deeeeeeeee]

as noted before, with handbrake you can only re-encode BOTH video and sound, while the problem is just the sound. needless to say re-encoding will always take longer and give less good results.

with the (also free, but less known) xmedia recode, you can re-encode the audio part ONLY, and leave the video untouched, means no quality loss and the conversion takes just seconds.you'll still get the single video file, just the audio has a different codec.

up to you to choose the best way!

d

[robb51484971]

Yes this is a real solution. Encoding the audio and re wrapping the video only takes a few seconds

[robb51484971]

xmedia recode works superbly well. Just a few seconds (perhaps a minute) to encode  an 8 minute file. Could Adobe not add functionality like this to their importers?

[deeeeeeeee]

you'd say, if they take out dolby decoding, they let the office intern search a bit (like i and so many others had to do now) for a program like this, offer the solution in groups like this, or pay the developer some $, purchase the program and make it available.

instead, they don't even give a notice when the update came out, leave (no doubt) thousands in confusion, causing big time delays and  annoyances for so many. (for me, i wasn't even aware of my old MTS files using Dolby codec)

but we're at the wrong end, we're just users and not share holders.

anyway, big hurray for xmedia recoder program. and sadly, big thumbs down for adobe.

d

[BradMpls]

I am now a grateful fan of Deeeeeeeee, who brought, what I consider, the best free solution to the Dolby MTS (blah, blah, blah) dilemma.  That being the software: XMediaRecode3430.  It absolutely works perfectly in converting the audio (and only the audio) of a MTS file into a non-Dolby format of your choice (I'm using the Mp4) without, REPEAT, without compromising or degrading the video; because it allows you to "copy" the video while transcoding the audio into a new file.  By the way Deeeeeeeee, after creating the new Mp4 file, why do I need to rename it back to a MTS ext.?  The Mp4 file imports into CC2018 with no problems.

Anyhow, the big plus with the XMediaRecode3430 converter is the batch "encode" from the "queue" you've created.  It is FAST!

I've kept my PP CC2017 when downloading and installing the PP CC2018 (just now, April 14, 2018). CC2017 remained unscathed.  and CC2018 works.  I imported MTS and the converted Mp4 files (with the new non-Dolby audio); got the usual CC2018 warning about the missing Dolby codec on the MTS files (and I didn't care), then put them both on the timeline, cropping the video to allow a side-by-side visual examination, along with representation on the Lumetri scope.  There is no visible degradation to my eyes and the scope of the video side -- again, because the XMediaRecode3430 software allows the option to "copy" the video into the new file instead of converting it.

XMediaRecode3430 is not a hand-holding IP (idiot proof) program.  You have to pay attention and know what options you want.  All I recalled from Deeeeeeeee's instructions were to copy the video.  That's a pretty big deal for those that want to keep the integrity of raw MTS video.

I've blabbered enough.  This is a great solution to the Dolby dilemma and requires little effort.

                                                                 305.                                 Re: Dolby Audio Decoder missing after Premiere CC 2018 (V12) update                                                    

                                 

                                                      deeeeeeeee           

[robb51484971]

Using Xmedia Recode is even quicker if you simply convert the audio. Dolby to wav in a second or so. Then match them up in Premiere 2018.

I think that the alternatives of rolling back to 2017 (which won't have dolby if from Adobe's app), or to a restore point, or installing WIn 10 or contacting support are more time consuming.

Adobe should really have provided sensible answers for their customers.

[deeeeeeeee]

@robb51484971 

no need even to 'match up', the video and new audio stay in one new file.

d

[deeeeeeeee]

@bd86127298

hi, thanks for the kind words. glad i could help.

i renamed back to MTS so my files don't even need relinking (there are too many of them...).

just in case i deleted all cache files before re-opening my older project with the MTS files, but i didn't need to manually relink, re-import anything. it takes a while for premiere to automacally make the new cache files but no user interference at all.

d.

[craigsfowler]

Nice summary by winstons55931541... and thanks.  I'm using handbrake as an effective workaround to this incompetent finger pointing blame game.  The wild-west attitude of the internet has fully infiltrated the development of all software that I'm familiar with and customer bullying is unfortunately a standard practice (just read the stories related in the forums -- or attempt reporting a problem yourself).  The amazing thing about this state of affairs is that the customers (myself included) pay $$ for the rewards and pain.  "Thank you sir, may I have another"

[debra_pearlman]

I also found that the Handbrake workaround did the job, but it is very frustrating to have to go through a second step just to use audio that should be there.  Dolby is an industry standard and since forcing everyone to go with a cloud-based subscription model, Adobe certainly makes plenty of money to keep that relationship going. I'm disgusted with corporations worrying more about their bottom line and less about the clients they serve.It's really tiresome.

[davidpayne1981]

Does anyone know why dolby audio woudl be missing from my h264-bluray export preset (which used to create 1x .m4v and 1x ac3) however, by using AAC and selecting 5.1 I can still export dolby sound when I export a h.264 (audio and video in the one file)

Obviously absolutely no use in asking adobe anything like that from the experience I have had in recent years.

[Jim_Simon]

oes anyone know why dolby audio woudl be missing from my h264-bluray export preset

Dude, read the thread your posting in.

[davidpayne1981]

Dude, read (and quote)  the rest of my post not just half of it.

[Jim_Simon]

OK.

by using AAC and selecting 5.1 I can still export dolby sound

No you can't.  AAC and AC3 (Dolby) are two different things.

[davidpayne1981]

Sorry I should have said, by using AAC I can still export 6 channel (5.1) sound.

[deeeeeeeee]

i think i found a good solution. use the freeware xmedarecode from here:

https://www.xmedia-recode.de/en/index.html

you can make a new file in which you *COPY* the video stream (so no transcoding for the video part), and transcode ONLY the audio, meaning no video quality loss and it's blazing fast. It automatically muxes it into a new file with identical video and audio of your choice.

i did a small test, replaced my old MTS files that lost the audio by MP4 that the program made, then changed the extension back to MTS. and presto, all is fine again.

worth a try.

d