Best video format to stop stuttering

Cubase
1

Covered before I know but always run up against problems with this one…

Using DaVinci Resolve these days (used to be Handbrake / MPEG streamclip etc…) so I want to drop a client’s video clip in and render the whole thing out into something that will play smoothly in Cubase.
I used to say I didn’t care about filesize, but the SSD’s can balloon out of control if not careful, so I am a little mindful now - so preferably not DV anymore.
With longish mp4s I’m always having problems with stuttering video.

PAL sized would be fine - it’s literally just for proxies in the DAW

[ Trashcan MacPro 12-core 128GB RAM - all thunderbolt2 SSD ]

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2

Low bitrate is the key.

I usually do 720p, bitrate 5mbps, h265 or h264 should be fine.

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3

Thanks I’ll try 720P - (probably!) never tried that before…

4

I have noticed this too with mp4 files.

5

Apple ProRes or Avid DnxHD are formats designed for easy playback on systems used by media producers. H264 and H265 are heavily compressed and will put more strain on your Mac, unless you have a CPU/GPU that can (and does) decode these. These formats are for consumers with low bandwidth(read: wifi)
Choose a low bitrate for these codecs(ProRes & DnxHD). Get a larger drive. These videofiles will easily play from a HD if needed. Keep your audio and samples on (NVME) SSD’s and you will be fine.

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