AVCHD and FCP?

Are there different file extensions within the AVCHD format? I have a Panasonic HD camcorder from some years ago which I think is m2ts files which FCP hates.A friend of mine is using a new Sony 550/VE with FCP and not getting any trouble.Any ideas?

I purchased clipwrap and simply "Transferred" the .mts file to .mov without changing the clip. I then imported it to FCP and it tells you the "imported video is different to all possible sequence settings, do you want it to match?" and I clicked "No". The red rendering line appeared and after rendering it worked fine. If you answer "Yes match the clip...." the clip plays very badly, in fact the same as the pre-transformed clip.
I transcoded the rendered clip to prores hq 422 1920X1080 and that worked fine as well.

Similar Messages

My report on AVCHD and FCP

After mucking around with AVCHD files on FCP and mixing them with HDV footage I have finally got a good working outcome which may be of interest to others wanting to do likewise.
From the same .mts file from a Panasonic SD5 camcorder I made 3 versions via Clipwrap:
1/ Pro Res HQ
2/ Pro Res
3/ AIC
I then placed each clip in succession on the timeline and carefully observed the result. I couldn't discern an obvious difference in spite of the fact that pro res hq was using a huge amount of memory. I therefore suggest simply using the AIC codec. Another point is that when I have attempted to import my AVCHD into FCE, and Pinnacle, WITHOUT using clipwrap, the 5:1 sound wasn't mixed down to stereo properly. Clipwrap seems to solve this problem.
So finally I can use AVCHD in FCP, mix it with HDV footage all, with a minimum of fuss and perfect stereo sound.
I hope this info is of use to others wanting to use AVCHD with FCP.
NOTE: I havn't checked with fast moving footage.The footage was of a person moving around in a well lit room.

Your eyes can see digital code when you're looking at a video? Wow, I'd love to have that ability.
Sarcasm aside, you can't use your eyes to judge the quality of your video, and you can't trust the display of your computer monitor. A well done mpeg2 can look amazing, and most people can't tell, or don't know how to tell, the difference between the DVD movie they bought, and the original it was compressed from. That's why home theater has become so popular.
The file size of ProRes is bigger because it contains more information. That's a no-brainer. Unless you're zoomed in all the way, looking at the videos on a pixel-to-pixel basis, you probably won't see the difference. Some will, most won't. But AIC is not nearly as high quality as ProRes. And you don't need HQ, as has be said already.
You can get portable 1TB hard drives with FW800 and eSATA capability from LaCie, and they're only slightly bigger than rugged drives. I use them all the time in the field, and I use ProRes and DVCProHD to edit.
AVCHD is an amateur codec. It's compressed. It was designed to make acquisition to delivery one step. (You know, film the kids in the back yard, and then show it on your HDTV so Grandma can see them). That's not what professionals use. Even the pros that use these cameras (mostly because of the price, and that the lenses are getting better) are capturing directly to ProRes in the field (using recorders like the AJA Ki Pro, or I/O HD to a laptop) and bypassing the AVCHD encoding altogether. The fact is, you can't improve your AVCHD footage. It will look only as good as it started, no matter what codec you convert to. You can, however, make it worse.
Early AVCHD used 4:2:0 color space, but the more recent AVC-INTRA uses 4:2:2. If you go to AIC, you're throwing out color information. That being said, if you can't see the difference using your eyes, then your eyes are not reliable. If you understand the reason why different color spaces work (in regard to the sensitivity of the human eye) then you would understand that we all know our eyes don't tell us enough.
But here's the real crux. If you're happy with the result, and it gives you what you want, then do it the way you're doing it. But I certainly wouldn't advise others to do it your way. It's not a better way. It's just an acceptable-to-you way.

