Yup, that's a codec issue. Pretty much any downloaded source you get is going to be Xvid (for new shows anyway). And Premiere hates Xvid and Divx. Some people get the codec to work, but it inevitably causes trouble at some point.
There is a relatively easy way to use Avisynth to trick Premiere into playing nice with that codec though. The only downside I've found is that using Avisynth to import whole episodes tends to eat up RAM, so I do find myself needed to restart the program after an hour or two of solid work. Or it will happily do it for me. ;D
This page of the guide mentions some of the things to look for if you want to try using .avs files to import the downloaded eps into Premiere:
I don't use the mjpeg codec for rendering previews, because I don't render my timeline when I'm working. Not in Premiere anyway. I scroll through carefully to check stuff, then export the timeline every 30 seconds or so to see what it looks like.
This is what I do to use those types of episodes. (Reading the guide description of Avisynth will help make this make more sense.) I open up VDubMod, choose import with Avisynth, and pick the file. It should open fine. If you get an audio error, don't freak out. There's a way around that since you shouldn't be wanting the audio anyway.
I then open up the Script Editor (under Tools) and use this script (obviously your file name will be different):
Adding the "audio=false" to the end will remove the audio. If you get an error after trying import a file into VDub, just open up the .avs file it will have created anyway and add that to the script. Then hit F5 (save & refresh) and it should work.
The other lines make sure you have a consistent frame rate (might vary by source, but make sure all of the source you use is set to the same frame rate), resize the resolution (only necessary if you're matching up different resolutions or want to change the size of it for some reason), and very importantly, make the color scheme match the one Premiere uses.
When you get into Premiere and import a file, just make sure to choose the .avs files, instead of the .avi files.
And I'll start a new comment to go over some of the basics of Premiere. :)
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There is a relatively easy way to use Avisynth to trick Premiere into playing nice with that codec though. The only downside I've found is that using Avisynth to import whole episodes tends to eat up RAM, so I do find myself needed to restart the program after an hour or two of solid work. Or it will happily do it for me. ;D
This page of the guide mentions some of the things to look for if you want to try using .avs files to import the downloaded eps into Premiere:
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/guides/avtech/videogetbmeth2.html
I don't use the mjpeg codec for rendering previews, because I don't render my timeline when I'm working. Not in Premiere anyway. I scroll through carefully to check stuff, then export the timeline every 30 seconds or so to see what it looks like.
This is what I do to use those types of episodes. (Reading the guide description of Avisynth will help make this make more sense.) I open up VDubMod, choose import with Avisynth, and pick the file. It should open fine. If you get an audio error, don't freak out. There's a way around that since you shouldn't be wanting the audio anyway.
I then open up the Script Editor (under Tools) and use this script (obviously your file name will be different):
AVISource("D:\My Documents\My Videos\Veronica Mars\veronica.mars.s02e10.hdtv-lol.[VTV].avi", audio=false)
AssumeFPS(24)
LanczosResize(624,352)
ConvertToRGB32()
Adding the "audio=false" to the end will remove the audio. If you get an error after trying import a file into VDub, just open up the .avs file it will have created anyway and add that to the script. Then hit F5 (save & refresh) and it should work.
The other lines make sure you have a consistent frame rate (might vary by source, but make sure all of the source you use is set to the same frame rate), resize the resolution (only necessary if you're matching up different resolutions or want to change the size of it for some reason), and very importantly, make the color scheme match the one Premiere uses.
When you get into Premiere and import a file, just make sure to choose the .avs files, instead of the .avi files.
And I'll start a new comment to go over some of the basics of Premiere. :)