[Umberto Aguiar]

Don, I love you!

I changed my graphics card from NVIDIA 9400 to 9600 in the energy saver from preferences. I imported one high def file, an interview that previously I couldn’t play properly, and this time the interview plays just fine, all the words are there…The jerking and freezing are gone!

I’m glad that I don’t need to go through the hassle of getting my money back from Apple.
i did check the minimum requirements and my mac meets them but Apple , that I also contacted, never suggested that I would need to change my graphics card. Really, they should know better but their “specialist” on fc X I talked too knew less than I did…

Now I can work with fc X. I like some of its features but I do prefer fc 7. Motion 5 seems to be far better than motion 4 so I will start to work with fc X instead of fc 7. But I will try Adobe and if I can work with the JVC there then Adobe will be my main editing platform. They have this fantastic promotion for Avid Symphony now but I doubt very much that the JVC, SxS cards , would work with Avid.

Adobe or fc X, I will get a Raid as soon as I can afford this extra expense.

Well, that’s it. Problem solved. Thanks again, Don.

[Umberto Aguiar]

Thank you for your post, Don. It is very informative and helpful. It also made me laugh, the stubborn mule thing. First time I laughed whilst dealing with fc X.

My macbook pro is mid 2009, 7200 rpm, 3.06 GHz intel core duo processor, memory 4 GB and the graphic is indeed NVIDIA GeForce 9400 M 256 MB. But it is a macbook pro and I need to check if there is a ATI card for laptops.

[Umberto Aguiar]

Thank you for your post, Don. It is very informative and helpful. It also made me laugh, the stubborn mule thing. First time I laughed whilst dealing with fc X.

My macbook pro is mid 2009, 7200 rpm, 3.06 GHz intel core duo processor, memory 4 GB and the graphic is indeed NVIDIA GeForce 9400 M 256 MB. But it is a macbook pro and I need to check if there is a ATI card for laptops.

[Umberto Aguiar]

Thank you so much for your answer. I will buy a Raid but will need to wait until next month…
I’m thinking in either a G Raid or a WD with Raid. I prefer to buy like that instead of building my own,
just in case it doesn’t stop the jittering and I need to return it.

Larry Jordan, in his excellent book on fc X, recommends working with Raid for better performance and I was considering buying a Raid, although my idea was to buy one by the end of summer, after the Olympics.

But I have a serious problem with Raids: Mobility. The main job I do is news and many times I edited in a crowded Starbucks. I work for TVs from different countries. Some work with 4×3 and standard files are playing fine on fc X. But most European TVs are 16×9 and the best workflow is to capture high def, edit high def and convert the finished story to 16×9 standard. I could just down convert straight to 16×9 but then it is real time and time is one precious thing when you are running against a deadline.

Besides, this way I have the story in two files: one high def and one standard. I also want to use archive high def images that I keep in a small WD passport. But there is more. Just another day I shot a corporate video for a website. Of course, I shot it high def. The director wanted to see the footage in my laptop…I used fc 7 and can’t even think of how embarrassing would be if I had tried fc X.

All that said, if I need a Raid in order to properly play high def files in fc X then fc X is not really for me and I feel cheated by Apple. Apple is very arrogant but they went too far when they created a super upgrade of iMovie and called it final cut pro X.
One thing that puzzles me is that I have no problem playing high def files from Ms Weynand book on fc X. Maybe the problem I am having is not related to hard drive storage.

I contacted JVC about this situation but, so far, they are hanging me out to dry. I can not buy another camera otherwise I would just buy a P2 and edit on Adobe. I work with sdhc cards but if I buy a SxS card I guess that I will be able to edit on Adobe. Lion
deleted the original SxS software that comes with the JVC but I downloaded the new SxS driver and Lion accepted it. I just got a free trial of Adobe production premium and if I can work with my camera there, then I will try to get a refund from Apple.

I apologize for writing such a long post but I am doing nothing since monday but try to sort this compatibility problem.

[Umberto Aguiar]

Many thanks to both of you. It is good to know that I am doing something wrong and the JVC is compatible. The camera is my livelihood and I was having nightmares because of this compatibility issue…I just can’t buy a new camera now and as much as I prefer fc 7 to X, I know that I need to walk forward, not backwards.

I take that you are talking about high def files? I have no problem playing down converted files, dv codec. It is just with high def files, xdcam codec, that I get the jerkiness and frozen images.

Are you working with Lion or Snow Leopard? I am using Lion 10.7.3 and am wondering if the whole problem is being caused by Lion.

I’m sorry but I don’t know what ATI acceleration is. I have an ordinary WD external hard drive. I tried to work with the files in the external hard drive or in my mac. The player is set to better performance.
I tried optimising and proxy. I followed Apple’s recommendation and downloaded XDCAM transfer but I can not even “add source” because I can not select the files. They just don’t highlight.

I know two things for sure: There is nothing wrong with the files because they play perfectly, high def, on final cut 7.
If I down convert the files to standard they play just fine on fc X. If I try to work with them on high def, xdcam ex codec, they
are useless.

Please let me know if you are working with mac os Lion and high def files on sdhc cards. If you are, did you have to follow any steps in order to work with the JVC and fc X?

[Umberto Aguiar]

Hello. I guess it’s too late now but my camera, jvc hm 700, doesn’t seem to be compatible with final cut x although apple says it is. I am still trying to find out why they are not compatible but so far my guess is that mac os lion is the problem. I downloaded the xdcam transfer softwares and follow all of Apple’s instructions but the images from my camera are very jerky, when they don’t freeze, on final cut X.
The same files play just fine on final cut 7.

If , by any chance, you bought the jvc and is working with fc x please let me know what you did.

[Umberto Aguiar]

It seems that the problem is with the compatibility between my camera, JVC HM 700, and final cut X.
Apple says that they are compatible but, then again, Apple says that final cut x is revolutionary and built from the ground when fc x is clearly based on iMovie and has many of iMovie’s features and buttons…
I will need to write a different thread to see if I can sort this problem.

[Umberto Aguiar]

Thanks for your post. Well, things are worse than I thought. I just can’t play a file even if I import only one single file. The file is 1080 25p. The codec is XDCAM EX 35 Mb/s. There is a warning about dropping frames. I did try, before writing my thread, optimising and proxy. Nothing works. My camera is a JVC HM 700, which is compatible with final cut X.

I have no problems playing the very same files on final cut 7…

My mac is a macbook pro 17 ” mid 2009. The processor is 3.06 GHz and it is 7200 rpm.
Final Cut X is the last update from one week ago and my os is the latest lion’s update. I did all lessons
from Diana Weynand’s book and the videos played fine, although it was strange sometimes.

I was going to buy Adobe and keep the final cut X but it looks like I will end up trying to get my money back from Apple. Unless, of course, someone can explain what is happening and why I can’t play the files on final cut X but can play the files on final cut 7 and could play the files from Ms. Weynand’s book on final cut x.