Working with AVCHD and MOV files

I am just learning on FCP 7 and have very limited experience thus far. I have been using AVCHD files via L&T with no problem and also MOV files simply by importing them. However, when I am using both file types within the same sequence (L&T AVCHD and converting to ProRes and importing MOV), I need to immediately render one of the file types (the one I bring in last). This is also true for any change I make to that particular clip. This would be extremely time inefficient if I were to proceed with this process using several clips from both formats in order to put something together.
I would appreciate any advice or suggestions in how I can best work with these two file types and by reducing the rendering time (without compromising quality). Is there a way to convert the MOV files to a ProRes? This doesn't seem to be an option with the L&T feature.
Thanks

Thank you for the reply, David!
Sorry, it is an H.264 codec.
So does this mean that there is really no workaround within FCP to work with the two different formats ....other than rendering each clip I drop into the timeline? I was hoping to avoid having to use another application, but if I really don't have a choice....then perhaps I will try compressor or MPEG streamclip as you suggested. Are there any loss of quality issues when using either of these two programs?
Thank you

AVCHD and Snow Leopard (I-Movie / Final Cut Express)

AVCHD and Snow Leopard. I have been using Final Cut Express 4 and I-Movie 08 since they both came out. I have been using the same AVCHD camcorder (Cannon HG10) with both programs, and it has worked perfectly. Now I have installed 10.6 and 10.6.1 and now neither program will allow AVCHD transfer. Both recognize the camcorder but won't transfer.
A little poking around on the internet and I discovered that Snow Leopard won't support AVCHD (http://www.shedworx.com/no-avchd-in-snow-leopard). Third party web site mind you.
So far I agree it won’t work with AVCHD. Now since both programs were developed to use one of the most widely utilized formats in HD camcorders, again AVCHD, this accidental or intentional over site smells of Microsoft, not Apple.
I like some of the features of Snow Leopard but for me the video aspect is one of the top requirements. Apple had been the leader in the multimedia revolution and this mis-step with AVCHD is it’s typical of Apple.
I have just restored back to 10.5 and every thing is working again.
Now that were around the block here is the question. If anyone can come up with a solution…that does not include the used of third party software to convert, please let me know.
And to Apple, please fix this problem, I’m already hearing the complaints with QuickTime X, and seen the headlines, “Snow Leopard, is it Apples Vista?”.

CAM2399 wrote:
A little poking around on the internet and I discovered that Snow Leopard won't support AVCHD (http://www.shedworx.com/no-avchd-in-snow-leopard). Third party web site mind you.
This is, to be polite, a misunderstanding. Shedworx are being careless with their terminology.
1. SL itself does not support AVCHD, but neither did Leopard.
2. AVCHD support is built in to the movie editing software (iMOvie, FCE, FCP), exactly as it was in 10.5
3. I am happily editing AVCHD from my HG10 in iMovie 09 and in FCP, in exactly the same way I did under 10.5
So you have a specific issue with your camera, you've taken that with some carelessness from Shedworx, and on that basis you've decided, incorrectly, that Apple does not/will not support AVCHD.
There were many cases under Leo where people reported problems getting their camera to communicate with iMovie. Solutions include:
1. Trashing iMovie preference files
2. Repairing permissions
3. Copying the AVCHD folder tree from the camera to disk, and importing to iMovie from there
4. Using MPEG Streamclip to convert the camera footage before importing to iMovie
5.Making sure the camera is running on mains power, not battery, and that it's in playback mode.

AVCHD on FCP 6, what about FCE HD???

Now that there is some support for AVCHD on FCP 6, does anyone know when the same type of support will come to Final Cut Express HD? Pleass please please please tell me it's coming...

as Donna said, speculations are not allowed on this board..
interesting fact is, that FCP needs a conversion first of AVCHD (=doesn't handle that codec 'natively'), and that the conversion allows the options 'rs422' AND 'Apple Intermediate Codec' .. which is well known to FCE users ...

Avchd and fcpro 6

I want to get me the new sony sr 7 avchd cam. It records avchd on a memorycard. Did anyone try to import avchd with fcp 6?
Will it be possible? adobe seems to have this feature in premiere....

