FYI: iMovie and Panasonic HDC-SD5

FYI,
I just purchased the Panasonic HDC-SD5 which supports 1920x1080 or 1080P. I recorded clip with the HG1920 setting (1080P). I then imported the clip into iMovie and added it to a project. When I play the movie everything is oblong. (A circle appears as a oval.) I then recored a clip at 1080i, imported it and everything looks correct.
It appears that iMovie does not currently support 1080P using a AVCHD camcorder.
Does anyone know if Final Cut Express supports 1080P?

You may find some of the information in my other thread useful... http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1131966&tstart=0
I believe the SD5 is 1080i and not 1080p. If you look at the imported file you will most likely notice it is not 1920x1080. It is now 2560x1080. If your record in one of the 1440 modes on the camera you will see the 1440x1080 is imported as 1920x1080 and therefore everything does not look stretched. I have not been able to determine if it is a bug of Apple or Panasonic.
I assume you will see the same thing with FCE since I do see the same behavior with Final Cut Pro.
You are correct that currently the 1080i SD5 is not supported. I would assume that it will be added to the support list soon. At least that is my hope.
For now I have been playing with the 1920x1080 mode and editing with the stretched imports. Then I just share using Quicktime and change the size to 1920x1080. It seems to be working well. The picture quality is still very nice.
Hope that info helps.

Similar Messages

IMovie 08 and Panasonic HDC-SD5 Camera

Hi Folks I have a Mac (lol), i have a Panasonic High Definition Camera and i have a problem. I connect the camera, i import the clip on my macintosh hd and i create my dvd with iDVD. But when I see my dvd i see that the video is ginned, with a very low quality. Why???
Info: Mac OS X 10.5.6 on MacBook 3.1 with 2.2 GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 2 Gb of RAM and Intel GMA X3100 graphic card.
Panasonic HDC-SD5 with 3CCD and high resolution (Full HD 1920x1080). It recorded with the AVCHD format.
Thank you!!

If you have a PC and the generic software that comes with the camera you can as well.
If iMovie 08 can import high definition video can it not output it on its own as AVCHD (AVC/H.264 - MPEG4) to DVD?

Panasonic HDC-SD5 & I Movie

I bought a Panasonic HDC - SD5 which arrived yesterday so I could use the clips in I Movie. The reason I bought this camera was because it was on the Apple list of approved tested cameras. What I seemed to have overlooked was the file type and also that my Mac is a G5 without Intel, a schoolboy error.
Does anyone know if apple are looking into developing software so the AVCHD files can be used on a mac without Intel. I was due to update to I Life 08 so that's no problem if needed, however if anyone could advise me that would be great.
Regards
Hezza

Welcome to the  Discussion Forums.
No one here knows what plans  have for imovie, but I rather suspect that if they were going to make the PPC work with imovie/AVCHD they would have done it from the outset.
You can always use Voltaic instead of imovie to convert your AVCHD video.

Trouble importing from Panasonic HDC-SD5

When I connect my Panasonic HDC-SD5 AVCHD camcorder to my computer using a usb cable, a disk drive mounts, but no camera is seen by iMovie. The files on the disk drive cannot be imported either. Does anyone know how to import video from a Panasonic HDC-SD5 camera into iMovie?

USA Consumer products for Panasonic camcorders (non-professional series) only have one camcorder type that use the IEEE/Ilink/DV/Firewire connection (pick your poision on what you want to call it Panny calls it DV).
The models with the prefix PVDV/PVDC/PVGS are the models that use DVC tape and they will have a DV connection. Only the higher end of these model types will allow you to transfer video over a USB connection and those actually started in the PVGS line about 3 years ago.
Outside of that, Panny makes camcorders that record to DVD, SD and SD/HDD media. All of these models (whether high-def or standard) use USB to connection for a personal computer and they are not treated as capture devices but more like removable drives. These camcorders are not compatible with a USB to DV conversion cable so do not waste your money.
That is all I have for now. Please copy and repost this where it is needed.

