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Need to Import Files Formated for Final Cut to Sony Vegas Pro 13
I have a client that has shot about 100 videos using Sony XDcam. The files were camera master files. They were run through a Sony app called XDCAM Browser, which prepares it for importing into Final Cut and stored on an Apple computer. Now he wants me to edit them so I need to import them into Vegas Pro 13.
When I attempt to import them I only get the audio tracks. I had Quicktime 7.7.8 which (I found out later) already had the ProRes CODAC Sony Tech support suggested. I uninstalled ver 7.7.8 and installed ver 7.4 and installed the ProRes CODAC. That did not resolve the problem. In fact, QuickTime fails to display the video when I attempt to view the file using QuickTime.
My question is, does anyone know a method to import these files without running some kind of conversion program. We don’t want to compromise the quality of the video or take a prohibitively long time to do the conversion.
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11 Replies
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What are the file contents you are trying to edit? You can use the free MediaInfo utility to find this out. You did not say specifically but seem to imply they are ProRes. I don’t think Sony XDCAM browser outputs ProRes MOV files. It will output a MOV file with the XDCAM data. Of course, some other process could have converted the XDCAM MOV files to ProRes.
Assuming the files are still XDCAM data…
Quicktime by default will not decode mpeg-2 without purchasing an mpeg-2 decoder. You can get one of those from Apple I believe.
https://www.apple.com/shop/product/D2189Z/A/quicktime-mpeg-2-playback-component-for-windowsBetter yet, just get to the original camera files not stored in a MOV file. Vegas will handle those fine. Or you can remux the MOV files into an MP4 file and Vegas will handle those directly without using Quicktime.
In general it is best to avoid Quicktime when possible.
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Norman,
Unfortunately the original camera files are no longer available. The client originally intended to do editing himself on his Apple using Final Cut. Once downloaded to his computer, he deleted the original files on the memory card to shoot other video.
I do not believe they are ProRes files. I considered downloading the MediaInfo utility but my spyware/adware protection software alerted me that there was a bunch of spyware/adware attached which I don’t want on my computer.
You suggest purchasing an mpeg-2 decoder. It was my understanding the XDcam files were mp4 format.
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This is MediaInfo output of a file.
General
Complete name : F:\Videos\Horizons\Test Folder\50617A0003_01.mov
Format : QuickTime
Format/Info : Original Apple specifications
Commercial name : XDCAM EX 35
File size : 773 MiB
Duration : 2mn 50s
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 38.1 Mbps
Movie name/More : 060a2b340101010501010d43130000006db278bd907105cc08004602028b0070
Encoded date : UTC 2015-06-18 03:52:07
Tagged date : UTC 2015-06-18 03:52:43
Writing library : Apple QuickTime
com.apple.quicktime.information : 060a2b340101010501010d43130000006db278bd907105cc08004602028b0070
com.sony.bprl.mxf.nrtmetadata : <?xml version=”1.0″ encoding=”UTF-8″ standalone=”yes”?>
com.sony.bprl.mxf.umid : 060a2b340101010501010d43130000006db278bd907105cc08004602028b0070
org.smpte.mxf.package.material.packageid : 0x060a2b340101010501010d43130000006db278bd907105cc08004602028b0070
com.sony.professionaldisc.nonrealtimemet : 2015-06-17 10:48:34 -0700
com.sony.bprl.xdcamtransfer.version : 1.0.1
com.apple.proapps.reel : Untitled
com.apple.proapps.clipID : 060A2B340101010501010D43130000006DB278BD907105CC08004602028B0070
com.apple.proapps.originalFormat : XDCAM EX 1080p24 (35 Mb/s VBR)
Origin : MPEG HDVideo
ID : 1
Format : MPEG Video
Commercial name : XDCAM EX 35
Format version : Version 2
Format profile : Main@High
Format settings, BVOP : Yes
Format settings, Matrix : Custom
Format settings, GOP : M=3, N=12
Codec ID : xdvd
Duration : 2mn 50s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 35.0 Mbps
Width : 1 920 pixels
Clean aperture width : 1 888 pixels
Height : 1 080 pixels
Clean aperture height : 1 062 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Clean aperture display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 23.976 fps
Standard : Component
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Compression mode : Lossy
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.704
Stream size : 710 MiB (92%)
Language : English
Encoded date : UTC 2015-06-18 03:52:07
Tagged date : UTC 2015-06-18 03:52:43
Color primaries : BT.709
Transfer characteristics : BT.709
Matrix coefficients : BT.709 -
[John Freeman] “You suggest purchasing an mpeg-2 decoder. It was my understanding the XDcam files were mp4 format.”
MP4 is not a video format. It is a generic file container which can contain any number of video and audio data streams. XDCAM is mpeg-2 video with PCM audio.
Your MediaInfo dump shows what I expected. The MOV file(s) contain XDCAM data. If you want to go through Quicktime to read those files you will need an mpeg-2 decoder for Quicktime as previously stated.
If you remux those MOV files into an XDCAM EX native MP4 file, or even MXF file, then Vegas will read those natively. Avidemux is a GUI program that should be able to do this remux but it cannot batch the process and you have a lot of files. ffmpeg should be able to batch a remux but I would have to work out the command line.
You can try changing the file extension to MP4 and see if Vegas will then handle the file directly. Best to do this from a Windows command line prompt. While MOV and MP4 are nearly identical twins, they do have a unique signature in the header a Vegas may still send the file to Quicktime for decoding.
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John, I use a JVC HM-750 and it has the same shooting option that your client’s camera does (i.e. record in mp4 or mov).
I discovered the first time that I shot in MOV that Vegas could not read the files and nothing I tried would work.
Then I read about my lifesaver utility 🙂
Go to the Nanoflash downloads section of the Convergent Design site and grab the free File Converter – XDCAM .MOV to .MXF (PC) utility.
Run your mov files through it. It rewraps them (no quality loss) from MOV to MXF and those can be used in Vegas.
I’ve used it a few times and recommended it to others and they’ve been very happy with the result. -
Getting a copy of FFMPEG will convert your files from .mov to .mxf without generational loss.
ffmpeg -i “input file name”.mov -vcodec copy -acodec copy “output file name”.mxf
Your media already looks to be XDCAM-EX which is optimized in Vegas. FFMPEG will just rewrap the video and audio into the .MXF container. .mxf will work much better than .mov in Vegas.
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That ffmpeg command does not work if the source file has a likely stereo audio channel. MXF always has individual mono channels so stereo needs to be split.
Something like this in a command script file will work with stereo audio. You can drag and drop any number of input files onto this script. The output files would have the same name with an _mxf appended and they will be in the same folder. This is just a remux. No transcoding.
@echo off:top
c:\systools\ffmpeg\bin\ffmpeg.exe -i %1 -c:v copy -c:a pcm_s16le -filter_complex channelsplit=channel_layout=stereo[FL][FR] -map 0:v:0 -map [FL] -map [FR] "%~dpn1_mxf.mxf"shift
if NOT %1$==$ goto toppause
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Thanks Mike that worked for me.
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John, thanks for letting me know that was the solution for you.
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I like that scripting for batch reasons. I had not really considered the audio half of the problem. Good Call. That is similar to converting AC-3 in MTS. I will have to look up a few of the other parameters you put in that command.
You should post that over on the Blackmagic Resolve forum, under the MTS thread. Those people are crying like babies over not having MTS support in Resolve, and most are being directed to a $50 GUI for FFMPEG. Peoples hatred of CLI is amazing.
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