Lumix Gh1, AVCHD import

Hi
I have a Lumix GH1 camera (hackable) that does 1080p 24p Mjpeg 44Mbps.
1) Will I be able to import its files directly without the help of third party software? I'm asking this because I heard that even the Final Cut Pro doesn't accept the AVCHD format natively.
2) What's the best format recommended when using the camera such as the Lumix Gh13.
3) What are the major difeerences between the FCE and the FCP? Do you gain a lot going from the FCE to the FCP?
Thanks

1. Both FCE and FCP can import true AVCHD footage from cameras.
1a. FCE transcodes AVCHD footage into +QuickTime/Apple Intermediate Codec+ during capture/ingest and that is what you actually edit. Note: FCE is designed to work with 720p (25/30 fps) and 1080i 50/60. It does not edit 24p material
Since the GH1 can shoot AVCHD 1920x1080p, if you shoot 1080p 50/60 you may need to run the footage through MPEG Streamclip before importing into FCE, in which case you would also use MPEG Streamclip to do the conversion of the AVCHD source into QT/AIC.
1b. FCP transcodes AVCHD footage into +Apple ProRes+ and that is what you would actually edit in FCP.
2. AVCHD.
3. For starters, you can compare the FCE specs vs. the FCP specs on the Apple website. Note there is also an $800 price difference ($199 vs $999).

Similar Messages

Lumix GH1 and IMovie

Sorry for the basic question (been using macs since 84 and am spoiled)
Just bought a Panasonic Lumix GH1 and would simply like to watch the movies on my IMac. I am so used to just connecting and having things work that I am somewhat miffed that I seem unable to view my video at all.
Do I need to buy ILife 09 (have 08) to make it simple - or what other software.
What is an ".MTS" file and why wont IMovie deal with it in a straightforward fashion?
Yes I can spend 3 days sorting it all out - but then how can I pretend to the Dark side crowd that Macs are 'plug and play'.

Hi
You can watch the files directly in VLC or even better in Toast Player.
But to make them play nice with iMovie you will have to convert them into a more edit-friendly format that is less compressed. For this there are numerous discussions in the forums. As far as I know, iMovie will not let you import AVCHD directly from a MTS file, but will accept it if you plug in the sd card directly from the camera without changing anything in the file structure. Then iMovie recognises the films but will first need to transcode them to something much larger in file size before being able to play and edit them. Also the transcoding takes time.
So, if you have the GH1 for shooting video that you want to watch as soon as you shoot it, but also edit it on your mac, you may be in for some hassle. On the Windoze side there are a couple of options to edit AVCHD natively but they are such ******** applications for actually doing anything easily as only Sony can make.
Hope this helps (and is correct, as I don't own a GH1)
Enri

IMovie '11, AVCHD import.

Hi
I have a Lumix GH1 camera (hacked) that does 720p Mjpeg/ 87Mbps.
1) Will I be able to import its files directly without the help of third party software? I'm asking this because I heard that even the Final Cut Pro doesn't accept the AVCHD format natively.
2) What's the difference between iMovie '11 and the iMovie HD? WIll iMovie HD be the answer to my firsdt question?
Thanks

I have both a GH1 and GH2. The GH1 (not hacked) has no problems with iMovie (or FC). The GH1 AVCHD files are not compatible with iMovie yet. I use Aunsoft MTS/M2TS Converter to get the files into quicktime.

Panasonic GH1 - AVCHD 720 60P Project

I ordered a Panasonic GH1 and I intend to use the AVCHD 720 60P mode.
I understand that its probably using coding with H.274 Main Profile Level 4.0 at 17Mbps.
I already downloaded some sample videos but I cannot edit them in this mode.
1) How do I create a AVCHD 720 60P project? I cannot find such a preset?
2) Since I do not want to loose any image quality, I only intend to cut / assemble my clips with very limited editing hoping that I can re-export with minimal re-coding in exactly the same format, profile, bit rate, etc... How can I do this?

