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Patchy format support
I’m working with footage that is coming straight off a cheap Aiptek HD camera. When I try to directly import footage recorded at 1080P 30fps, it imports into FCP without issue and works fine. However, when I try to use footage from the same camera recorded at 720P 60fps, I get the following error message: “File Error: 1 file(s) recognized, 0 access denied, 1 unknown.” I cannot figure out why that format would not be supported. The apple site lists 720P at 60fps as supported. I currently use compressor to change the 720P footage into the HDV format, which works fine. However, I would like to save the time and the disk space of having to convert the 720P footage before using it.
Here’s some info about the files raw off the camera:
1080P:
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : Main@L4.1
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 4 frames
Codec ID : avc1
Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 9913 Kbps
Width : 1440 pixels
Height : 1080 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 29.970 fps
Resolution : 8 bits
Colorimetry : 4:2:0
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.213720P:
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : Main@L4.1
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 4 frames
Codec ID : avc1
Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 7931 Kbps
Width : 1280 pixels
Height : 720 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate mode : Variable
Frame rate : 59.940 fps
Minimum frame rate : 59.920 fps
Maximum frame rate : 59.960 fps
Resolution : 8 bits
Colorimetry : 4:2:0
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.144 -
5 Replies
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According to the Aiptek website, all of their cameras record video as h.264, which is not an editing format. If that is so, you should transcode all of your video , not just the 720p material.
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor/Colorist
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los AngelesPOST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™
EPK Colorist – UP IN THE AIR – nominated for six academy awards
A forum host of Creative COW’s Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, Indie Film & Documentary, and Film History & Appreciations forums.
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[John Benton] “I’m working with footage that is coming straight off a cheap Aiptek HD camera.”
Unsurprisingly, what you get is a cheap recording format unsupported by a professional editing application.
[John Benton] “. The apple site lists 720P at 60fps as supported.”
Only if it’s in a standard editing codec like DVCPRO HD, XDCAM EX, Apple ProRes, Uncompressed 8 or 10 bit, etc. h.264 is a delivery codec, not an editing codec. It’s a highly compressed codec that’s optimized for low-bandwidth playback, not frame-accurate editing.
Do a quick search of the Cow FCP forum for h.264 and find out how to work with this format (if you must).
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[John Benton] “. I currently use compressor to change the 720P footage into the HDV format, which works fine”
And don’t go from a very compressed format to another very compressed format one.
The codec that would let you extract all the quality from your rushes, would be 8b Uncompress.
But that makes too big files,. Prores is probably the best option.
rafel -
If your camera is not on the list of supported devices, you can’t expect it to work in FCP.
https://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/resources/supportdevices.php
Your camera is not supported, sorry you didn’t see that link before you bought that camera.
Kevin Monahan
60 Blu-ray Templates for Final Cut Studio 2009
http://www.fcpworld.com
Author – Motion Graphics and Effects in Final Cut Pro -
The good news is, the most expensive camera they sell is $160.
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor/Colorist
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los AngelesPOST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™
EPK Colorist – UP IN THE AIR – nominated for six academy awards
A forum host of Creative COW’s Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, Indie Film & Documentary, and Film History & Appreciations forums.
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