Dropped frames and Media Offline: checking capture, GH6 files and playback

Locate the skip in a specific shot

Record the filename and path, the time of the problem and what you see or hear. Note whether it happens at the start, while scrubbing through the shot or at a repeatable point. Saying only that playback “stutters” gives the technician no specific range to compare.

Keep the original file and its folder structure. Work with an identified copy when preparing samples or review files. The delivery guide helps organize originals, versions and the file inventory.

Compare the same excerpt on each workstation

Choose the range before changing settings. Play it from the location the operator and editor will use; record the application, version and result on each workstation. If you copy it elsewhere or prepare a review version, identify that change too.

To check the copy and review its content, follow the two separate checks in the recording delivery guide. Keep their results separate so you know which comparison was performed and which part still needs review.

URSA Broadcast G2: dropped-frame warning

The “!” warning remains after stopping the clip until another recording starts or the camera restarts. Under If Card Drops Frame, alert warns and continues; stop recording stops capture. During rehearsal, test the media with the intended format and record whether recording stops and when. See the manual.

HyperDeck HD Plus: a warning during recording

If the REC button flashes during recording on HyperDeck Studio HD Plus, the manual identifies possible media or network-speed problems. The recording indicator alternates with the dropped-frame count. Check media and format in the manual, pp. 37 and 40.

Premiere: check what is dropping frames

In the Source or Program Monitor, enable Settings > Show Dropped Frame Indicator. It counts frames skipped during playback and resets with each playback; it does not verify capture. See Adobe’s instructions.

Compare the indicated moment with the original, frame by frame. Proxies are editing copies; keep the original.

Record the Premiere version and build, then repeat the comparison with the same file and range. If the result changes after an update, check the settings too: a successful test in another version does not automatically validate the installed combination.

Rehearse with the planned workload and duration

Before the event, reproduce the combination the program needs: inputs, graphics, recording and other tasks that will share the system. Include movement and shot changes that can be reviewed afterward. Record how long the rehearsal ran and which range you opened; the record describes that test.

Use this table to assign checks. These are proposed tests; fill in each result when you perform it. To organize program and ISO recordings by session, see the recording plan.

Give support a comparison they can reproduce

Attach an identified sample and a record of equipment, versions and settings. Include the warning text or a photo if you saw one, and describe what the system was doing at that moment. State what you compared and the result; leave the cause unresolved if you have not verified it.

Preserve the initial state and run tests outside the event. The technical help center provides other diagnostic paths for signal, audio or streaming problems.

Close the review with the person who will use the footage

Complete the dropped-frame section of the delivery worksheet. Include the file, range, control checked, comparison, result and person responsible for any remaining check. Ask the editor to confirm what they could open and review from the location they will receive.

To prepare a proposal with GLMedia, send the program, duration, available models and delivery format. Coordinate cameras and recording with those details; the review scope and copies also need time in the schedule.

GH6 and Resolve: identify the codec before blaming the file

Record the Resolve version/build, Free or Studio edition, operating system, GPU and copy location. On GH6, Rec. File Format distinguishes MP4, MOV and Apple ProRes; the extension alone does not describe compression. Rec Quality, DVQP2441 lists AVC/HEVC, bit depth, sampling, fps and bitrate for each setting. Record the complete setting and the received file’s properties; do not assume it retains the camera format if it was converted.

Identify the card model and product code, Resolve version and any warnings during capture. Compare the same copy in another compatible viewer before attributing the problem to recording media; Media Offline alone does not identify a defective card.

For codecs, consult the Decode column in the Resolve 20 list, July 2025, pp. 3, 7–8 and 11. Conditions vary by platform, profile and edition. That table does not verify a later version’s configuration or the file you are reviewing. The final note makes acceleration conditional on compatible hardware; decoding and encoding have separate columns.

Import an identified copy into a test project and compare the same range in another viewer that supports the format. If results differ, record the application and source used; that alone does not establish that the original is intact or damaged. If the camera displayed warnings, also follow the GH6 card guide.

Offline after XML import: check Media Pool, path and matching

The Resolve 20.3 manual, February 2026, p. 1167, distinguishes unlinked clips, present in the Media Pool but disconnected from disk, from missing clips, absent from the pool although present in the timeline. Before relinking, look for the clip in the Media Pool and locate the actual file. Work in a project copy to preserve the edit, metadata and settings.

For an unlinked clip, Relink Selected Clips, p. 413, uses the name and timecode. Select the clip in the Media Pool, open its context menu, choose that function and point it to the folder containing the correct copy. If the subfolder structure was preserved when moving media, Change Source Folder lets you specify the new path. Check the take, duration and in/out points after relinking: removing the warning does not prove it is the correct shot.

If the clip is absent from the Media Pool, review Conforming Clips During XML and AAF Import, pp. 1171–1172. Record Automatically import source clips into media pool and Ignore file extensions when matching; turning off the former limits conforming to clips already imported. To add missing media, the manual describes Timelines > Import > Additional Clips With Tight Filename Match, p. 1179: it also looks for the same extension. Test it in the project copy with the folder for that camera angle, then compare the result with the edit reference. Before broadening the matching criteria, check which clip is missing and which originals belong to that angle.

Before accepting the relink, check the camera, codec, Resolve edition, take and in/out points against the edit reference. If the match is wrong, return to the previous copy and review the import criteria. Do not reformat the drive or broaden access permissions as a substitute for identifying the correct path and file.

Compare originals, proxies and cache without deleting the initial state

Proxy Handling, p. 217 of manual 20.3, offers Prefer Proxies, Prefer Camera Originals and Disable All Proxies. Both preference modes can fall back to the other source if the preferred one is unavailable. Disable All Proxies forces originals and shows offline if they are unavailable. That is why “prefer originals” alone does not establish which file you are viewing.

In the test copy, save the settings and compare one state at a time. To observe the original, temporarily disable Playback > Use Optimized Media if Available, p. 202, and choose Playback > Render Cache > Off, p. 204. Keep the cache and derived files: this comparison does not require deleting them. Note whether the symptom changes or only playback smoothness, and restore the settings afterward.

Use the table to compare the same range and record the result for each setting. If a sample works, also check picture, speech and duration over the agreed ranges. A smoothly playing proxy does not repair frames missing from the original. If the problem persists at the same point, keep the sample and records before proposing transcoding or recovery.

Use the Resolve worksheet to give the editor the file, playback source, setting and result. For delivery and ranges awaiting review, connect that record to the delivery guide and the scope of .mdt repair.