Well, I'll be more specific then - I was reluctant to appear to be using Adobe's forums for touting the features of competitive apps, but at the end of the day nobody in their right mind would say that, for all people and for all purposes, progam "A" is better than program "B" for editing video. It depends on what you in particular are wanting to do, the style in which you are wanting to do it, and the source device (camera / camcorder) and host PC that you are using. In reading the following, Your Mileage May Vary!
Currently I have PE7, Pinnacle Studio 12.1 and Cyberlink PowerDirector 8 (just released) on my PC. And Nero 9. My source video comes from Panasonic SD5 and Panasonic GH1 devices, in AVCHD format. The former is 1080 and the latter does that and 720 as well.
In brief, my personal views on these are as follows:-
PE7 - a much more "pro" interface than the others, and I like some of the details like being able to use separate audio and video transitions. But it doesn't like the 720 footage from my GH1, and it doesn't create AVCHD DVDs which are my preferred output medium (highest quality at lowest cost, as compared with blu ray). There are ways around this that I've described some months back, and possibly some even better ways that I really should document some time (using freeware) but it's a pity it's not built in.
Studio 12.1 - An interface that seems targetted at kids rather than adults, and the way it goes about some aspects of video editing don't suit my personal approach. It handles all the types of AVCHD that I've tried it with and creates AVCHD DVDs directly with menus, but it's due for an update in terms of its efficiency in handling AVCHD - you need a PC with clout to get a fluid feel when working on the timeline.
Nero 9 - Has the ability to smart render some (by no means all) AVCHD footage, so if you simply want to edit with no bells and whistles, you can do so and then render to AVCHD file or AVCHD DVD in the time taken to copy the data - no processing happens, and no quality loss is involved. If I was running a newsroom I'd be sending out my teams with cameras that took Nero-compatible footage and do the editing really fast in Nero ready for the next news bulletin. But I'd hope no effects etc were required as that's not what Nero is good at. IT handles GH1 AVCHD footage of both resolutions but only smart renders 1080.
PowerDirector 8 - this can use the processing power of certain Cuda-compatible (and other) graphics cards to give a significant boost to AVCHD playback and rendering performance. On my 9300 quad core PC I've got it to play four rotated picture-in-picture images on top of a base image all sourced from AVCHD before the PC maxed out performancewise. It really does make it unnecessary to transcode to something else for effective editing (though you still need a pretty up to date PC). It accepts GH1 AVCHD (both resolutions) and outputs to AVCHD DVD with menus (and to the other formats you'd expect) but it's smart rendering capability does rather vary with the source - my AVCHD devices don't seem to be on its smart rendering list. However, rendering is significantly faster than with other apps I've tried and I think the quality is good - though some people on the Cyberlink forum don't agree. As I said, YMMV. It has some nice features but the most childish-looking interface of all of them - quite embarrasing to use.
I guess my ideal program would combine the pro look of Premiere Elements, the efficiency of PowerDirector 8, and the smart rendering of Nero. One day...
Never buy a video editing app on someone else's recommendation. Try before you buy on your system using your footage.

Macbook - AVCHD import - External disc drive - Import error

Whilst attempting to import any AVCHD clip, I always receive a message informing me there has been an error during import and to check video carefully. Afterwards no imported video images are visible in the events list. i.e. the 'title' is there but no image(s). i.e. it looks like that the final part of the process which creates the small quicktime files has failed.
Now here's the interesting thing, this ONLY occurs when I am attempting to capture the video on my external 1Tb Iomega UltraMax disc drive.
It does not matter if I attempt the import as 'full' 1080i or the 1/4 sized 'reduced' import - both fail. Its just as if the processed output cannot be written fast enough. The import times are circa 4* the length of the clip.
When I however do the import to the built-in drive on the Mac, it works perfectly. Import time to the built-in drive is twice the clip length.
It does not matter if I attach the external drive by USB or firewire (though the latter appears to be slightly faster), both fail with the import. N.B. The drive is MAC formatted.
I have a 1 year old Intel Macbook (2Ghz & 2Gb, 120 Mb disc drive) with the latest version of Leopard and everything fully patched.
Has any one got any thoughts or solutions to this please?

