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Canon HG10 & FCE HD or iMovie08 Compatibility??

W

WockE

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 20, 2008
8
0
Hey everyone, I just got my MBP 15"! about 1 week now and I'm having a blast. :D I don't even use my PCs anymore except for one of the monitors to get 2 displays running.
So I've been reading and searching the forums now for about 2 weeks regarding AVCHD support and how to get my video from camcorder to edit table. And so far I have spent lots of money and tons of time but got nothing. I have tons of film that I need to edit and put together but I can't because I can't get it to FCE HD or iMovie. I specifically got this MBP and FCE HD together because it had AVCHD support now. Can someone please help me here, I have a project due in by the end of October.
Thanks in advance.
:apple:
 
WockE said:
Hey everyone, I just got my MBP 15"! about 1 week now and I'm having a blast. :D I don't even use my PCs anymore except for one of the monitors to get 2 displays running.
So I've been reading and searching the forums now for about 2 weeks regarding AVCHD support and how to get my video from camcorder to edit table. And so far I have spent lots of money and tons of time but got nothing. I have tons of film that I need to edit and put together but I can't because I can't get it to FCE HD or iMovie. I specifically got this MBP and FCE HD together because it had AVCHD support now. Can someone please help me here, I have a project due in by the end of October.
Thanks in advance.
:apple:
Click to expand...

I'm assuming your running FCE 4 so.......

what exactly is the problem?
is the camcorder not being recognized?
is all of your software up to date?
 
The camcorder is recognized but I've tried to log and transfer, import, open the files off the camcorder HD and it won't let me do it, the files are darkened so I can't click on them. I've updated the software just a couple of days ago.
 
what happens when you log and transfer?

Btw log and transfer is the only way to get avchd footage into the browser because it has to get transcoded.
 
Try IMovie 08

My HG10 works with IMovie 08. Open the program, connect the camera and then select which clips you want to import. As mentioned before, it does code them, but then there they are ready to work with. I haven't had time to do extensive editing yet, but I checked out the transfer process shortly after buying my HG10 because I wanted to make sure it would work properly. From what I remember it also gives you the option of what file size to use for import based on your goals. Hope this helps.
 
Ok, as of right now, I have iMovie & FCE open at the same time. All the files are .MTS files and they are gray and I can't choose any of them. This is just not cool. :mad:
Is there a preference or setting I need to flip to get the files available? It's teasing me that I can see it but can't click on it!
Ok, to give you an idea of what I do:
1. Open FCE
2. Connect HG10 camcorder via USB
3. For FCE, go to 'Log and Transfer', then clicked 'Add Folder' button
4. Tried to add folder STREAM from BDMV main folder
5. Up pops "STREAM" contains unsupported media or has an invalid directory structure. Please choose a folder whose directory structure matches supported media.
6. Tried to drag files into all the windows and they bounce away.

1. Open iMovie
2. Tried to drag files to it and they bounce away.

I really don't know what I'm supposed to do at this point if the files seem to be blocked out and both of these apps don't take 'em.
If they work for you guys, then what the heck am I doing wrong?:confused::confused::confused::confused::confused:
 
hmmm..

when I use FCE 4 and "log and transfer", I dont have to add any folders with my HF10. once you open up "log and transfer" it should automatically display all of your clips, ready for you to add them to the queue.
 
In FCE4, if you need to add the file location, be sure to add the root drive, not the folder.
Since the HG10 has a built in hard drive, you should just choose the root disk, do not navigate any further into the folder structure.

But as stated above, it should find the drive automatically.

You might also need to have the camera in a certain "disk" mode for it to send the correct info the the computer.

In iMovie 08, you need to use the "Import from Camera" command, under the file menu.
 
filman408 said:
In FCE4, if you need to add the file location, be sure to add the root drive, not the folder.
Since the HG10 has a built in hard drive, you should just choose the root disk, do not navigate any further into the folder structure.
Click to expand...

I use a different AVCHD camcorder and don't use FCE, but nonetheless this sounds right. AVCHD uses the overall directory structure to be recognised as AVCHD. It you burrow down to the .mts files themselves, the software won't see this overall structure and might not recognise the files as AVCHD clips.
 
I just tried with FCE and I get this, "AVCHD" contains unsupported media or has an invalid directory structure. Please choose a folder whose directory structure matches supported media.
That's the main folder, and I then also tried other folders but same thing happens.
I also just tried in iMovie, "Import from camera", but I only get the iSight camera. It doesn't same to be locating my camcorder for either program!
I've tried different modes on my camcorder but it isn't working either way!!
I wanna edit (cry)
 
Right. Do you have any stills images on the HG10? I've heard that having stills on the camera's drive can interfere with your Mac locking in for video.
 