Import from Panasonic HDC-SD5 fails

Hi
I'm a newbie to Mac and movie recorders. I just purchased a Panasonic HDC-SD5 today and connected it to the mac (intel, since that seems to be a requirement with AVCHD cams). I open iMovie and it automatically open the import screen.
I'm choosing "archive all", which fails. The message is: Insufficent access privileges for operation. The path referenced is: /Volumes/NO NAME/PRIVATE/AVCHD/BDMV/STREAM/00000.MTS.
Since I have very low knowledge about the Mac and it's programs and functions, I'd be very happy for any help available..
I do know that I have:
- OS X 10.5.6
- iMovie 09 8.0.2 (741)
Thanks in advance

"dizzy"..? ..Wearing a blonde wig when shooting?
I don't know what you mean by "dizzy". Mine are absolutely sharp.
See what you think ..forget the jerky clips at the start, but about halfway through, when the blob is just above the word 'Small' beneath the playback window and the caption says "Panasonic three-teeny-chips SD5 AVCHD camcorder" ..or drag the little blob till it's just above the "a" of "Small".. here's what I got recently with my SD5.
That Gallery page doesn't show the video quite as bright and vibrant as it is on the camcorder; maybe the slightly diminished brightness is an effect of the conversion into MPEG-4 playback and compression for the web page.
The SD5's Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) tries to hold the picture steady when the camera's being jiggled a bit, but if the camera is jiggled a lot, then the picture may seem a bit jerky if the OIS cannot compensate sufficiently. So if you shoot from a moving car, or on a fairground ride, or anywhere else that's bucking and swaying (a boat?) the footage may look a bit jerky. But "dizzy"..?
If the picture's a little "fuzzy", i.e; unsharp, it may be because you've got grease or finger marks on the lens. Turn the camera on so that the lens shutters open - or unscrew the knurled steel grip around the lens so that it pops off - and look at the front of the lens: are there marks on it? If so, remove that knurled-screw lens cover, put a teeniest-weeniest dab of Badedas (or similar) shower gel, or some washing up liquid, on the lens, then moisten a cotton bud and gently swab the moist cotton bud over the lens till you've removed all traces of grease. Then wipe dry with another cotton bud, or the corner of a dry, clean, lint-free cloth, like a dish-drying towel. Carefully replace the knurled-knob lens shutter assembly onto the camera body, and gently screw it back in, without cross-threading it.
If your unsharpness comes from some other source (..i.e; not grease on the lens..) you may want to play your videos on a couple of different displays, in case it's an unsharp display which is producing the "dizziness".
What about stills shot as stills with the camera? ..Are they "dizzy" too?
Here's a still I made from a video which I shot of Karsten and I at the Munich Apple Store.
http://homepage.mac.com/davidbabsky/.Pictures/Assorted%20pics/KarstenApple.jpeg"
Click on the link above for a large, clear image..
Note that I had a screw-on wide-angle adaptor on the camera, so the edges of the picture are warped and blurred, with terrible colour fringe-ing. But look at the table and the items on it in the centre of the picture: looks OK to me.
Perhaps you can explain more precisely what you mean by "dizzy" ..but my videos are all sharp, clear, stable, and satisfactory.

Panasonic HDC-SD5 Full-HD Support with FCE4

I recently purchased a new Panasonic HDC-SD5 and Final Cut Express 4.
I was able to capture the video from the camera in Full-HD mode but the aspect ratios were not correct (FCE had them as square, not 16:9). I did have success using the 1440x1080 setting.
Am I correct in assuming that there is no support for Full-HD in FCE4 or am I missing something? If so, what is the best way for converting Full-HD to something FCE can use.
Thanks.
Message was edited by: growinglogic

You use the Log and Transfer function from the File menu. If the camera or a card reader is connected it should be recognized. If not you can click the Add Folder button in the upper left corner and point to it.

