Importing AVCHD into Final Cut Pro 7

[Nick Baer]

Also, is this a good time to go FCP X – or maybe switch to iMovie?

[Shane Ross]

[Nick Baer] “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.”

Don’t export a file directly to DVD SP. Export a self contained QT file, or QT reference, then use COMPRESSOR to compress for DVD. There are presets. Use the BEST QUALITY ONES. Take the result of that into DVD SP.

As for FCPX…that’s up to you. If it works for you…go for it. I cannot advise as I don’t use it.

Shane
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[Nick Baer]

I do not have the 1080/60p option selected. That is a separate hardware push button, separate from the on screen menu for Rec Setup > Record Mode, which brings up on-screen warnings.

I’m shooting HG1920. Perhaps it is 1080/60i rather than 30i, but FCP 7 L&T did convert it to ProRes(LT).

I am converting the next set of MTS files using Toast -> proves(LT). There is an option regarding Interlace, which I left as is because I didn’t know better..

Back tot he original FCP L&T converted ProRes(LT) files, so far, the only thing I don’t like in the DVD playback is jagged edges on people, when I pan the camera.

I never used Compressor on my G5 2005-2008, because Compressor never installed properly, and the machine was too heavy to haul down to, and through the parking lot of the Apple Store The Grove. DSP worked, and there were comments on LAFCPUG to let DSP do the whole job.

I now work on the road with my Mini (brand new March 2012, 2.5GHz with 8GB RAM).

I bought Compressor from the App Store, but in march was advised on LAFCPUG to not use it,

Google search on AVCHD is finding Premiere forums, and there people gasping for air there, too.

[Bob Matta]

Dear Shane,

Have had the Sony HD HC1 one camcorder for six years and am about to switch and get a new camera. Really want to understand AVC HD before I make the decision to eliminate the tape-based camera format.

I use Final Cut Pro 7 to edit high-definition video using the HDV or AIC codecs on my iMac. Then I convert to Pro Res 422 or 422 LT for editing.

It’s my understanding that AVC HD is superior to tape-based recording in that it’s MPEG-4 vice MPEG-2.

About to plunk down a couple of Gs for a new Sony high-definition camcorder but there’s one big sticking point that Id like your help with please!

Looking for some real clarity given multiple forums that I found seem to state its very difficult to take AVCHD from a camcorder and put it into a MAC (and thus work with it on Final Cut Pro 7).

Correct me if I’m wrong, and I likely I am, but if I take a AVCHD disk and hook it up directly to my camcorder, your article seems to suggest it will work just fine- that there will be no finding file structure OS X issues. Noted you mention to back up a disk first (Let’s face facts – tape is easier to archive!).

I trust Sony as a product, and I want to continue to film high-definition when I travel, but I really want is a postproduction experience where I come home from traveling abroad, plug my Sony into my MAC, with Mountain Lion, and be able to pull the video off my AVCHD disk(s) into Final Cut Pro, then have it transcode to ProRes and start flipping working (editing).

FINALLY: For people that have MACs, and Final Cut Pro, how do they (moi) get these two to play nice with AVCHD recordings/ TRANSFERRING/LOGGING, ETC, so that the consumer can get the hell away from tape-based importing.

Appreciate your patience. Trying to get my workflow to run a hell of a lot more efficiently.

Respectfully yours,
Bob

-Bob

[Shane Ross]

Avoid AVCHD if you can. It just is the most difficult format to get working in any NLE. If you want to go Sony, look into a Sony XDCAM EX camera. Sure, AVCHD will work, but expecially for FCP 7…that is 4+ years old and will never be updated, but the AVCHD formats always are…it will be difficult. You end up using ClipWrap2 to convert things. Which is fine, that’s a great app. There are just better camera formats out there. But if you want to go cheap…AVCHD it is.

[Bob Matta] “FINALLY: For people that have MACs, and Final Cut Pro, how do they (moi) get these two to play nice with AVCHD recordings/ TRANSFERRING/LOGGING, ETC, so that the consumer can get the hell away from tape-based importing.”

THis is the workflow for all tapeless media in FCP.

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

Unless it doesn’t work, then you need third party converters. When will you know it doesn’t work? when it doesn’t. AVCHD has no standard and newer formats might not work with the older FCP software.

