IMovie '08- Importing AVCHD

I have a Sony HDD camcorder (HDR-SR5), and its miserable to transfer files. Here is my current workflow:
1) Connect with USB
2) Manually select what to import, save to an external airport drive (hardly any hard drive space) and
begin download.
*wait forever*
3) Alright now they are .mov saved in events.
4) I go to iMovie HD and select import. I pull up the quicktime files. There are a bunch of files and
it takes about 4 minutes to download a 30 second file. I would hate to try to download each one.
I was just wondering if anybody has any ideas to consolidate this process. I'm open for any suggestions. Right now this process makes me miserable; deterring me from using my camcorder.
Also! If anybody could help me with controlling my camera from the computer (selecting it instead of iSight) I would be very thankful. I'm wanting to do some timelapses outside my window. Thanks!
Thanks in advance,
WIll
Message was edited by: IL7
Message was edited by: IL7

I take it from this new thread that you were unable to return/exchange the cam with Sony. That's too bad, but you seem to be making progress, albeit at more of a snail's pace. I didn't realize your cam format was AVCHD in the previous thread, otherwise I might have mentioned that this format does take more processor time in iMovie 08. Hopefully someone who knows about this aspect better than I will help out.
Re Richvid's post, here is something I found on the Sony site, from last April, when your cam became available. It's just one line from the review of the AVCHD cams, but maybe you want to investigate if this item is available yet.
"Sony has plans to release a DVDirect recorder that will allow high definition DVD creation without the use of a PC."
I would be remiss in my mission to promote miniDV if I didn't also say:
Of course, there's more expense (Sony's DVDcorder), which you probably weren't counting on, but Sony is, and add that to your near hatred of your brand new cam's hassles and it sure makes the idea of a nice simple miniDV cam even more palatable.
Forest

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Huge HD file sizes in iMovie when importing AVCHD files from HD Camcorder

Although several answers have been given on different ways to import HD files from a AVCHD camcorder, in this case a Sony one, the issue is what to do with the HUGE files it creates. I recorded 2 hours of HD content in about 30GB on the camcorder. I can burn those native HVCHD files on DVD's, took 6 of them, and play them on a Blue Ray player in HD. To edit, I tested a sample 50MB file that was about 3 minutes in length. It convered to quicktime file in the same 1920x1080 quality resulted in a file that was about 800MB, looked great, but how do I store or play a 20 minute version of it? iMovie is inadequate to do anything other than produce smaller size files for an iPod or lower quality, unless it is going to be a very short HD movie if doing true HD quality. One of the reasons I took the MAC plunge was the better multimedia capabilities. In this case, Apple (iMove and Final Cut) is behind.
I ended up shifting my HD editing back to a PC with $100 Sony Vegas software that can edit the AVCHD files and author in it. I can produce a DVD with about 25 minutes of edited HD in AVCDH file format and play it. I can also store the finished product in a much smaller space using AVCHD files. I have a 1 TB drive on my Mac that would be consumed if I worked in iMovie with converting all these AVCDH files and kept them in HD quality since it looks like it needs to expand them 12-16 times the AVCHD file size.
Yes, I know I could lower the quality to better work with them in iMovie, but that makes no sense to me. I want to record and edit in the HD format. Seems like these AVCHD cameras are becoming a standard since they are so efficient at storing HD content, iMovie needs to figure out how to edit and store them the same way. Very disappointed in how iMovie handles HD, to me it is NOT very good at handling HD, no good way to store or distribute it.
Am I missing soomething here? I have spent hours looking for a different answer, but have not found one yet? Maybe the next version of iMovie will be better. I like using it for SD DVD authoring, but for HD, did not work at all for me.
Jon

Interesting you say it is not meant for editing, but there are about a half dozen editor's for windows that will work on these exact files. I know with Sony Vegas that I have the same level of control with frame precision as I do with iMovie so I think there must be more to the story why Apple has not been able to support it like other software manufacturers who support windows. Don't get me wrong, i would love to do the work in iMovie and not have to learn something new. I don't have the storage space to use the HD apple format, that 2 hr of HD in AVCHD would turn into about 500GB then what do I put it on to play it. If the BlueRay standard calls for 25 or 50G disc's and we can get full two hour movies on them today, then they must be using a file format similar to AVCHD to fit on a disc, they cannot be using anything close to what Apple uses for HD files, it is just simple logic and math. So why doesn't Apple finure it out before everyone who starts working in HD comes to the same conclusion that the Apple QT file formats for HD is going to be an issue with space, you can create content, but cannot afford the disc space to store it or play it.

