Importing AVCHD into Final Cut Pro 7

[Jon Whatley]

How did you set up your Log and Transfer exactly?

[Benjamin Coonan]

Thanks for your response Jonothan,

1. I insert the Memory Stick Pro Duo into my Soniq USB Hub & Cardreader.
2. The Cardreader appears on my desktop ‘Untitled’ containing the following folders/files:
AVCHD>BDMV>CLIPINF>00000.CPI
00001.CPI
00002.CPI
>PLAYLIST>00000.MPL
>STREAM>00002.MTS
INDEX.BDM
MOVIEOBJ.BDM
AVF_INFO>AVIN0001.BNP
AVIN0001.INP
AVIN0001.INT
MEMSTICK.IND
MSTK_PRO.IND
3. I highlight all of the root folders and copy them to a new folder on my desktop ‘FOLDER’.
4. I open up Final Cut Pro 7>File>Log and Transfer…
5. I click the ‘Add Volume’ button.
6. I select the ‘FOLDER’ folder from the desktop.
7. I am shown this message:
“FOLDER” contains unsupported media or has an invalid directory structure. Please choose a folder whose directory structure matches supported media.

I’ve also tried selecting the ‘Untitled’ USB straight at the ‘Add Volume’ stage and either a) I select the USB as the root drive and nothing happens or b) I select the ‘AVCHD’ folder and I get the same message as above.

Thanks again for your help! Ben.

[Michael Gissing]

Start with this thread
https://forums.creativecow.net/thread/8/1089420#1125670

Although a year old it does talk about that camera. Also have a look at Shane Ross’s excellent Tapeless workflow tutorial –

https://library.creativecow.net/ross_shane/tapeless-workflow_fcp-7/1

Although you may have specific problems with this card it maybe that you need to install software from Sony to make L&T work. I don’t know as I haven’t had to deal with that camera, but searching this and other forums may help.

[Benjamin Coonan]

Thanks Michael,

The issue would seem that all the relevant software available from Sony is specific to Windows, unless any Mac users could advise me otherwise?

Regards, Ben.

[Shane Ross]

Your problem is that you went digging inside the folder structure and copied over only certain files you found in there. That was wrong. You need to copy EVERYTHING from the card, in the exact order it is on that card. Make a new folder, open the card…copy everything you see there…don’t go digging. If you only see one folder, called AVCHD…copy only that. That gets everything, and in the proper order. FCP needs things in the proper order, or it won’t work.

I say this in my tutorial.

Shane
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[Juha Västi]

You also
could try to ingest straight from the camera. Works for me.

[Shane Ross]

[Juha Västi] “could try to ingest straight from the camera. Works for me.”

Yes…but then make sure you also back up the card or data from the camera. Those are your masters…your “tapes” if you will. They are far smaller than the imported ProRes, and are easier to archive. But I say archive first…back up the camera/card, THEN import. So FCP knows where the footage is in case you need to reimport.

Shane
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Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

[Nick Baer]

Thanks, Shane, for your continued dedication to mentoring of FCP.

I shoot with my brand new Panasonic TM900, in AVCHD. (I travel on the road, and need the factor of size and weight of camera gear on airplanes).

I’m trying to compare FCP 7 with Toast Titanium 11.0.6, for conversion for editing in FCP 7.

My final product is a DVD created with DVD Studio Pro SD 720×480. I am just not aware that I can (and should) create a SD DVD in DVD Studio Pro that uses a source file other than 720×480 (with or without letterbox). No 16:9 anamorphic etc.

I have used Toast for 3 years converting AVCHD to DV/DVCPRO NTSC 720×480 .mov, no sound (I use a music track instead of live sound) in FCP.

While there is degradation of quality of 720×480 vs 1920×1080, I just can’t (don’t know how to) use anything other than 720×480 to get me to my destination) in DVD Studio Pro.

The other thing, I don’t need the full 16:9 frame of content. I’d be OK with a (4:3) center-cut that chopped off the sides to save file size. With or without Letterbox.

But FCP creates a 5GB .mov file for 5 minutes of AVCHD orig. Seems a bit of overkill, compared to the 13GB/hour Toast does, and FCP Log & Capture alway did from miniDV tape from my beloved Panasonic 100!. I can’t turn off the sound, and I can’t seem to adjust the frame size.

Where in this workflow and I going wrong from your experience?

[Shane Ross]

Why are you shooting in HD if you only plan on working in SD? Why not continue shooting SD if that is your ultimate goal?

You are working in the lowest format possible, so your DVD quality will not be as good as it can be. 720×480 DV is the lowest end SD format out there. LOW quality. You are losing a lot of quality encoding to that and working in that format. It is best to keep the best quality you can while you shoot and edit so that you can produce the best looking end product…even if that is SD DVD. Soon you might want to think about using Toast and a BluRay burner and making BluRay versions of your products. But even DVDs made from HD sources look TONS better than DVDs made from DV sources.

Yes, the HD files take up more space. Get bigger hard drives. They are cheap. And because the camera you chose to use shoots a frame rate that is non-standard in every way (1080p60….60fps at 1080), you need to use toast to convert. 1080 is a 30 frame format. No delivery method does 1080 60fps. That format exists so you can shoot great slow motion. Why a consumer level camera shoots that format is beyond me. 1080p 60fps takes up TWICE the space that 1080i60 (30fps) does. No wonder you run out of space fast. Unless you can shoot 1080i60 (30fps). SHoot that if you can.

Your workflow turns out lower quality DVDs than editing in HD and then encoding. What you do is edit in HD, export a QT reference movie…and then use Compressor and the DVD presets to make the DVD files you then take to DVD SP to encode. You can do a test if you want. Encode some footage as 4;3 DV for editing…then make a DVD with that. And then encode some as ProRes LT or ProRes 422 and make a DVD with that. See what looks better.

Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

[Nick Baer]

Since I am in the UK and have an 8 hour head start on the US west coast…

I was successful with FCP 7 Log & Transport to ProRes LT. FCP liked the converted files. The 720×480 .mov looks much better.

In DSP built DVD, there seems to be jagged edges – played thru DVD Player, not from a DVD in a DVD device.

What is the highest quality file FCP 7 can output that DSP won’t choke on? The last conversation I had with a DVD expert on LAFCPUG was that DSP HD was a dead format.

The next MTS files I want to convert (ProRes LT) I’m doing in Toast so I can unselect Sound..