The codec is not supported and Apple has made no noise about when it might be supported.
If you must have the camera, get a copy of mpeg streamclip (google it - it's free) and become comfortable with it's magical abilities to transcode mpeg file formats into something useful.
good luck.
x

AVCHD and OS 10.8 file system

In my post about my positive experience with FCPX and that I just bought two Canon AVCHD cameras, yvr2lax brought up a point that OS 10.8 does not handle AVCHD the same as previous systems:
yvr2lax:
"stay pre-10.8 with your OS if you are going to use AVCHD files. 10.8 will no longer let you see each file individualy in the finder, rather it batches them together into a single file. It is a huge pain, even more so than the need to convert the files to a FCP usabel format. Here is Apple's explanation, and I reccomend seeing it for yourself on a freinds computer or at an Apple store that has OS 10.8. The problem is such that I may sell my Sony NEX-7 that shoots in this format."
Tom Wolsky followed up with:
"This isn't really correct. The files are inside the package. This allows them to be accessed by the QuickTime player, which was not possible in earlier versions of the OS. In the Finder just double-click the package and it will let you access the files and open them in the QT player. The files still open as normal in the FCP import window."
yvr2lax replied:
"It is still not the Finder. And is is still a pain. You can't keep the Quicktime window open like a Finder window. You can't drag and drop like you can with the Finder. The older OS is better to access individual files quickly and efficiently. It is a different file handling system that people should know before they buy a AVCHD camera, or update their OS."
Tom replied:
"Why are you accessing the files in the package in the first place? They're .mts files. What are you trying to do? Just open the application. Access the media. Make your selects and import.
AVCHD works great with the current OS and FCP. Sorry. You might like the old way better, but it's not coming back."
One thought I had to yvr2lax was try right clicking the AVCHD file in the Finder and see if the menu has "Show Package Contents" but no one addressed that.
Otherwise, I agree with Tom, I have no reason to go to the AVCHD items in the Finder, I will import them to FCPX and use them there as I need.

I recently discovered this functionality when I was doing a remote recording using a clients MacBook Air. I shot some basic AVCHD footage of the session and when I tried to simply drag the contents of my card onto my client's MBA I was startled by the fact that the only item available to me was a directory called "private". And none of his local volumes were accessible from the desktop.
Now, I know enough about the structure of AVCHD cards to understand what I was looking at but I can understand why others, myself included, find this a bit hobbling if not confusing.
Let me just say that I still use 10.6.8 for an assortment of reasons and i'm not ashamed to say so.
I have a bunch of AVCHD backups of cards and only backed up the AVCHD folder inside the "private" folder. It works perfectly with FCP7 under 10.6.8 and now I'm fearful that ML will not recognize them. I don't have ML installed on any of my systems yet so I can't check.
Personally I'm disappointed with Apple's tendency of "hiding" directory structures including the default state of hiding the local volumes.
It seems like Apple is heading in the direction of IOSing all of their systems. Hopefully they will included preferences for people who want to see and control data in the way that they choose rather than the way apple thinks they should.

AVCHD to FCP for editing

AVCHD to FCP workflow. I've just upgraded from the dvx100B to the HMC150, and I have a problem that I don't see discussed when I search. I'm surprised, because it's a really simple question:
I just received my new HMC150 and I’ve filmed something at 1920x1080, 24p. So now I’m trying to figure out how to edit the AVCHD files in FCP (version 7.0.1). I’m running an eight-core Mac Pro w_ 20Gb of RAM. I assume that I need to transcode the HMC150 files to ProRes 422 or 422 (HQ) to work with them in the Browser.
So, I transfer the data from the HMC150 SD card to my desktop, and I get a folder labeled AVCHD. Inside this folder I see two more folders entitled “AVCHDTN” and “BDMV”
Inside “AVCHDTN” are two files, “THUMB.TDT,” and “THUMB.TIC”
Inside “BDMV” are three folders and two files. The files are labled “INDEX.BDM,” and “MOVIEOBJ.BDM”
The three folders are labeled “CLIPINF,” “PLAYLIST,” and “STREAM”
Inside “CLIPINF,” one finds three files labeled “00000.CPI,” “0001.CPI,” and “00002.CPI”
Inside the PLAYLIST folder is one file labeled “00000.MPL”
Inside the STREAM folder are three files labeled “00000.MTS,” “00001.MTS,” and “00002.MTS”
I’ve tried using MPEG_Streamclip, but it doesn’t recognize any of the above files. I’ve also tried importing each of the above folders or files into FCP (to used Media Manager), but it doesn’t recognize any of this data either. What’s the workflow that works? Help!

