• Apple Final Cut Pro Legacy

  strange codec problem

  Posted by Aaron Steven on September 30, 2010 at 9:17 pm

  Hi everybody, I was wondering if you all could help me with a problem I am having regarding FCP 7 and .avis.

  A couple months ago I was sifting through hours of an old TV show and pulling out certain spots that ran in commercials. The shows are DVSD .AVI container files. For some strange reason, even back then I was not able to import them into FCP using File> Import, but I was able to drag them over from Finder into my timeline and I was able to view them in Quicktime.

  Now, 2 months later, I am trying to go back and view the shows but when I open my old projects in FCP the video files won’t open. I get a bright red screen in my viewer window that says “THE CODEC COULD NOT BE OPENED”. When I try to view the files in QT, I get audio but a black screen. The Files DO open with no problem using VLC, so I really don’t know what is going on.

  I have all of Apple’s recommended codec including xvid and dvix, and in the 2 month span between me being able to view and edit the files and now only being able to view them in VLC, I haven’t added or lost any codecs.

  Thanks in advance for any help.

  -Aaron Steven
  Assistant Producer, Tyche Films LLC

  Rafael Amador replied 15 years, 11 months ago 3 Members · 2 Replies
• 2 Replies

• 

  Zane Barker

  October 1, 2010 at 1:38 am

  [Aaron Steven] “The shows are DVSD .AVI container files. For some strange reason, even back then I was not able to import them into FCP using File> Import.”

  Nothing Strange there at all. That is PERFECTLY normal.

  AVI files are NOT compatible with FCP as they are not native quicktime formats. And even some native quicktime formats are NOT FCP friendly h264 files for example.

  You need to convert the files to a proper editing codec. Anything listed on the easy setup list is a FCP compatible editing format.

  [Aaron Steven] “I have all of Apple’s recommended codec including xvid and dvix”

  All that does is allow you to play the files it still does not make then FCP friendly.

  **Hindsight is always 1080p**
• 

  Rafael Amador

  October 1, 2010 at 2:08 am

  [Zane Barker] “You need to convert the files to a proper editing codec.”
  Yeah, but first he needs to be able to read them
  Rafael

  http://www.nagavideo.com

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