advice importing 47 GB tod files into iMovie on core duo

[pna]

Hey everyone,

A good friend of mine had his wedding video shot by another good friend who is a filmmaker. The filmmaker now doesn't have time to cut the movie, so he just gave the groom 47 GB of .tod files from a JVC video camera. The groom now wants to use iMovie (9 or 11) to cut the footage himself into something he can share.

I'm pretty tech savvy, but it's been hard for me to figure out what, if anything, he would need to be converting his .tod files into something that iMovie can handle. There's a lot of information and software out there, and it's pretty bewildering for someone that primarily does photography. So here are the quick questions:

1) What format should he convert the .tod files into for compatibility with iMovie with least loss in quality?

2) Are there recommendations for what software to use to do so?

3) Is converting that much video on an original MBP (1.83 core duo / 2 GB memory) even feasible? Will it take months? Assume he'll be using an external FW drive.

Thank you for any help you can offer on any of these questions! We're pretty baffled by how best to proceed.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

1. .mov (QuickTime) using the Apple Intermediate Codec for video and Uncompressed for sound.
2. Look for posts from "Chris at JVC" (https://forums.macrumors.com/members/382924/ - Statistics > Find more posts) or use MRoogle (http://www.google.com/custom?hl=en&...G=Search&cx=011016119145480959114:kuv1aq0hily).
3. It will be doable, though not fast. Maybe a day or two.

 

[pna]

1. .mov (QuickTime) using the Apple Intermediate Codec for video and Uncompressed for sound.
2. Look for posts from "Chris at JVC" (https://forums.macrumors.com/members/382924/ - Statistics > Find more posts) or use MRoogle (http://www.google.com/custom?hl=en&...G=Search&cx=011016119145480959114:kuv1aq0hily).
3. It will be doable, though not fast. Maybe a day or two.

Thanks! This is tremendously helpful. In browsing through all of the posts by Chris at JVC, it actually sounds like iMovie 9 or 11 will import the .tod files directly just fine. That's hugely valuable to know upfront. Thanks for your help!