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.

Similar Messages

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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

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?

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!

Import from Panasonic HDC-SD5

After I've read on several places that the footage of this cam can be imported by FCP2 I made the decision to get one to film some paragliding action scenes. I like the cam, small and light enough, but now my question: How do I import the cam footage into FCP2? The fileformat saved by the cam ".MTS" isn't recognised by the import. I know some here use the same cam and had more luck. How did you do it? What steps do I need to follow?
Fredi

It's really easy. Just move all three directories on the card into a dmg (I used FreeDMG). Than open the image followed by iMovie. In my case it was automatically imported.
Now if only iMovie wouldn't internally downscale to a sub-HD res.
I've read that there's a way with the XML export and iMovie HD (or FC Express), but I wasn't able to do that till now.
**** Apple, update the pro app!
Fredi

Panasonic HDC-SD100 & FCP - Unwanted movement lines in exported footage

Hello,
I'm relatively new to the technical aspects of the filming world. I'm hoping someone can help me understand the flaws of my latest footage and point me in the right direction towards solution. I filmed my friend's wedding using a camcorder Panasonic HDC-SD100 (Here's the Amazon link for product description http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-HDC-SD100-Definition-Camcorder-Optical/dp/B001BF RQA0).
Here's some footage I recently shot with the camera (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gBPxRepMSs). See how there are lines associated with movement? 1) can someone help me understand why that it happening? 2) is there a way to fix/minimize that problem? ..
I should also mention that since I did the editing in final cut pro and the camera is not compatible with Mac, that I had to upload the original footage to my PC, convert it to Mpeg-4, and then transfer it to my Mac for editing.
Finally, if anyone has recommendations for an HD camcorder of about the same size that is compatible with Mac, I would appreciate the info.
Thanks,
Jake

The lines you are seeing are the effects of interlacing - the camera's way of combining fields into one whole frame. These are normally especially noticeable in scenes with lots of movement. Unfortunately, there's not much you can do. If you're exporting for DVD you want it to output interlaced. If you're exporting for the web or for computer viewing you can try deinterlacing upon export, or if your camera has a way of shooting progressive footage you could try that and see how it looks.
For more information on interlacing check here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interlacing
What makes you think the camera isn't compatible with Macs? From what I can see it looks like a standard AVCHD camcorder. It should be able to ingest easily using FCE or FCP's Log and Transfer command.

How does one transfer from imovie to fce without loss of quality. Using a panasonic hdc-tm15 full hd 1920x1080

I am capturing my footage on a Panasonic hdc-tm15 full hd 1920x1080 avchd. The format recorded is not compatible with fce so i have to import to imovie first. what export settings do i need to use to ensure i dont lose quality when going from imovie to fce?

It is suggested to output MOV with AIC codec to keep the raw video quality at max.
Output like this: Share->Export Using QuickTime..
In pop-up windows, click Options->in Moive Settings pop-up window, click Settings button->In Compression Type box, choose Apple Intermediate Codec
Good luck.

New Dad cannot import video from Panasonic HDC-SD1. Seeks help.

Hi all,
A few week ago I bought a Panasonic HDC-SD1 in preparation for the birth of my first-born. I tested it and it worked fine, importing in to iMovie 7.1 either direct from the camera, or via a USB card reader.
Since then I have updated to iMovie 7.1.1 (running on OSX 10.5.1 Intel iMac).
My beautiful baby boy was born two days ago, and I'm still unable to get the video into the Mac. Using direct camera connection or USB card reader the card mounts, but iMovie refuses to recognise any video to input. I've tried starting iMovie before and after connecting the card etc, but it just won't play ball.
Anyone any other tips to get this working? All was well with iMovie 7.1 - I tried re-installing the old version but it just crashes on being run.
Help! Everyone wants to see my baby boy!

Congratulations on your new baby (your son, I mean) and your new tool (toy). I have a 4-month old, which was my justification for buying the Sony CX7, he also helped me get a new DSLR. Now I'm trying to convince my wife that the baby needs a new Macbook Air.
The CX7 is also a flash based, AVCHD camcorder. For a quick solution to your problem, check out a program called Voltaic. It will batch transcode the AVCHD (.mts) files. This way, you don't need iMovie to recognize the camera, and you can move the .mts files off your flash card for archiving on a DVD, NAS, or external drive for future use. You can then delete the transcoded files after you complete your projects, since you can easily transcode again, if you want use the clips again in a future project. You will want to do this, because the transcoded files are much, much larger than the original .mts AVCHD files.
I hope this helps.

