If you’ve watched any of my recent YouTube videos (which most of you haven’t), you will have noticed a recurring problem with audio/video sync problems in which the video precedes the audio by nearly half a second. As a result the clips – despite the video quality – come across as severely disjointed and not very professional.
I haven’t been very happy about that and set out to locate the root cause of the problem. After a series of tests, each of which I’ve included below, I discovered it was all due to the codec I was using when making the recordings.
As a page in the YouTube support site entitled “The sound is out of sync on my video. How do I fix it?” indicates:
“Out-of-sync sound is usually the result of using an audio codec that our system doesn’t support. We’re always adding new ones, but if this happens to your video, you can try re-encoding it with a different audio compression. We recommend MP3 audio for best results.”
In the previous tests I had recorded the clips using the default QuickTime setting – Best (H.264). In the fourth test however I opted for the “Good (MPEG-4)” option to see if it improved things any. Lo and behold it did.
As a result I will now be able to start taking advantage of the better video quality I get from pre-recording clips prior to upload (rather than recording them directly to YouTube), while ensuring the audio and video are properly syncronised.
Changing the Settings:
To change the settings, go to QuickTime Player –> Preferences, select the recording tab and then choose Quality: Good (MPEG-4). You should then find the recordings created using this setting will play properly in YouTube.
Test Clips
In the interests of proper documentation, each of my 4 tests is included below:
Audio-Video Sync Issues Part 1 – Direct to YouTube
Audio-Video Sync Issues Part 2 – MOV file upload
Audio-Video Sync Issues Part 3 – Preliminary Findings
Audio-Video Sync Issues Part 4 – MOV upload (MPEG-4)
References:
- “The sound is out of sync on my video. How do I fix it?” YouTube Help Center, accessed 7 May 2008
Why is video so freaking complicated? I think it is a conspiracy. Mpeg-4/DivX/Xvid is good enough for me – everyone should just use that from now on because I say so. (If you don’t like it then buy a smaller television like mine and you won’t notice a thing)
I guess the video guys I work with don’t call compression and post-production “the dark arts” for nothing. I tried getting one of them to explain codecs to me once and I thought my head was going to explode from information overload.
Truth be told, the workaround I’ve suggested above isn’t necessarily the best way to do it – I just personally think it’s the easiest.
The best way seems to be to suck in the content at the highest possible quality – in this case using the H.264 codec – then edit things and finally export to the final format before uploading.
For high quality stuff I think that’s definitely the way to go – especially when you’re using content that’s been planned, scripted and shot to good cameras. However in my case I’ll most likely be doing talking head shots straight to camera. So adjusting the recording quality in the QuickTime preferences is the quickest and least painful option.
Cheers,
Mike
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Procedure:
1. Within QuickTime, trim to selection
2. Export to MPEG4 Video, 320×240 (ensure .mp4 extension)
3. Upload to YouTube
Audio/video sync solution:
1. Open file in QT Sync
2. In Controller Window, select measure msec (not frames), select Audio, then adjust as desired (I found +40 msec works)
3. Export to MPEG 4 Video, 320×240 (ensure .mp4 extension)
4. Open in QuickTime to verify synchronisation
5. Upload to YouTube
To to confirm that the procedure is:
1. Within QuickTime, trim to selection
2. Export to MPEG4 Video, 320×240 (ensure .mp4 extension)
3. Upload to YouTube
Audio/video sync solution:
1. Open file in QT Sync
2. In Controller Window, select measure msec (not frames), select Audio, then adjust as desired (I found +40 msec works)
3. Export to MPEG 4 Video, 320×240 (ensure .mp4 extension)
4. Open in QuickTime to verify synchronisation
5. Upload to YouTube
Is that correct? WIll this procedure work for Myspace too?
I agree that the video guys you work with don’t call compression and post-production “the dark arts” for nothing. And that for high quality stuff I think that’s definitely the way to go – especially when you’re using content that’s been planned, scripted and shot to good cameras. However in my case I’ll most likely be doing talking head shots straight to camera. I agree that video is complex and could arguable be harder than figuring out how to drive a high speed covertable on a icy road through the hills of San Bernadino California. That is really saying alot, not that most video production producers could not figure out how to drive a high speed covertable on a icy road through the hills of San Bernadino California, but it would certainly be one of the toughest challenges above and beyond working with an Mpeg 1, 2 or 4 codec compression and remaining to keep and upload it real time. It is sometimes best to render only a small portion of the video first to inspect it once your done. Most software such as (i.e.) vegas video can do this and you will not have to render the entire production. That would waste a lot of time and electricity, especially if the codec that you used does not work propoerly. So, in other words, just select and render small parts. Checking each for consistancy, then render the entire production with the one that you like the best. Go Bears! I hope this helps. I have work with Steve Spielburg, so although some of what we did was “on the fly” I still know my stuff.
BTW, some wonderful softw2are that will encode and re-encode ANY type of audio or video production is AVS4YOU. They charge around $ 39 a year and you have access to all of their software. I began using it 70 years ago (not really) and have used it religiously eva since. Go Bears!
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Okay — I’m a little bummed, though, because I actually recorded my video ON Youtube (i.e., using YouTube’s record-a-video or give-video-comment) feature, and there is a lag in my video.
This has never occurred, before.
Any ideas on how to resolve that?
Actually you may have discovered yet another issue with YouTube. The QuickCapture option has been the source of recurring issues for me lately – and based on the discussion that’s resulted from my YouTube QuickCapture clip, we’re not the only ones having trouble.
Based on what you’ve described though our problems may be different from one another. In my case large portions of each recording is being omitted from the final version. The lag problems you’re describing may be something entirely different. Do you have a link you can post that we can take a look at?
Also, just for clarification – it sounds like it was working for you in the past but suddenly started to have problems. Is that right? Are you on the same machine and network/internet connection as before (e.g. is everything the same in your set-up as it was when it was working)?
I’ve had sync issues using Picasa3′s post to YouTube function, but not with the QuickCapture so far. If I can see a clip perhaps I can be of some assistance.
Otherwise, as soon as I have anything to report rest assured I will.
Cheers,
Mike
Hi;
I struggle constantly with audio/video sync. I have concluded that YouTube is NOT deterministic – in other words, I can upload the exact same videos, give them different names, and some will play back in sync, others will not. All of the these videos are in sync when the source files played back on any of “my” computers ( I have access to literally hundreds of different Windoze and Mac computers – this is both a blessing and a curse!).
Furthermore, if one watches the same YT video at different times, on the same computer (or even on different computers), sometimes the video will be in sync, other times it will not.
To make it even more complicated, when YT deigns to bless a video with “HQ” status, using their mysterious and subjective algorithm which will randomly and arbitrarily decide a video is worthy of HQ, the audio is almost always in sync. (I know that the YT algorithm is arbitrary because I have many times uploaded the same video at a later date, given it a different name, and witnessed YT sometimes grant it HQ status, other times no HQ).
I use Sony Vegas 9 for all my editing.
If you are curious, here’s a link to a vid I re-uploaded and is now in perfect sync:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9XL82osLDk
Raargh
What about videos on YouTube? Is there any plugin or trick to do to fix videos someone else made, which are good, except their audio is off? I often end up not watching things because the sync issue becomes unbearable.