Hi
What's AIC? It's not listed as a Target Format in the Log&Transfer Preferences
not even if you click on the "ProRes 422" name? It should drop down and show at least Apple Intermediate (others if you have specialized workflows installed eg RED) or FCP 7 offers ProRez 444, I think.
Anyway if you have lots of Disk Space ProRez is a Higher quality CODEC ... but both AIC and ProRez are bigger "containers" (ie better 'quality') than AVCHD. If your footage was shot well, both will work well. Experiment for yourself and decide your needs.
IMO it's best to provide Vimeo and YouTube with a file which is *exactly * the size, frame rate and CODEC (including bit rate ) they want to play. That way they won't have to re-process your image at all and potentially introduce distortion.
Vimeo have a page that specifies exactly what the want .... an MPEG 4 with H264 encoding, 720P (for HD ... deinterlaced if shot at 1080i) capped at 5000Kb/sec bit rate (check it out yourself though. I'm sure YouTube has a similar page). You can set that up in compressor as a new setting, or go on the internet (try Limewire) and find a copy of Visual Hub (V 3.3 is good) with a serial #. It's no longer sold, supported or developed so you won't be able to pay for if if you wanted to! But it still does a great job of You Tube /Vimeo' ing movies. I've loved it for years!
For DVD Studio Pro, Compressor's presets are fine.... though they only make Stanadrd Def DVD's. I wouldn't recommend the HD-DVD option which is still listed. The HD-DVD format is now obsolete.
You can make a "BluRay" DVD using your FCP Movie and a Copy of Toast 10 Pro with the( Blu Ray Plug In). It will put up to 20mins of BluRay Data (actually H264) on a 4.3 Gig disk that plays in a BluRay Player. I think there are some options in FCP Studio 3 for BluRay, but I don't have it yet ... maybe it can do the same thing?
Hope this helps
Lee

Will Final Cut Studio 2 HD and FCP 7 Upgrade load on newest OS?

I have Final Cut Studio HD and an FCP 7 Upgrade on my old system. Looking to buy a new iMac and wondered if I could load Studio 2 and FCP 7 on the newest OS?
Any insight is appreciated!

Forgot to mention, although it will install it isn't officially supported by Apple anymore. Just in case someone jumps in to point it out.
DM

Is it possible to install both FCP7 and FCP X on your hard drive without running into problems?

Is it possible to install both FCP7 and FCP X on your hard drive without running into problems?

Apple recommends separate partitions: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4722

Matrox MX02 Mini and FCP 7...

We have been using the MX02 Mini essentially for HD monitoring and have run across a few issues that have hindered productivity. It appears that one or two of these issues have been fixed in the latest 2.2.1 software release. The following remain. Has anyone experienced the same?
1) Audio scrubbing... audio cannot be heard on a per frame basis, usually audio is heard every three
frames or so.
Apparently this has not been fixed.
2) Audio playback. In the viewer... Hit play... Playback begins but the audio drops out and then
resumes... hit stop and playback repeats the last bit of what was playing before you hit stop.
3) Audio distorts, similar to an analog overdrive sound, when hitting play every 10 times or so.
Most of the projects that we are working with are Apple Pro Res 422 @ 23.98, Audio 48khz/16 bits.
Most of our computers are as described... 2 x 2.26GHz Quad Core Mac Pro running 10.6.6 and FCP 7.0.3.
Hard drives are local external 2TB G-RAIDs with plenty of room. We have check all of our media to make sure that it matches our sequence settings.
I realize that there are Matrox advocates out there, but we seem to have a hard time getting the MX02 Minis to work reliably.
All ideas are welcome. Note that we are working with Matrox support as well.
Thanks,
Scott