It looked like there were still images on there, like .CPI files or something but I never used a SD card in my camera, only film.
 
WockE said:
It looked like there were still images on there, like .CPI files or something but I never used a SD card in my camera, only film.
Click to expand...

Have you manually deleted anything from the file structure or modified it? if you can try formating the hard drive using the cameras menu controls. I know AVCHD can get picky if its directories are not a certain way.
 
I don't think I did anything like that. If I delete anything, then it would be on the camera itself on the fly as I tape. I haven't made any new files or anything other than review clips. What are your directories when you import or log and transfer?
 
Anybody there?!

What happened to this thread? Was there any solution?

I'm having a similar problem. It takes six minutes for my files to be populated in the Log and Transfer window in FCE 4.0.1. And it takes six minutes before iMovie 8 "sees" my HF100. I have recently reinstalled Leopard and FCE 4 and it still won't work, it's six minutes every single time. If I close the L&T window and open it again, it's six minutes waiting time! If I have the L&T window open and I've waited six minutes it sees all AVCHD material there is on all discs I have. If I connect the camera or a SD-card to a USB card reader it sees that instantly, as long I've had the L&T window opened for six minutes.

Really wierd and Apple doesn't know much either! Problem unresolved! :´-(
 
Weird alright. I use a Panasonic SD9 with iMovie '08 and FCE4 and it's recognised pretty much instantly - the only thing that gives me any headaches (as discussed here) is an import glitch for clips recorded using the SD9's progressive mode.

My "workflow", however, has me either ejecting the SDHC card and using a USB card reader rather than hooking the SD9 up directly, or (my preferred method) making a disk image of the card contents on a firewire external HDD and mounting it to import.

Have you tried ejecting the card and using a card reader? EDIT: Ah, I've read your post more carefully now and see that you've tried this already.

I wonder what the difference between the AVCHD folder structure recorded by the HF100 and that made on the SD9 is. Perhaps it has something to do with the clip information metadata files. I have no idea what it is that iMovie is looking for in order to detect the presence of an AVCHD device, and without access to an SDHC card with video content generated by an HF100, your guess is as good as mine.

Andrew.
 
Ok, I was so excited to get this figured out that I completely forgot to post my solution.
So after some long searching and digging through a bunch of different places, I got wind that 'Roxio's Toast 9' can take my AVCHD footage convert it and get it ready in any format I need. After I got the program it's pretty easy to figure out how to work. After converting the footage I can pull it up on FCE and it's there!
 
WockE said:
Ok, I was so excited to get this figured out that I completely forgot to post my solution.
So after some long searching and digging through a bunch of different places, I got wind that 'Roxio's Toast 9' can take my AVCHD footage convert it and get it ready in any format I need. After I got the program it's pretty easy to figure out how to work. After converting the footage I can pull it up on FCE and it's there!
Click to expand...

That's really great! Unfortunately that's not what I want nor is it a solution to my problem with it taking six minutes before I can get anything in to FCE.
Apple Tech Support is clueless, they can't find anything wrong with my iMac and why I can't reset the PRAM. Well, anyway I think I have to live with waiting the six minutes every time I open Log and Transfer and the fact that I can't reset the PRAM. It's not the end of the world and the machine works great!
 
WockE said:
Ok, I was so excited to get this figured out that I completely forgot to post my solution.
So after some long searching and digging through a bunch of different places, I got wind that 'Roxio's Toast 9' can take my AVCHD footage convert it and get it ready in any format I need. After I got the program it's pretty easy to figure out how to work. After converting the footage I can pull it up on FCE and it's there!
Click to expand...

How do you convert the video using toast?
 
This was my solution to this problem.

I just got my Canon HG10 today and shot a few minutes of video and then went right to work on FCE to start editing but low and behold it didn't work out so well, sound familiar?

After fooling around for a couple of hours and doing research I finally figured out how to make it work.

1. Open FCE and click on the FCE Tab, then click easy setup, select Apple Intermediate Codec & Apple Intermediate Codec 1080i50 or what ever resolution you want.

2. Open Log and Transfer from menu in FCE, in the left window on the upper right of that window will be a small setting drop-down menu, select Prefs and then on the right side window make sure that Apple Intermediate Codec is selected for video.

After those two simple steps my system runs great now, of course my edited output takes longer now because I went from 720 to 1080 but well worth the extra sleep/processing.

Hope this helps some people out of the noobie brain freeze I experienced with the HG10, I catch on quick tho... Good luck and happy chopping!
 
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