[Naeem Mo]

1. Tried CINEMA TOOLS and on my version it gives option to choose both 23.98 and 24 fps. Any reason you had suggested 24 fps? (rest of my current footage is 23.98 fps)

2. It seems CINEMA TOOLS overwrites the existing version without giving any warning. I pressed Conform button and didn’t get any notification on where to save. But when I went back to the folder, the same file was showing a time of today 1:06 pm which means it had been overwritten.

3. In any case, I imported the overwritten/converted file into FCP but it still shows it needing rendering on the Timeline. This could be because the file has a data rate of 6.1 MB/sec? The rest of the files (which is what the Timeline automatically adjusted its settings to are 13.9 MB/sec. Besides that I don’t see any difference with this file (trying to understand why it is still needing rendering).

A separate query:
1. The video files (not this 25 fps one, all the other already 23.98 fps files) have audio with 16 bit integer, but when I look at Timeline, it’s settings are 32 bit floating integer. I had thought the result of dropping the 23.98 fps file into at beginning of project (before I encountered this particular 25 fps file) and clicking YES to the dialogue that asks should timeline settings be adjusted to match this clip was that all settings would match, but for some reason the audio had not?

[Naeem Mo]

Thanks Rafael. It is resolved for now. Using headphones. Will return these Bluetooth speakers and get a wired set.

[Naeem Mo]

Reply from my friend. And that was the problem, wireless speakers set to different kHz.

“Only thing I can think of is a problem with your speakers. Did you try with headphones instead? Are the speakers wireless? Are they set to 44.1 khz? Sound sync issue usually means one part of the system is set to 48 khz and the other to 44.1 khz. For whatever reason this is usually only a problem with FCP. Also all FCP sequences have 32-bit floating integer sound compression by default.”

[Naeem Mo]

Thanks Rafael. Have downloaded ClipWrap and will try to use it on the files that were pulled directly from Camera hard drive.

Meanwhile for the PAL HDV tapes, I had 4 of them (out of 30) digitized today at a production house in Manhattan.

The files they have given me are 1920×1080, Apple ProRes 422 (HQ), Linear PCM, HD (1-1-1) {not sure what color profile this is}, 25 fps.

I set my FCP sequence to Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) 1920×1080 50i 48 khz and brought in the clip. Came in fine, did not ask for any rendering. However, the sound is out of sync (it is in sync when I play the clip in Quicktime).

The only thing I could find when looking at the QT file in FCP vs the Timeline is that although Audio Rate is 48.0 KHz for both file and sequence, Audio Format is 24-bit integer for the file and 32-bit floating integer for the sequence.

So I went into Sequence Preset Editor and changed Audio Settings>Depth (which was set to 16 Bit for some reason) to 24 Bit, deleted the previous sequence and opened a new one. Dropped the file in and the sound is still out of sync.

Also the Sequence still shows “32-bit floating integer” so that doesn’t seem to have changed as a result of the 16 to 24 bit change.

[Naeem Mo]

Rafael,
No, she’s on Mac.

There are two different issues, two sets of objects.

1. HDV PAL Tapes that I need to log, for which I will need to get access to an HDV camera. For now I am just going to a production house in midtown Manhattan which will digitize the three most essential tapes at $100/each.

2. HDV files that were already obtained from that same camera’s hard drive, which cannot be imported into FC.

For #2 she believes the problem is those files were directly pulled off (drag and drop) from the camera’s hard drive instead of using Log and Transfer. As a result they are in an unworkable format. MPEG Streamclip can’t open them, neither can Apple Quicktime 7 Pro (you get the notorious “An invalid public movie atom” message). Apple Quicktime Player (not 7, the other version) can open them, but since that Player cannot convert the files, it’s useless (except for viewing).

[Naeem Mo]

Thanks Rafael.I am getting an HDV camera from a friend today.

Meanwhile, for the SECOND part of the question, which involves the files already created by the camera’s hard drive, this is what my friend wrote:

“You may not be able to import that file into your current project because it is not an HDV file – it has an MPEG-2 wrapper that needs to be stripped off. Is it a file that was generated by a camera hard drive? If so you normally have to either use the Log and Transfer window in FCP to strip the camera compression off the file, or use MPEG Streamclip to do it if Log and Transfer doesn’t see the file. You generally can’t import a file in a camera-compression-wrapper directly into FCP b/c FCP does not recognize those proprietary file formats.”

However, MPEG Streamclip is not being able to recognize the file. When you say “Open Anyway” you get a blank window.

This is the info MPEG Streamclip shows–>

Stream: 20070509-215639F01.mov
Type: MPEG transport stream

Duration: 0:01:19
Data Size: 1.42 GB
Readable: 342.38 MB
Bit Rate: 35.96 Mbps (?)

Video Tracks:
2064 MPEG-1

Audio Tracks:

Stream Files:
20070509-215639F01.mov (1.42 GB)

As for FCP Log and Transfer, I am unclear how to use that to ingest an existing digital file.

[Naeem Mo]

Anne, can you provide a link to the other thread where you found this solution. I am having the same issue. Thanks.

[Naeem Mo]

Did this get resolved. I am having same issue.

Re: Kate, finding out it is HDV, does that mean the footage was shot on a PAL HD camera? In that case, what is the solution?

[Naeem Mo]

I’m editing some clips shot on iPhone for a show tomorrow.

Tried converting w/ both Compressor & Mpeg Streamclip, as per advice on Cow forums.

Compressor: Files become 30 fps, ProRes422, 640×480
Mpeg Streamclip: Files become 30.97 fps, ProRes422, 640×480

Original iPhone MOV was 29.97 fps, H.264, 640×480

Going to FCP 7>Audio/Video Settings>Sequence Presets I duplicate the Preset for “ProRes 422 NTSC 48 khz” and edit it so that it is now 640×480, 30 fps, ProRes422. (I also note there’s no option to change sequence to 30.97, so decide I can only use the Streamclip generated version).

Drop it in, and it still has to render.

It also has to render photos taken on the same iPhone when those are dropped in as well (but the video clip is bigger issue).