1) Audio scrubbing... audio cannot be heard on a per frame basis, usually audio is heard every three frames or so. Apparently this has not been fixed.
Well, that actually is the main thing that was addressed in that update. I didn't have the issue for a while, then I upgraded to snow leopard, and there it was. But that was something with the 2.0 and first 2.1 drivers. But the latest driver that was just released, 2.1.1...fixes that. For a lot of people, me included:
http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/132/860478
http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/132/860397
As for the other issues, that are all audio related... they should have been addressed too.
Make sure to update PROPERLY. Uninstall the older drivers, then restart. Install the new drivers... and when the updates erase and then update the firmware, when the computer will shut down, and you need to unplug the MXO2 mini for at least 5 seconds, then plug it back in. Then start up the system.
Shane

New 13" MacBook Pro and FCP Express?

Is the new 13" MBP OK for light video editing with iMovie or FCP Express and little photo editing with Photoshop Elements?
For video I use Panasonic AG-HMC40 AVCCAM HD.
Thanks!

Graphics.
However, as I keep telling everyone, I have an almost prehistoric 2004 G4 eMac (1.25GHz 768MB RAM and 32MB VRAM) which ran and still does run, FCE 4 and FCP 6 perfectly well.
The only minor problem was that the new FxPlug effects did not work, but with 200 other effects there was still plenty to keep anyone happy.
Your setup will not have that problem and even though it isn't the latest iteration it should still be excellent for the job.
Message was edited by: Ian R. Brown

Help with cs3 and fcp -from cs2 and fcp thread..

didnt want to hijack the thread about cs2 and fcp so started a new one
hi, I'm using a proRes 422 file ( mov ) 1920x1080p 23.98fps 16:9. Loads and plays fine in CS3 (custom desktop settings)...but wouldn't mind knowing your project settings for your trial shooternz...so I can compare...
My file is dark and a little flat...so I used levels effect adjustments. However, though it looks way better and exports OK ( hdtv 1920x1080p 24fps) I do see some "noise" now if I freeze the frame...is that common or am I over doing it on the gamma and levels correction ?
I'm just doing hd for the first time really on this machine, trying to figure out what I need in future for machine and upgrade to CS5...so I am going to dissect this file and figure this out til the cows come home so I don't have to deal with problems in future with new machine, etc.
Another thing...I have media info on this saying mpeg-4 ( mov wrapper) video = apcn ..audio = ipcm..
audio 1,536kbps, 1 hz, 16bits, 3 channels, ipcm..
However, there is no sound on the track which loads into audio 4 when video goes on video 1. This was shot with a boom - as I can see a boom shadow in shot during " back to 1 " on the set (when dolly moves back to 1 etc) .... ( sound mixer) so it's possible there is in fact NO SOUND embedded in the video file. Is that common to have a soundtrack appear even if it is empty with proRes ?
thanks...Rod

Wow, not too popular a subject ...this....
Got an update from the man who sent me the prores file...and a little info re: his opinion of adobe coming from FCP...I will share it with you all...
If you are going the Adobe route, I would highly recommend that because Premiere CS5 is a really impressive app when it comes to working with footage and editing. I have recently moved over to the Adobe CS5 Suite because Final Cut is good, but it hasn't been updated in a while....and the Mac is a really expensive alternative to a really good PC.
The color space for the clip I sent over was set for Rec709 HD Colorspace which is meant for broadcast, but on a non calibrated monitor, it will look dark. It usually requires a gamma shift and color treatment (since the clip is uncorrected), but it sounds like you are on your way.
Given the RED work flow, we always shoot raw and make the adjustments prior to rendering. The main reason we use the Adobe Suite is because you can work natively with any footage in the digital work flow.....FCP requires you to transcode everything into a Pro-Res Quicktime and you lose all of the really granular ability to treat the footage in order to get through the edit and color grade.
sooo, new computer will have a broadcast monitor ( just in case one is needed )...
I adjusted my clip by eye, plus vectorgraph etc, (levels and gamma) and it turned out fine...
Rod

FCP 7 and FCP-X on same partition: what problems are caused?

