CompuServe Messages

#PAR AVI Codec Problem

    23-Jun-95 19:45:18
Sb: #PAR AVI Codec Problem
Fm: TBV 74261,2742
To: TBV 74261,2742
PAR AVI Codec problems Hello. If there's anyone from DPS out there, maybe you can help me with this. I can't seem to get the PAR AVI Codec to work properly with Adobe Premiere 4.0. I am using the MCI drivers and AVI Codec found in the PARW121.ZIP file downloaded from the DPS FTP site. My system is a 486 DX-266 with 16 Mb of RAM with DOS version 6.22 and Windows for Workgroups 3.11. Anyway, after I've created the pseudo-AVI files using the PAR2AVI program, I try to load the AVI files into an Adobe Premiere project, At this point, Premiere locks up, but doesn't crash. If I hit <ctrl-alt-delete>, a Windows message is displayed saying "DPSCODE2.TSK windows application has stopped responding to the system". Thereafter, the AVI file is loaded into the Premiere project window, but without the thumbnail image (a green area is displayed instead). Apparently, the AVI codec was trying to obtain the thumbnail image from the PAR drive but was unable to, which resulted in the error. After the AVI file was loaded, I could drag the scrub bar in the Premiere construction window, and the PAR drive properly sequenced through the ani file on the PAR drive (I can tell this because the PAR output on my video monitor showed the animation moving in response to the scrub bar), so at least the AVI Codec is communicating with the PAR. However, it seems that the PAR cannot communicate back to the AVI Codec, because any operation that requires the AVI Codec to obtain an image frame from the PAR results in lockup. This prevents me from doing transitions, overlays, etc. About the only thing I can do is use Premiere to generate a title sequence and send that directly to the PAR, since that only involves the AVI codec sending data to the PAR. I thought this was a problem with Premiere 4.0 only, so I tried to use the PAR VCR and the Windows Media Player to play the pseduo ani files on the computer screen, but I got the same lockup and the same error message. (By the way, I know the readme file says to use Premiere 4.0a, but everyone I called at Adobe claims version 4.0a doesn't exist". So maybe my problem is with the PAR board itself, or with the AVI codec. However, my PAR board has functioned flawlessly to date, and I have no problems using the Windows PAR VCR. I know that to use the DPS PAR with Razor Pro you need something called a "decimation chip" to do video editing. Do I need this same chip to make the PAR work with Adobe Premiere. If so, how do I know whether I have the new chip or not (I bought my PAR in March 95 from BH Video).