Cant fiquer out how to choose the correct sequence settings for HD

Question

I edit for over 50 shooters whom I never have contact with. I get every possible file format & never the parameters they shot in. In FCP all I had to do was drag the footage to an empty sequence & it would automatically adjust it to the exact sequence parameters. In PP I always get either a yellow bar or red bar on everything I try to edit and the footage in the program window is always very strobey whether I set it for field or frame display. (All DV footage I have no issue with, it's only HD files)
In Premiere CS5 I am finding it frustrating. Is there a program that cam read all the important codec info so at least I can dig for a sutible sequence? I tryed gspot but it doesn't tell much & PP CS5 clip properties doesn't seem to be of much help either.
Am I missing something in my approach?

Answer 1

Footage like DVCPROHD (P2 MXF) and XDCAM EX show no bar in sequences with matching parameters; they'll show yellow lines (hardware MPE) and red lines (software MPE) in non-matching sequences. Footage like DSLR H.264 from a Canon T2i, for example, show yellow bars, even in matching sequences. So, you can't really rely on the yellow bar/red bar as an indicator of footage matching the sequence. Typically, the "drag to New Item" action will generate a sequence that matches your footage, though it might not always use the editing mode that matches the footage (e.g. P2 with P2 media).
Ultimately, knowing a little bit about your footage helps. I like using MediaInfo much more than GSpot for video file snooping; it much more modern, gives more helpful information (in my opinion), and integrates nicely with your operating system (e.g. tool tip popups, right-click "MediaInfo" items).