AVCHD Success in FCP 6.0.1

[Walter Biscardi]

[Bob Kohler] “Info on the clips reveals that the AVCHD codec has been changed to Apples ProRes 422.
I dropped the clips into a DVCPro HD timeline and the clips have the green preview bar but play fine.”

Just use a ProRes timeline and you won’t have any render bar. Simply create a new Sequence, drop in your first clip and allow FCP to reset the Sequence to match the clip.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com
HD Editorial & Animation for Broadcast and independent productions.

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[Tom Wolsky]

What camera is this?

All the best,

Tom

Author: “Final Cut Pro 5 Editing Essentials” and “Final Cut Express 2 Editing Workshop” Class on Demand “Complete Training for FCP5” and “Final Cut Express Made Easy” DVDs

[Chris Poisson]

Tom,

If you Google AVCHD you’ll get a boatload of info, Panasonic, Sony and Hitachi make these, and probably some others…

[Rennie Klymyk]

Keep in mind there is an AVCHD consumer format that uses a GOP frame structure and the pro version used in the high end panasonic HD cameras. The latter being AVC-I HD where in each frame is an independant “intra” frame. This is the format that aparently gives you DVCPRO 100 quality at 50mbs and even better quality at full 100mbs. P2 cards just got bigger.

“everything is broken”

[Tom Wolsky]

I know. But not all of them are the same. I specifically wanted to know which device Bob was working with.

All the best,

Tom

Author: “Final Cut Pro 5 Editing Essentials” and “Final Cut Express 2 Editing Workshop” Class on Demand “Complete Training for FCP5” and “Final Cut Express Made Easy” DVDs

[Rennie Klymyk]

Yes, I was curious about that too. I have a client who uses the consumer version for producing web content and POS and it’s been a pain. A second client just purchased one as well. I haven’t upgraded to FCP6 yet but that’s another incentive. Hopefully it handles both AVC codecs equally as well.

“everything is broken”

[Bob Kohler]

I’m the consumer grade model. It’s the HDC-SD. I’m mixing it as a third camera with 2 HVX 200’s. For what I’m doing it’s perfect. I checked this one out against the higher end model, the AG-HSC1U at NAB and apparently the only difference is the gamma curve. Since I’m going to try an match the footage against better camera’s I’m going to be doing color correction anyway so I choose to save some money.

I picked it up at B&H for $800. It’s the best $800 camera I’ve ever seen. It certainly has a lot of limitations but the picture quality is very good. I don’t use the mics but they are actually pretty good.

[Tom Wolsky]

Thanks Bob.

All the best,

Tom

Author: “Final Cut Pro 5 Editing Essentials” and “Final Cut Express 2 Editing Workshop” Class on Demand “Complete Training for FCP5” and “Final Cut Express Made Easy” DVDs

[Eric Cosh]

Hi Bob:

I purchased the SD-1 for the same reasons that you did. I also have two HVX200’s and my plan is to use the SD-1 as a backup camera in both the HD and SD modes to my 200’s. I’ve already shot some incrediable footage in Maui in May that totally blows me away.

My inital plan when I purchased it, knowing that FCP didnt’ support the AVCHD files was to purchase Black Magic Designs “Intensity, or Intensity Pro” until I realized that they don’t support PCIx or even PCI express in the G5.

I have a G5, & a G4 laptop. I’ve tried to capture the files with FCP6.01 and for some reason haven’t been able to do it. It keeps saying that the files are not supported. I used Log and Tranfer.

Am I just doing something wrong, or will it only work on an intel based computer?

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

thanks in advance Bob, or others,

eric

Eric Cosh
Paradigm Video Productions

[Mitch Ives]

[Bob Kohler] “I just upgraded FCP to 6.0.1 and now Pansonics new codec AVCHD works flawlessly!
FCP new Transfer window immediately recognized the files and imported the clips. It’s just like using P2 cards but smaller.”

Bob, did you use a card reader and mount the card on the desktop… copy the files to the HD first… or just use a firewire cable to connect the camera to the Mac.

Can you explain your workflow?

Mitch Ives
Insight Productions Corp.
mitch@insightproductions.com

Apple Certified Trainer: Final Cut Pro 5