Hi folks and special thanks to those whom put forward suggestions.
As mentioned in my original post, the external Iomega Ultramax 1Tb drive is MAC formatted, (and journaled).
One consideration was wether journaling was significantly slowing performance, but according to everything I read, there is little impact.
I took an old 60gb laptop drive and installed it into an external USB2 drive box and formatted as a MAC journaled drive. I then did an AVCHD import using iMovie 08 and all worked fine. I also carefully timed the import and the particular clip took exactly 59 seconds.
I deleted the import, rebooted, formatted the drive as a MAC NON journaled drive and did the same import. A worked fine and it took a fraction over 57 seconds. i.e. the overhead was just a few percent for journaling.
At this point it seemed to prove that something was very odd indeed going on with the Iomega Ultramax drive. This drive is used for time machine backups and time machine had never informed me of any inability to write to the disc.
Using the built-in Mac OSX disk utilities I ran a 'verify' on the drive. Guess what... it came-up with a number of errors including bad structures. I then ran a 'repair'. Unfortunately it was unable to resolve the the faults and I ended-up having to reformat the Iomega drive, as a MAC journaled device.
Tried a new AVCHD import to the Iomega Ultramax and it worked fine. In fact I later tried running Time machine (which was now doing a complete first time backup of my Macbook) _at the same time_ as an AVCHD import of many clips to the SAME drive. All worked absolutely fine.
For those interested in such things, memory usage during an AVCHD import was about 650Mb out of 2Gb RAM and processor usage (Intel dual core) was about 74% in each core.

Avchd import fail

Hi,
Canon 5d m3 avchd import fail on some files
looks like it fails over 1gb in size files
I have tried creating a archive of the card then import still fail
I have tried using shot put pro to copy files to pegasus TB drive still fail
If I use finder, find the file, cop the file then paste file on desktop them import again using the fiule on desktop it works ok
Any ideas ? I had this on .7 and .8 i am on a retina mbp mid 2012
ta

We are going of topic here are we not ?
I dont transcode to pro res so lets leave that one out.
I use a card reader not a canon utility rubbish
I put the card in the reader, copy onto hard drive
I open up import on fcpx browse for the folder, see the files cmd A them go import selected with copy to event folder too as I always do
Then is starts importing some of the 60 files and has trouble importing 2 or 3 files I have to say ok once message comes up so it will carry on
I am quite techy savy not a novice and have tried all sorts, its not my fault its a bug, I just wondred if anyone else have had this bug and apparently some are. I know how to cc or grade but that is not the problem, it randomly will not import a few files
Keep trying, please
Daz

AVCHD-Import FCE under OS X 10.8.2

AVCHD-Import of Final Cut Express 4 doesn't work under OS X 10.8.2 anymore.
And the update for FCE (4.0.1) isn't available anymore. Can anybody help?

Lion and Mountian Lion are not supported by Apple using FCE.
Users have varying results form not working to a few quirks but in the end you are on your own to deal with issues.
Last time I checked the 4.0.1 update was available??
Double check FCE is at the top level of your system Applications folder.
Have you tried trashing the FCE Preference files?
Al

Lumix GH4 - AVCHD clips 16.5 hours in the past upon import.

I have a Panasonic Lumix GH4 (firmware V2.0). I just discovered that all my clips shot in AVCHD have an incorrect creation date upon import into FCPX (10.1.4). All files have a creation time/date exactly 16 hours and 30 minutes behind the actual recording time.
The clock on my camera is correct time. The date shows as being correct when I review the clips on the GH4. But when importing to FCPX, the date in the media import window shows the creation date as exactly 16.5 hrs in the past. I have tried this on my Macbook Pro, iMac and just returned from the local Apple store where I tried it on their Mac Pro, with a Genius observing the process. Exact same result.
This ONLY occurs when the clips are AVCHD format. The GH4 offers AVCHD, MP4, MOV. All clips shot in mp4 or mov show the correct creation date. It is only the AVCHD clips that have this issue.
For example, if is shoot short 3 clips at exactly noon (12:00pm) today. Quickly switching the format between the clips. Upon import to FCPX the mov and the mp4 show a 12:00pm January 26 creation date. The avchd clip show 5:30pm, January 25 date.
This makes a total organizational mess when I have dozens of multi cam clips from other cameras that do sort properly by date.
Has anyone else seen this ?