Log and Transfer - panasonic HDC-SD5 - quits on startup - AVCHD

Hi Guys,
When an SDHC (4Gb) card or HDC-SD5 (via USB) is connected, and I bring up the Log and Transfer window, Final Cut Pro quits without a message. I have been struggling with the same issue with iMovie '08. Please see this thread for details:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=5526463&#5526463
Configuration: FCP 6.0.1, Pro Update, QT 7.1.6. OSX 10.4.9. MacPro.
I no longer know what to do with this issue. I've tried using Disk Utility to make an image and then mount it...same result. The SD reader is not the issue as the result is the same even if I connect the camcorder via USB. I noticed that I if I don't apply the Pro Apps Update and keep FCP at 6.0, it doesn't crash but fails to recognize the Panasonic's AVCHD structure on the SD card.
What I did notice, however, was the manual mentioned that SD cards, whether it be 4Gb or 8Gb are formatted with FAT32 and everything below 4Gb is formated with FAT16. Perhaps this can be the root cause? Is there anybody suing a SDHC 4Gb card , formatted with the Panasonic AVCHD structure having success with FCP 6.0.1 (and or iMovie '08)???
I also read that QuickTime 7.2 can be the issue, reformatted and installed 7.1.6, again, same result.
Please any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Max Average, thanks for your reply but you suggestion does not work. I copied the contents of the SD card to a directory on my main volume, opened FCP, went to Log and Transfer, clicked the Add Folder button and then navigated to aforementioned directory -- and still FCP quits!
The directory structure as it appears on my panasonic formatted drive is:
DCIM
MISC
PRIVATE
|_AVCHD
|_AVCHDTN
|_BDMV
|_CLIPINF
|_00000.CPI
|_INDEX.BDM
|_MOVIEOBJ.BDM
|_PLAYLIST
|_00000.MPL
|_STREAM
|_00000.MTS
Is this a standard across all AVCHD manufacturers?

Please help with workflow - iMovie '08 and Panasonic HDC-SD1

My two teenage sons play high school basketball and I've been videotaping their games using our new Panasonic SD1. Picture quality is terrific, but I've been taken aback by how much time it takes to get the footage from the camera into iMovie and then how long it takes to burn a DVD from that iMovie file. I'm hoping I'm doing something wrong and that there's a quicker way to get the job done.
The kids play four periods and I've been stopping and starting the camera in between, so I end up with four separate files on the SD card. Total time is usually an hour and change.
Okay here's the workflow from there:
~ When I get back to my iMac (2.16 Core 2 Duo with 3GB of RAM) I place the SD card in a card reader and import the four files into iMovie from there. Importing the hours' worth of video takes a couple of hours.
~ I then make one project with all four files for export to iTunes so the boys can watch on our Apple TV. Exporting, using the "large" format takes another couple of hours.
~ I then use the same exported file to make a DVD for the coach using iDVD. That process takes more than three hours.
I'd actually like to split out the four quarters of the game into separate menu items on the DVD. My thought was to make each quarter a different iMovie project, but it looks like I can't queue the four exports so I'd have to stay close to the computer to do them individually.
Thanks in advance for the help.
...Barry

If you only have 1 file per quarter, one obvious thing to do would be to edit out the time in between plays, the time-outs, and the like. That is easily done in iMovie.
Having said that, importing (and exporting) in high definition takes time, and your times do not seem unreasonable.
Message was edited by: AppleMan1958

Panasonic HDC SD5 - Can't transfer ADCHD clips to FCE

A relative has owned a HDC SD5 Panasonic HD Camera for a couple of years, and today bought FCE4 installing on his iMac. Using log and transfer, he selects the clips he wants to transfer, but once finished they do not go into the project folder on the left hand side. He has also tried to drag them to the project folder but gets a red exclamation mark.
I thought it might be a problem with the card, so he formatted a blank card, did a few minutes filming and tried to transfer this, but again the same problem. The camera has .mts files on the SD, can these be imported to FCE?
Any help or suggestions greatly appreciated how to get his footage from recent holidays.
Thanks
Matt

so far only Pinnacle Studio 14 can recognize MTS files and HDTV movies
and of course connect to any camera
also for rendering and burning your movies Pinnacle Studio 14 works great
I have tried FCE4 iMovie nothing works at all
and got really frustrated as soo many easy task just can't be done with a Mac
Panasonic has many patches for Mac and PC
on it's web site only the PC stuff works
but is not needed with Pinnacle Studio 14

IDVD and Panasonic HDC-HS200 Camcorder

I have just bought a Panasonic HDC-HS200 camcorder and recorded some clips of the kids, transferred it to iMovie09, edited it and shared via iDVD, then burned a DVD - however when I play the DVD there are a small portion, on both right and left side missing - it fills up the TV screen, however something is missing - can anyone help

sounds like you messed up the settings somewhere along the line ... but as I noted, this is not an iMovie or iDVD forum so who the heck knows what setting it was and where to look to fix it? unfortunately I don't ... anyone got some iDVD / iMovie skills and want to help our poster?
perhaps try posting in the right forum?
iMovie forum is here: http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=141
iDVD forum is here: http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=128
cheers
Andy

