PowerPC AVCHD workaround?

[Kim Huston]

Some research online has come up with “VoltaicHD” as a good converter program, but I’m running a conversion right now for a short clip (can’t be more than a minute or two) and it estimates 103 minutes.

Is that really how long converting is going to take? That seems completely impractical.

*Update* (Well ok, it just finished and really took about 15 minutes. So the estimation was just WAY off.)

[Zane Barker]

AVCHD is a vary compressed format and that is why it takes some good processes to handle it.

If it took 15 min to convert a 2 min clip. Then that is still a mighty long time.

If you plan on continuing to use the AVCHD format you really should get a new machine.

There are no “technical solutions” to your “artistic problems”.
Don’t let technology get in the way of your creativity!

[Walter Biscardi]

[Kim Huston] “Is that really how long converting is going to take? That seems completely impractical. “

From your first post, you say you’re working on a PowerPC iMac. Not exactly a fast computer to begin with. So yes, it probably will take about as long as the computer says it will, give or take a few hours.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Biscardi Creative Media
HD and SD Production for Broadcast and Independent Productions.

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[Kim Huston]

As it turned out, since I only had the demo, it was really 15 minutes to convert only 10 seconds.

[John Pale]

Keep in mind also, your computer’s processor is probably not fast enough to edit ProRes in HD, even if you manage to convert the footage.

I can’t with my G5, though I can edit ProRes SD all day long.

[Kim Huston]

Ah. That’s no good.

Well for anyone that’s following this thread and looking for answers, Toast 9 and up will convert AVCHD to whatever you want in a timely manner. Though on the downside, I can’t get a converted file that isn’t swimmy or choppy.

Still trying to find the magic setting.

[Johny Debel]

Hey All,

Stumbled on this thread as I am looking into the subject, found this:

https://www.cineform.com/neoscene/requirements.php

It does the job, note it says INTEL MAC ONLY, Though at the bottom they say:

“For systems below the minimum hardware recommendations, performance may degrade, but software will continue to function”

I’m going to email cineform support, if this works it looks like a viable pro solution for avchd on g5’s.

BTW, looked at ROXIO’s site and couldn’t really get info on the AVCHD conversion. What is it’s output format?

Anyway I’ll keep looking…

[Kim Huston]

The output format is whatever you want. It gives you lots of choices.

Thanks for the info on cineform. I looked into that as well, but I am sitting on a non-intel mac :

The final answer I came up with was to use an old version of the Panasonic avchd conversion program that still worked with other cameras. They’ve since updated their program to only work with Panasonic generated avchd files. But the old program is still lurking online. That program makes MXF files.