As of SONAR X3d, SONAR’s video engine defaults to using Microsoft’s Media Foundation framework, rather than DirectShow. This fundamentally improves the way video files are loaded, played, edited and exported in SONAR. Media Foundation generally supports most older formats supported by DirectShow as well as many newer formats such as H264 video. A full list of media formats supported by Media Foundation can be found here.

If you experience compatibility issues with video files that worked well with previous versions of SONAR, you can globally revert to the DirectShow video engine by adding a configuration entry to AUD.INI:

To do this:

• Launch SONAR and then go to Edit > Preferences
• Click the "Edit Config File" button in Preferences | Configuration File 
• Add the following lines at the top of the file:

[Video]

VideoEngine=0

• Save the file from Notepad
• Click "Reload Config Settings"

Now subsequently loaded projects will use the new DirectShow engine setting. Removing the above lines, or setting VideoEngine=1, will allow SONAR to globally use the new Media Foundation engine.

NOTE: The Media Foundation engine in SONAR X3D does not support Windows Vista. If you are running Windows Vista your video engine will default to using DirectShow.