Shane
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[Bob Matta]

Dear Shane,

Thanks for responding so quickly. I appreciate it.

Not sure the EX series is in my budget ($4,999), but I have 3 followup questions please:

– Having just looked up the EX series you suggested, is this HDV (MPEG2) but TAPELESS (Great to get rid of tape, but I thought MPEG-2 has a crap GOP structure)?

-Product help (though I don’t hold you responsible …lol): Can you pick out/suggest a Sony camera ‘product’ series (so many sony choices here) that fall under $5k?

-As you mention FCP7 is 4 years old.. does FCP X surpass FCP7 in editing choices/creative possibilities?

Thank you again,
Bob

[Bob Matta]

Hi Shane,

Just returned from my first trip with an AVCHD camera (Sony PJ-790V). Using your tutorial, I was in the Log and Transfer window (FCP 7), and, when in Import Settings, I saw a message under Audio settings that said:

‘Audio is mixed down to stereo’. Boo.

Can you tell me why? I shot in surround with the Sony’s built in 5.1 mic.

Respectfully,
Bob

-Bob

[Shane Ross]

True 5.1 would require 5 microphones…as it plays audio from 5 directions. Your on board mic is, at best, stereo. Camera makers just like to put that stereo audio into all 5 channels and call it 5.1 audio. It really isn’t. It’s stereo. FCP knows this…thus why it only takes the stereo mix.

Even then, it really isn’t stereo…the audio sources (the two small mics literally an inch apart) are too close together. Might as well be MONO, as both come from exactly the same source. True stereo is two microphones at least 4-5 feet apart.

It’s all marketting. It sounds impressive to get a 5.1 audio signal from a camera. because it’s better than stereo! But, it really isn’t

Shane
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[Bob Matta]

Thanks Shane, I have another question if you don’t mind please…

I’m confused on AVC HD versus PRORES data rates:

I shot 75 mins (16GB SDHC card) at 1920×1080 60I with my Sony PJ-790V. The resulting footage, ingested as PRORES422 (not LT.. just 422), went onto my hard drive via Log and Transfer @ approximately 80 GB for the files.

That’s about 1.06 GB per min, 17 MB per second. Now I’m sure this is the data rate at which the AVC media was recorded.

However when I ingested with PRORES422 which has a data rate of 147 MB per second, I expected my files to be about six times larger on my hard drive than they were.

What gives here?

I’m certain this confusion has made obvious the fact that this is my first experience with AVC HD. I have been working with HDV/mini tapes for the last seven years.

Also can you tell me why I don’t have to do any kind of rendering to work? As soon as I ingested the footage into my sequence I was ready to work right away.

Pleasant surprise but I’m used to importing with FireWire and having to render to do editing.

This new way for me seems seamless- I just want understanding it!

Thanks for your patience.. appreciate it!
~Bob

-Bob

[David Eaks]

Hi Bob,

I think AVCHD is great. Although it may be harder for computers to deal with, it hasn’t ever given me a workflow problem. Picture quality (from Sony NX5Us) is practically visually indistinguishable to the same shot in Prores on the AJA Ki Pro (w/ HD-SDI input). With SDHC cards you get very long record times on inexpensive, widely available recording media. When I was still on FCP 7, AVCHD would L&T no problem (big thanks to Shane Ross for that tapeless workflow tutorial, it helped me figure this all out too!). While I mainly record AVCHD as an on location backup to the KiPro’s recording, any time I need to cut in a clip of AVCHD, its almost too easy with FCPX. That said, if the edit is mainly AVCHD and is going to be any more involved than simple cuts and titles, I’ll always convert to Prores.

The data rate confusion is due to the “little b or Big B”… bits or Bytes, 8 bits = 1 Byte. So, Prores is 147Mb/s which is also 17MB/s. See here-
https://web.njit.edu/~walsh/powers/bits.vs.bytes.html

You don’t need to render when the clip and sequence settings match perfectly, which should generally be the case at the start of every project. At least until effects etc. are applied, I always preferred the “Unlimited RT” timeline setting rather than seeing that hideous “unrendered” screen (typing that literally made my stomach churn). Either way, I couldn’t imagine going back after learning FCPX.