IMovie 08 imports AVCHD 60i = lower image quality!

The Sony SR11 AVCHD 60i videos play great with Sony player under BootCamp/XP, but iMovie 08 noticeably lowered the image quality after importing.
You can clearly see the difference: http://www.alyudesign.com/images/photo/sr11-sonyvsimovie.jpg
Is there a setting to improve the import quality?

It is of course difficult to tell but I see no difference in quality. What I do see is that one has been either de-interlaced (or displays only one field) whereas the other is in its original interlaced format.

IMovie freezes when importing AVCHD from Canon HF20

I've recently bought a *Canon HF20 AVCHD* Full HD camcorder, and am having a hard time importing the footage through iMovie '09. Here's exactly what happens:
1. I connect the USB to the back port of the iMac. The camera indicates a flashing USB symbol and nothing else happens. It doesn't mount the camera drive and iMovie doesn't detect the camera.
2. OK, so I connect the USB to a powered USB hub and it displays the correct message on the camera, mounts the camera drive and iMovie detects the camera is connected correctly.
3. I tell iMovie to import the footage. After a while, the estimated time left begins to increase up to hours long, and the progress bar eventually stops, and iMovie freezes, whith the colored spinning wheel as the cursor.
Each time I try to import the footage, iMovie freezes at different points.
Does anyone else have this problem importing AVCHD footage into iMovie '09 ?
Thanks in advance,
João Faraco

Well, judging from the deafening response, posting this question here is pretty useless.

Importing AVCHD: iMovie vs. Voltaic HD

I'm going to use a new HDD-based camcorder (those who read my previous topics will know why I - or rather someone else - chose HDD over tape). I've narrowed down my choice between a "basic" standard definition model, and a choice of more expensive high-def. models which feature optical image stabilization and take nice still pictures. Since they're HDD-based, they record in AVCHD.
I've been recently given a 10 s. sample of AVCHD video which I converted using Voltaic HD, but it took about 2 minutes (and I can consistently reproduce this time when converting it again) on my 2.2 GHz MBP. This is far from what I've read here when importing with iMovie '08 (which seems to take about twice as long as the actual footage length, and not ten times).
For those who own and use an AVCHD camcorder with iMovie '08 (and possibly Voltaic as well), how long does it usually take you to import footage with iMovie? With Voltaic?
Do you think (or know from personal experience), importing with Voltaic would be faster when importing larger clips, or do I really have to expect it taking ten times as long as the footage to import AVCHD?

I used "Voltaic" to test a short sequence recorded with a Panasonic AVCHD SD5 camcorder - to see what the quality was like before buying the camera, and before buying an Intel Mac to go with it.
Like Appleman's ..that camcorder shoots on SD (..or SDHC..) memory chips, not a hard disc.
Actually, that's what my sample came from (an SD5, or possibly an SD9).
I was disappointed with the results - though that might have been because I didn't choose some settings correctly - because although normal zooms and pans and static material looked OK, fast-moving material (..e.g; a train passing by..) seemed to have its fields reversed or overlaid, with an annoyingly imprecise location of vertical edges, and strong "comb" effects on moving edges ..as if the interlaced fields had been de-interlaced and then doubled to make Voltaic's frames (..this was using PAL video at 'full' 1920x1080i).
I'm not sure I understand all of that, but I was also disappointed with Voltaic's results on fast-moving objects (there wre two in the sample clip). Overall quality was very good though, and once the footage was converted from AIC to DV, the problem was less noticeable.
P.S: ..You say "..it took about 2 minutes (and I can consistently reproduce this time when converting it again) on my 2.2 GHz MBP.."
On Voltaic's website FAQs (..scroll down about halfway..) they show:
"How long does the conversion take?
This depends on your machine, but as a guide, on a 2.0 GHz MacBookPro with 2Gb of RAM, a 10 second AVCHD clip takes about 2 minutes to convert. In other words, it takes about 12 times as long as the original footage to convert the clip."
Thanks. That settles it. 12x is way to slow, and while iMovie can apparently import the footage faster, I want to keep the ability to transfer the footage from the camcorder's HDD to my drive and convert it later. So, AVCHD is not for me yet.

