FCP X Import of M2TS AVCHD files causes pizza wheel on browse?

[Jeremy Garchow]

[Tim Jones] “Since someone will read that and say “see, I told you tape is not safe.”, I’ll state for the record that the copy on LTO is exactly the same as the copy on the user’s original ingest system. This is strictly something in the way that FCP X is seeing the m2ts files. Otherwise, simply rewrapping them with ClipWrap would not resolve the issue that I’m witnessing.
“

I use tape. If tape is broken, I’m in serious trouble.

I’m not saying that tape is broken.

[Tim Jones]

If I double click one of the M2TS files, I get the “Converting File” message dialog and then the file opens once the conversion is completed.

This takes longer than the rewrap. I can rewrap the entire collection of 42 clips in less time than it took QT to convert two of the shorter clips.

Again, I know that FCP X / QT can deal with AVCHD files, it’s just that there seems to be a time cost to getting the files ready for actual use that rewrapping resolves.

As an aside, if I import these same files into Vegas Pro 13, they drop right in with no delays (I checked that because a Sony rep said that Vegas handles AVCHD natively and to double check the validity of the files in the Vegas demo).

Tim
—
Tim Jones
CTO – TOLIS Group, Inc.
https://www.productionbackup.com
BRU … because it’s the RESTORE that matters!

[Tim Jones]

I know that – I just wanted to make sure that no one grasped the straw as a potential excuse :).

Tim
—
Tim Jones
CTO – TOLIS Group, Inc.
https://www.productionbackup.com
BRU … because it’s the RESTORE that matters!

[Jeremy Garchow]

[Tim Jones] “As an aside, if I import these same files into Vegas Pro 13, they drop right in with no delays.”

Then there’s something weird with how those files are created.

AVCHD files usually look like this in the Finder:

So, I would assume, that something else is happening to those files, and I’m sure it has nothing to do with LTO.

Jeremy

[Tim Jones]

Thanks, Jeremy,

If that’s what I should be seeing, then it is definitely something at the source that is occurring to cause this. I just have a folder full of .M2TS and .INF files (as well as a few .THM’s that seem to not be related to any of the included clips).

I’ll go back to the source and ask about their workflow.

In the meantime, ClipWrap rescued things and I’m able to continue editing.

Tim
—
Tim Jones
CTO – TOLIS Group, Inc.
https://www.productionbackup.com
BRU … because it’s the RESTORE that matters!

[Jeremy Garchow]

You don’t have a PRIVATE or VIDEO folder at the root of your drive, do you?

[Tim Jones]

Nope:

/Volumes/ArGest SSD 3/.DS_Store
/Volumes/ArGest SSD 3/.DocumentRevisions-V100
/Volumes/ArGest SSD 3/.com.apple.timemachine.donotpresent
/Volumes/ArGest SSD 3/.fseventsd
/Volumes/ArGest SSD 3/AVCHD Rewrap Test.fcpbundle
/Volumes/ArGest SSD 3/Adobe CC Sync
/Volumes/ArGest SSD 3/Avid MediaFiles
/Volumes/ArGest SSD 3/Avid Projects
/Volumes/ArGest SSD 3/Creative Ingest
/Volumes/ArGest SSD 3/GoPro
/Volumes/ArGest SSD 3/blkmagic
The m2ts files are in the folder named “Creative Ingest” and there’s nothing else in the folder.

Tim
—
Tim Jones
CTO – TOLIS Group, Inc.
https://www.productionbackup.com
BRU … because it’s the RESTORE that matters!

[Jeremy Garchow]

Yeah, the whole thing seems odd.

Apple has changed how AVCHD is handled, and when it works, it’s great, but when it doesn’t…

[Tim Jones]

I suspect that this is one of those “but, when it doesn’t” moments :).

Tim
—
Tim Jones
CTO – TOLIS Group, Inc.
https://www.productionbackup.com
BRU … because it’s the RESTORE that matters!

[Bill Davis]

[Tim Jones] “If that’s what I should be seeing, then it is definitely something at the source that is occurring to cause this. I just have a folder full of .M2TS and .INF files (as well as a few .THM’s that seem to not be related to any of the included clips).”

THIS.

My growing suspicion is that because the M2ts and the INF files have been separated, X isn’t seeing a cohesive “volume” that It’s comfortable reading directly.

When you get some time, Do a test IMPORT inside X and create a dummy “disk archive”. Then drag the entire folder structure you have (the Private folder, et al) into that archive structure.

I bet that suddenly X will see that volume and allow you to import and even range import your clips directly. If so that confirms that the problem is the lacking volume structure.

X wants to see mounted volumes – which is precisely what dragging folders of files onto backup drives destroys.

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