Would someone mind just shooting a few seconds of video in AVCHD, pop out the SD card, and import media into FCPX and check the Creation date please. Any results would be appreciated. (BTW: This has to be v2.0 of the GH4 firmware).
The attached pic are the Get Info on 3 files shot seconds apart. ACVHD, MP4, MOV. Note the creation dates.

LUMIX TZ7 movies import unsuccessful: is this normal in FCE4.0.1?

I tried to make a search of my problem but not fully successfully.
As said in the title , I have a lumix TZ7 that can record AVCHD movies: in spite of this, if I try to import them in FCE4.0.1, with the log and transfer function, they are readable but no import occurs (after dragging the media file into the queue window): the transfer does not start at all, and after a few seconds, a red claiming point is shown on the line of the being imported file, without additional information and without file transfer onto the scratch disk.
I tried to change, in the easy setup window, the codec (from 1080i50 to 720p30 etc...) but unsuccessfully. These movies are imported without problems under iMovie 9: is it normal that I am not able to import them with FCE4.0.1?
Thank you for your help
Emanuele

califfo1975 wrote:
.. so it is a limit of FCE (at least vs. iMovie 9) ..
it is and as iMovie demonstrates, it is technically possible..
that lite-format, although no 'official' AVCHD format, gets more and more popular on still-cams, plus the evolution of iM, away from 'serious' movie-making = FC/e has to fill a gap, should result in some update of FC/e for that format.
don't hesitate to tell Apple:
http://www.apple.com/feedback/finalcutexpress.html

Panasonic Lumix GH1 m2ts no sound

I Premiere Elements 9 Download trial and have the Problem with the MTS files of my GH1 no sound appears greetings
Thank You
djfred

I now with Magix AVCHD Video created a completely different files (no GH1 files) these MTS imported without sound file into PrE
It's a pity PrE would have very good fallen but until now, I cannot use
Oh miracles, have now been PrE uninstalled and reinstalled and now it ???? Why???? I hope remains the case. It will get the full 30 day trial

Panasonic Lumix GH1 footage sequence settings?

I have a GH1 and shot some footage at 1080 24p. I imported the footage and premiere shows it as having a 30fps frame rate. I tried every sequence setting I could find: DSLR, AVCHD etc at all different frame rates and I cant find one that doesnt require the footage on the timeline to be rendered. Is there such a timeline setting, and if not, what would you recommend for the best export? I dont want to go ahead and edit the whole piece only to find it all interlacey on export. thanks!

Try this:
caveat
And to understand what is happening, then watch this:
How do I choose the right sequence settings?

AVCHD imports at 60 fps instead of 30

I'm having a strange problem when importing AVCHD video from my Lumix DMC-TS1. It was recorded with 30 fps, but both FCE and iMovie change it to 60fps when importing. This results in video that's twice as fast, even though the audio sounds normal. The video clips are also half the length as a result. I can't find any options in "log and transfer" to change this, and I have the sequence preset set to "Apple Intermediate Codec 720p30." Any suggestions on how I can fix this?
Thanks in advance.

Thanks, guys. I did manage to discover with a bit more research that the latest version of Handbrake can convert AVCHD Lite files without much trouble. It's a bit tedious to add them to the queue, but it seems to do a fair job.

AVCHD import crash on my mac mini, works on my mac pro...

Hi there,
I got a brand new camcorder from Canon (HF11), that records movies in AVCHD (1920x1080i - 50 ips - 24 Mb/s).
When I connect it to my mac pro 2008 (intel Xeon quad core), the import work flawlessly, I can edit the rush in iMovie 09 and work on them.
However, when I do exactly the same operation on my mac mini late 08 (intel core2duo), the import fails in iMovie, that just inform me of the failure, without any feedback.
Console reports the following messages:
[[0x0-0x47047]].com.apple.iMovie8[[381]]: Mon May 25 20:41:22 2009 MIOUnit_HelpersQTFileWriterBase.cpp:2508:WriteTimeCodeTrack ### Err -2008
[[0x0-0x47047]].com.apple.iMovie8[[381]]: Mon May 25 20:41:22 2009 MIOUnit_HelpersQTFileWriterBase.cpp:1381:WriteMovieTracks ### Err -2008
[[0x0-0x47047]].com.apple.iMovie8[[381]]: Mon May 25 20:41:22 2009 MIOUnit_HelpersQTFileWriterBase.cpp:1313:WriteMovie ### Err -2008
Any clue on what I'm doing wrong ?