Are there any aps (free or paid) that convert panasonic avchd to a format imovie will import?

Are there any aps that convert Panasonic avchd video to a format imovie will import and edit?

[http://wetpixel.com/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t16884.html]
This might provide a bit of insight.

How to import avchd in imovie

How to import 1080P AVCHD content in Imovie 11 ?

Situation 1 Does iMovie 10 for Mac support AVCHD files?
Though the new iMovie 10.0 for Mac OS X Mavericks/Yosemite claims the native support for AVCHD, its support for AVCHD is just the same as iMovie 11: iMovie can import and edit native AVCHD in 1080i 50/60, 720p 24/25/30, 1080p 24/25/30, but iMovie does not support AVCHD 1080p 50/60 or 720p 60.
That is, you will still fail to import AVCHD to iMovie 10/11/09/08/HD if the AVCHD footage recorded at 1080/60p, 1080/50p or 720/60p with whatever model of cameras or camcorders like Panasonic Lumix DMC, Panasonic HDC series, Canon XA20, Pana TZ7, Sony Alpha DSLR(SLT) Cameras, Sony HDR-PJ790 and etc.
Situation 2 Can iMovie for iOS iPad, iPhone or iPod import AVCHD?
The short answer is no. Normally, iMovie for iPad, iPhone or iPad only works with the video files recorded by the iOS devices in MP4, MOV or M4V format. And iMovie for iOS will not import AVCHD footages recorded with other cameras or camcorders.
In order to successfully import all kinds of AVCHD to iMovie for Mac or iOS, a recommended solution is convert AVCHD to iMovie more supported video format.
Hope it will help you more or less.

How do I import AVCHD from my Panasonic Camara to iMovie '11?

How do I import AVCHD from my Panasonic Camara to iMovie '11?
I know i did it once and for the life of me I cannot remember how! I do not remember getting any additional software... i am pretty sure iMovie '11 can do it on it's own. I have a Panasonic Camera that takes movies in AVCHD.
Looks like it is in a .MTS format. HELP! Please...

• connect device via usb
• set to on/play
• select in iM 'import from camera'

Can I import avchd videos from canon into Imovie'11

can I import avchd videos from canon into Imovie'11

actually the only error in the system logs I see is..
11-02-27 10:59:49 AM iMovie[90311] NSEnumerateMapTable: map table argument is NULL

Import avchd imovie '11

I would like to import Sony Nex 5 AVCHD files in iMovie '11, but is doesn't work on my 3 months old core i5 iMac.
On Apple's support site I read that iMovie supports AVCHD files and that iMovie is capable of importing them.
However, my Nex 5 is not recognized when i use the cmd I function (then the web cam opens, but not the nex 5).
When I give the command to import from file on my harddisk, iMovie reports that there is nothing to import.
Before I switch to a video converter, I would like to see if it is possible using iMovie directly.
Your suggestions and help are highly appreciated.
Martin

iMovie doesn't support 50p/60p format. You'd better avoid the frame rate when you recording video.
If your AVCHD is still not be supported by iMovie 11, you may do that: You copy both HD AVCHD and SD AVCHD videos to iMovie 11.
Apple has now published a knowledge base article that addresses this issue and offers a method for accessing the AVCHD files. It states:
“Some camcorders that record multiple formats require extra steps to import both formats into iMovie ’09 and iMovie ’11. [...] To view and import AVCHD clips from your multi-format camcorder in iMovie, MP4/iFrame footage should be imported, preferably backed up, and then deleted from your camcorder. After all MP4/iFrame clips have been deleted from your camcorder, disconnect the camcorder from your computer and then reconnect it back again. The AVCHD clips should appear in the iMovie Import window.”
If it still doesn't work, you have to use the Mac AVCHD Converter tool to convert all AVCHD files to AIC to work with iMovie 11.

