Media & Files Troubleshooting

Missing Media (Red Badge on Clip)

A red Missing Media badge on a timeline clip means Exaplay cannot find the file at the stored path.

Causes:

• The media file was moved or renamed after being added to the project.
• The project was opened on a different machine where the files are at a different path.
• The drive letter changed (e.g. USB drive was reassigned).

Fix:

1. Right-click the clip → Re-link Media.
2. Browse to the new location of the file.
3. Exaplay updates the path in the project. If multiple clips reference the same missing folder, you can re-link them all at once by selecting them before right-clicking.

Prevention:

• Keep media in a folder relative to the project file (e.g. MyShow\media\).
• Use the Project Export feature to create a self-contained archive before moving to a new machine.

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Unsupported Codec

If a clip shows a codec error or plays as a black screen:

1. Check the file format in the Inspector — unsupported codecs are flagged.
2. Transcode the file to a supported format.
3. For H.264 files that stutter, consider enabling Intel QuickSync or transcoding to HAP.

Common codec issues:

File	Problem	Fix
.mov with HEVC	HEVC may require specific codec	Transcode to HAP Q
.mov with ProRes 4444	Requires Medialooks decoder	Ensure Medialooks SDK is present
.png sequence	Not natively supported as a sequence	Export as a single video file
.mp4 H.264 stuttering	CPU decode bottleneck	Enable QuickSync or transcode to HAP

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Audio Not Playing with a Video

1. In the Inspector, confirm the Volume for the clip is above −∞ dB.
2. Confirm the Master Volume fader in the Transport bar is not at zero.
3. Check that the correct audio output device is selected: Config → Audio Settings.
4. Check the Timeline — audio clips on muted tracks will not play (mute indicator is a speaker icon with a line through it).

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Video and Audio Out of Sync

Audio/video sync drift is usually caused by:

• Different sample rates: The project and audio device use different sample rates (e.g. 44100 Hz vs 48000 Hz). Match them in Config → Audio Settings → Sample Rate.
• Large audio buffer: Increase the ASIO buffer size for stability; decrease it to reduce latency-induced drift.
• LTC sync drift: If using LTC timecode, check that the LTC source is clean and stable.

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Still Images Not Displaying

1. Confirm the file is in a supported format: PNG, JPEG, BMP, TIFF.
2. PSD files are supported but require the PSD to be saved with merged/flattened layers for the fastest load.
3. Very large stills (e.g. 10 000 × 10 000 px) may take several seconds to load. Check the DiagnosticsPanel for VRAM usage — large textures consume significant VRAM.

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Media Loading Slowly

• Large files take time to buffer on first play. Exaplay pre-loads the first frames automatically when the clip is placed on the timeline.
• For guaranteed instant play, leave the composition in its pre-roll position before going live.
• Storage speed is critical: use NVMe SSD for 4K content. Network-attached storage is not recommended for real-time playback.

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NDI / Spout Source Not Appearing

See the dedicated troubleshooting sections in NDI Support and Spout Input.