I can't post a screenshot because the internet on my conputer doesn't work. I'll just type it out:
(Network Name)
DIsconnect from (Network Name)
IP Address:
Router:
Internet: Reachable
Security:
BSSID:
Channel:
Country Code:
RSSI:
Noise:
Tx Rate:
PHY Mode:
MCS Index:
and on the dns servers is just says:
under dns servers it says: 10.0.1.1
and under search domains it says: brittanyroad.com

Avchd imports into fcp 10.0.7 but choppy playback-even after using clipwrap

I am not sure where the problem may be. I record onto the sd card (16gb sandisk extreme class 10, 45mb/s) from brand new canon m500. Card is read in FCP X and can import but when I play back everything is choppy.
I am recording as avchd, mxp-used 60i frame rate & 30 frame both had same issue.
I tried clipwrap and that improved the first 5 seconds and then still choppy for the remainder.
When I playback the sd card inside the camera no problem-looks and sounds great.
If I look at the file on the sd card - after putting sd card in macbook pro (mid 2009-handles FCP just fine) or copying to computer it is titled as "private." I changed the permissions.
I am also using a canon hv 20 (mini dv)-absolutely no problems with import.
Any thoughts or ideas? I am on a deadline and losing a lot of time.

Thanks Alchroma & digibudIl--Iappreciate the quick reply.
I was able to figure out a solution very similar to the suggestion of changing the playback & optimizing media. Here is what I set up. With these setings, the playback of the file before import is still choppy. After import it is still choppy until the background tasks reach 100%-next to the timecode. Once 100% then it playsback smoothly with these settings.
I was using the internal hard drive on my macbook pro. My workflow is to (sometimes) use the internal hard drive and then transfer to external hard drive. Other times import to external hd.
What was interesting to me about the import process is with AVCHD, is that FCP X recognizes the file from the sd card as an avchd file. I did not need to save the files to another folder, create an archive etc. I tried all these with the same result as the simple import in FCP X.
One last question. The Canon M500 can shoot at a frame speed of 60i and 30. Is 30 lesser quality or is 60 better in some way. I will be editing the footage in FCP X.
Thanks again for the help and I hope my experience helps others.

FCE 4.0 And AVCHD Importing

I have been using FCE 4.0 for a long time and recently have tried to give Final Cut Pro a shot. As increduous as this sounds I have been told that one cannot insert text at random or titles other than (with respect to the former) what are in the provided templates. I can't see that as bening anything I should pursue unless it is errorneous informaton.
Note that the Canon R42 is USB with no provision for FW.
OS is OS-X 10.8.4 on a Mac Mini.
Having said that, I have a Canon R42 Camcorder and I was wondering how one imports footage into FCE 4? Prior to that I used a Sony that did not support AVCHD.
Also, are there any compatability issues between FCE 4 and the Canon R42?
Many thanks!
Ron

Below are the formats the camera shoots and most won't work directly with FCE.
This one should: 1920 x 1080i / 60 fps (24Mbps) Make sure the corresponding FCE Easy Setup is selected before starting a new Project.
FCE works only with interlaced with AVCHD 1920 x 1080.
BTW: I've used FCP X since it's release and titles are no problem. Most users are trying to work the same as legacy FCE/Pro and that's where they come to greif.
You can always ask for details on that forum.
Al
High Definition
AVCHD Progressive
1920 x 1080p / 60 fps (28Mbps)
1920 x 1080i / 60 fps (24Mbps)
1920 x 1080p / 30 fps (17Mbps)
High Definition
AVCHD Progressive
1440 x 1080 (5Mbps)
High Definition
MPEG4
1920 x 1080p / 60 fps (35Mbps)
1920 x 1080p / 30 fps (24Mbps)
1920 x 1080p / 24 fps (17Mbps)
High Definition
MPEG4
1280 x 720 (4Mbps)

Lumix Gh1, AVCHD import

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