How to Import AVCHD Lite From iMoves to Aperture

I am very new at this, but I have found that I can import my AVCHD Lite movies from my Panasonic camera into iMoves with no problem. Just plug in the camera card in the card reader and off we go. This is great, now I would like to move the AVCHD Lite movies from iMove to Aperture, please tell me in very simple terms how I can do this or if it is impossible

You can't import AVCHD to Aperture.
Think of it this way: Video files are huge and so folks who work with Video talk of Production Formats and Deliver Formats. So, they shoot in Production formats because they contain the most data, are less compressed and survive the editing process with minimal quality loss. They then export the finished product to Delivery formats. These are heavily compressed and not suited for further editing. But the smaller file size is ideal for delivering to the viewer.
AVCHD is a Production Format (not a pro-level one, obviously) and is designed for processing and exporting to a smaller sized deliver format. That's what Movie is for.
It's broadly analogous to shooting Raw and processing into a Jpeg.
Regards
TD

Imovie freezes osx 10.9.3 & how to import AVCHD files?

Hi,
I have 2 questions:
1. imovie freezes:
Since a few days, imovie freezes when being launched.
I do not know the version I have and I do not think I can find out as ... imovie crashes before it even opens.
I have a macbook pro and got it in May 2014, so the imovie should be not older than whatever version was current back then.
I am not sure when it exactly started crashing, the first time I noticed it was last week when trying to import AVCHD clips from a camera. imovie would not launch so I used quicktime instead.
This brings me to my second question
2. how can I access AVCHD files to use in imovie?
Thanks

I do not have a time machine file available.
I believe the issue started after I imported AVCHD files from a camera by using quicktime since imovie did not let me do it.
After that, it has been crashing ever since.
I found the suggestion to delete all quicktime files in library-quicktime except AppleIntermediateCodec.component and AppleMPEG2Codec.component, but those were actually the only 2 files in there.
I also found the suggestion to delete all com.apple.imovie files in library-preferences, but there are no .imovie files in there at all.

How to import AVCHD files to imovie

Hi Apple community, I just got a Cannon Vixia R300 and I can't import AVCHD to iMovie. Any suggestions. Thank you.

This camera should work easily by taking the SD card and putting it in a USB (or built-in) card reader.
Open iMovie and it should recognize the card. If it does not after a minute or so, try FILE/IMPORT FROM CAMERA.
If you import by hooking a USB cable to the camera, make sure that the camera is plugged into AC power, not batteries only.
What have you tried?

How to import avchd to imovie

I have a canon camcorder that records avchd files. I cannot import these into imovie. Any suggestions for making this work?
Thanks!

Situation 1 Does iMovie 10 for Mac support AVCHD files?
Though the new iMovie 10.0 for Mac OS X Mavericks/Yosemite claims the native support for AVCHD, its support for AVCHD is just the same as iMovie 11: iMovie can import and edit native AVCHD in 1080i 50/60, 720p 24/25/30, 1080p 24/25/30, but iMovie does not support AVCHD 1080p 50/60 or 720p 60.
That is, you will still fail to import AVCHD to iMovie 10/11/09/08/HD if the AVCHD footage recorded at 1080/60p, 1080/50p or 720/60p with whatever model of cameras or camcorders like Panasonic Lumix DMC, Panasonic HDC series, Canon XA20, Pana TZ7, Sony Alpha DSLR(SLT) Cameras, Sony HDR-PJ790 and etc.
Situation 2 Can iMovie for iOS iPad, iPhone or iPod import AVCHD?
The short answer is no. Normally, iMovie for iPad, iPhone or iPad only works with the video files recorded by the iOS devices in MP4, MOV or M4V format. And iMovie for iOS will not import AVCHD footages recorded with other cameras or camcorders.
In order to successfully import all kinds of AVCHD to iMovie for Mac or iOS, a recommended solution is convert AVCHD to iMovie more supported video format.
Hope it will help you more or less.

How can you import AVCHD movies using iMovie '11?

How can you import AVCHD movies using iMovie '11?

H264 is one example of a codec used in MPEG-4 video encoding. Windows Media is a codec. Sorenson is a codec. DVPRO is ...etc....
Play a source video file and do a get info on it and tell me what the audio and video details are.

IMovie '08- Importing AVCHD

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