IMovie'11 support for Panasonic HDC-TM700

Hi,
I am considering the purchase of the Panasonic HDC-TM700 camcorder. The iMovie compatibility list has an entry for this camcorder with the note that 1080p/60fps is not supported. I would ASSUME that this camcorder can be set for 1080p/30fps as well but I have not been able to find an on-line manual or other specification that lists anything but 1080p/60. Can anyone confirm that this camera could also be set to 1080p/30fps?
Thanks.

The TM700 is a great camcorder. Despite being an avid iMovie HD (iM 6) supporter, I have started using iMovie 11 and it has won me over a bit. Still prefer iM6, but 11 is on the right road.
I use the SD600 (little brother to the TM700) and if you are prepared for a bit of extra work, it works fine with iMovie.
This range of camcorders record in standard AVCHD (1080i) and this can be imported into iMovie with no bother at all. This is the same top quality footage the most good HD camcorders shoot at the moment. You can save yourself a few headaches and simply record in standard AVCHD at top quality and I'm sure you will be more than satisfied with the result.
The only problem comes, that these Panasonics also 'raise the bar' and record in an even higher new format called 1080p50 or 60. This is AVCHD in almost every respect, but is Progressive, takes a fair bit of processing power and as a new format, isn't universally recognised. iMovie doesn't recognise these video clips as AVCHD movie files and so won't work with it, hence that proviso in the supported cameras list. As I say, you don't have to record in 1080p (progressive rather than interlaced) it is just an additional option available to you.
I do however record in this top quality and there are a couple of extra steps required. The movies can't be viewed with quicktime or iMovie, but players like VLC or Movist play them no problem. Secondly, these video files have to be converted to a format that is recognised by iMovie if you want to edit them. I use the free Automater script Rewrap2M4V but there are others such as ClipWrap and Voltaic that will also do the job for you. Once converted they can be imported into iMovie like any other movie file and the quality is excellent, and hopefully as the format becomes accepted, then the files may be able to be imported without conversion.

Panasonic HDC-SD9, AVCHD format & iMovie

The HDC-SD9 Panasonic is a high definition camcorder that records in the AVCHD format. Bear with me as I try to explain in layperson terms my question. I then created several Imovie events by removing the SD card from the camera and using a memory card reader to upload. I then created a separate Imovie Project by taking footage from various Events. I tried to copy the project onto a new SD card, place the SD card back in the camera and play the recording. However, the camera indicates "no data" on the card. So, a couple of questions: 1) Is this because the HD camera cannot read the Imovie codec? 2) What format/codec does Imovie convert the AVCHD to? 3) If I burn the project to a double-layered disk in High Definition will it play on a Blu-Ray DVD or a DVD that can read a high definition disk? 4) Bottomline is that I would like to edit the AVCHD footage captured on the Panasonic HDC-SD9 camcorder, burn to a disk and play it on a DVD player. Is this possible?

As you discovered, you cannot move a finished movie back to your camera for playback.
For playback on an Apple TV, shore using the LARGE preset, and you will get a 960x540 file that looks really good on a high definition TV if it has upscaling circuitry, because this is a simple upscale to 1920x1080.
If you want to burn a movie in full 1920x1080, there are several options.
1) You can create it using iMovie's "Export using Quicktime" feature and watch it on your Mac. Use a 24" iMac for best results. It will use the entire screen.
2) Same as #1 except you can watch it on a Sony Playstation 3.
2) You can get Toast 9 with BluRay plug in and burn up 20 minutes or so of movies to a standard DVD. It might be more with a dual layer DVD but I have not tried it. Create your movie and export it using Quicktime in AIC or h.264 and the burn in Toast. Most BluRay players will read the DVD.
3) If you have a BluRay burner, you can use Toast 9 to burn multiple movies up to theatrical length and maybe more.
See my post here for some details:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=7022027&#7022027

Panasonic HDC-SD5 & I Movie

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