OnLocation and Panasonic HDC-SD909

I have some issues to import AVCHD form the Panasonic HDC-SD909 into OnLocation CS5.5.
I have copied the whole AVCHD structure from the memory card to my hard disk. If there are less than 98 clips all are shown in the media browser when I set "Shown As" AVCHD (I'll hope "Shown As" it's correct, I'll work with the German version). If there are more than 98 clips it will be shown only the clips 99 to xx.
At the end of the last year I have contacted the Adobe support, but they can't help me. They said to me to technicans can simulate this issue is because of my camera.
Does anybody with the SD909 has the same problem? Is there any solution for this issue?
Regards from Germany
Axel

sounds like you messed up the settings somewhere along the line ... but as I noted, this is not an iMovie or iDVD forum so who the heck knows what setting it was and where to look to fix it? unfortunately I don't ... anyone got some iDVD / iMovie skills and want to help our poster?
perhaps try posting in the right forum?
iMovie forum is here: http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=141
iDVD forum is here: http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=128
cheers
Andy

AVCCAM Importer with FCPX and Panasonic HDC-TM900

Has anyone tried the new AVCCAM Importer from Panasonic with Final Cut Pro X and a Panasonic HDC-TM900 with 1080p video?
I have just started reading all of the posts on issues with TM900 and Final Cut Pro X with 1080p video and was hoping the new plugin from Panasonic may have helped!
My concern is the download only references Final Cut Pro and Quicktime 7.
https://eww.pass.panasonic.co.jp/pro-av/support/desk/e/avc_download.htm#avccamvm ac
I have a 2011 MacBook Pro which has Quicktime 10 and was hoping to buy FCPX but won't if I can't import my video properly.
I was even willing to go through a conversion process but in looking at all of the board posts, it seems that for the Panasonic TM900 with 1080p video, there are not any programs that will convert properly, i.e. one puts a green screen every second or there is video artifacts.
If the new plugin "AVCCAM Importer" does not help with the TM900 / 1080p video in FCPX, what alternatives do I have to edit HD 1080p video on my Mac??
Is there a conversion tool that has fixed the issues mentioned above or is there another video editor that will import the .mts files natively?
I don't want to go back to my PC if I can help it and I don't plan on making a feature film, just editing home videos onto Blue-ray as I used to do on my PC with Pinnacle Studio.
Appreciate the feedback!!

[Minimum System Requirements]
Mac
* Mac computers with Intel processor(s)
* 2GB of RAM or more
* Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard)
* QuickTime 7
* Final Cut Pro 7.0.3 or better
however Not compatible with Final Cut Pro X (Ten)
Not Ten.

IMovie 11 and Panasonic HDC-SD90. won't recognise camera

I am trying to import AVCHD for the first time from this camera.
All I get is No Camera Connected.... the instructions were followed, connect USB lead, turn camera on and "import from camera". I have previously copied the files from the SDHC cards to the Mac and have tried to import also from there into iMovie with no success, all I get is a list of files with 60p in a "red no entry type circle" and the play and import greyed out. Camera is connected to mains power.
The camera is supported in iMovie.
Don't know what to do !!
Thanks

One other thought. Are you shooting 60P? iMovie does not support 60P. You will want to shoot 30P or 60i to work with iMovie.
You may need to find some external software that can convert 60P to 30P.
If you feel adventurous, some folks have hacked iMovie to make it work for 60P. Do so at your own risk.
For example.

Panasonic HDC-SD5

Does anybody have experience with that new Panasonic camera? Does importing work?

Correction: it does work with the SD card in an SD card reader...you just have to make sure the SD card is plugged in to the Mac before you launch iMovie!

IFrame vs. 720p and Panasonic HDC-SDX1

The intracodec (540p) uses 25Mb/s which is quite a high bitrate compared to the 720p mode of this nice camcorder. Therefore the filesize of iFrame is much bigger compared to 720p. Well, for my taste the 720p looks better and is smaller and the editing in imovie is o.k.
So what is the benefit of iframe ?

Oliver Ayoub wrote:
.. So what is the benefit of iframe ?
the real question is: What is the benefit of a high bitrate?
simple: the higher the better (in perspective to res x fps).
record highly structured, mono-colored moving scenery (trees with leaves in the wind) - a low bitrate provides artifacts.

FYI: iMovie and Panasonic HDC-SD5

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