I'm trying to figure out if the performance issues I'm having with FCP-X can be remedied, or if the problem is just buggy software. Apparently, even a newer, faster, more powerful Mac is not the answer, as I read complaints from people with new, suped-up Mac Pros who say the software slows to a crawl. Sounds familiar to me, but I'm on iMacs and a MacBook Pro -- all my Macs are 3-4 years old, and are from that Core 2 Duo era, not Quad Core processors. All my Macs are maxed out at 4 GB or RAM. So I'm certain new machines are in my future. But judging from what some people say about their newer, faster machines, I'm not entirely convinced that it would solve the problem I'm having with FCP-X.
There are numerous threads here reporting sluggish performance (perpetual spinning beach balls) relating to a memory leak or a problem relating to FCP-X's usage of memory (some say it happens worse in Lion). Is that the problem? And if it is, why hasn't Apple addressed it?
Then there is this matter of having FCP-7 (FCP Studio) and FCP-X installed on the same partition. Apple's "Best Practices" article clearly states that it's best to have the two applications installed on separate partitions. Only problem (for me) is, I already had FCP-7 installed on the primary partition. When I purchased FCP-X (the day it first became available), I hadn't read that article, so naturally, the software got installed...you guessed it...on the primary partition. And yes, I could uninstall FCP-7 (FCP Studio), create a new partition, and then re-install it. But I remember how long it took to install FCP Studio (about 4 hours, as I recall), so I've put off the ordeal of heading down that road.
So I'm wondering.......
What problems are known to occur as a result of having FCP-7 and FCP-X installed on the same partition? Would my sluggish performance be related to this? Or would going to the trouble of uninstalling FCP-7, re-partitioning, then re-installing FCP-7 (FCP Studio) into its own play space, only be a waste of time?
What evidence is there that this co-install is the culprit causing sluggish performance?
What ARE the problems that the co-install causes? I've never heard anyone address this specifically.

When FCP X first came out, Apple recommended keeping FCS 3 on a separate partition, so I did that.
Recently I did a clean reinstall or Lion and installed FCS 3 as normal, followed by FCP X 10.0.3.
During the FCP X install, FCP 7 was moved to a new folder called Final Cut Studio.
'Studio' and FCP X now work happily on the same partition - but I have not tried opening both at the same time!
Just now, both applications are the most stable they have ever been.
These are my standard tips for improving performance:
First, check the spec of your iMac against the system requirements:
http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/specs/
Particularly your graphics card. If it's listed here, it's not suitable:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4664
If you are getting crashes, there is some conflict on the OS. Create a new (admin) user account on your system and use FCP X from there - if it runs a lot better, there's a conflict and a clean install would be recommended.
Other ways to improve performance:
Keep projects to 20 mins or less. If you have a long project, work on 20 min sections then paste these into a final project for export.
Create Optimised media - most camera native files are highly compressed and need a great deal of processor power to play back - particularly if you add titles, filters or effects. ProRes 422 takes up much more hard drive space but is very lightly compressed. It edits and plays back superbly.
Hide Waveforms at all times when you don't need them (both in Browser and Storyline / Timeline). They take up a lot of processor power.
Create folders in the Project and Events libraries and put any projects you are not working on currently, in those folders. This will help a lot.
Move your Projects and Events to an external HD (make sure it's formatted OS Extended - with journaled on or off) and run from there.
Contrary to what Ian said above, the biggest single improvement I saw in performance was when I upgraded the RAM from 8 GB to 16.
Andy

Importing AVCHD and DCIM folders into iMovie that someone has sent me. They live on my desktop. How do I bring them into an event library?

Someone has sent me the AVCHD and DCIM folders to import into iMovie. They live on my desktop. How do I bring them into an event library?

DCIM contains only stills.jpg ...
AVCHD is a highly complex file structure:
the 'video iself' is within STREAM as .mts, plus corresponding .cpi files in the CLIPINF ...
if the structure is intact, you go via File/Import/Camera Archive …
WITHOUT such a complete structure, the mts are not readable for iM and the automatic conversion routines don't get triggered. you have to manually convert/rewrap with 3rd party tools.-
the pics/jpegs can be imported via Finder/drag'n drop.-

AVCHD and FCP?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for