Final Cut Pro Camera Compatibility questions

[YoYoMa]

Hey, I've got a Mac Pro on the way and am going to be pretty new to FCP. I asked a question in the video forum that got me a bit worried about compatability issues I may face with my next camera.

The camera I plan to buy is the Sony HDR-SR1. It will be released mid october and records the new AVCHD format to a 30gig internal hard drive. I was told that FCP is not compatible with Hard drive camcorders and won't be compatible with AVCHD for a long time (maybe years.) Is this the case do you think? If so, that is going to be a huge problem for me..I can wait till FCP6, but if it's not there I'm pretty much going to have to throw out using FCP all together....

 

[MisterMe]

The answer to your question is answered fairly clearly on Apple's Final Cut Pro web page. AVCHD is an HD format for amateurs. If you want to edit your productions, then an AVCHD digital camcorder is a waste of your money. This is a nice summary.

 

[YoYoMa]

Well, make no mistake, I am an amateur. However, I don't see how it is meant for amateurs when it is a more advanced codec than HDV and does not require tapes. Can you help me out as to how my question is answered on the FCP website? I'm checking but I see no mention of AVCHD or if and when it will be supported. Thanks for the response as well.

 

[YoYoMa]

Would I be better off with an HDV camcorder when it comes to editing? Could you please explain why?

 

[MisterMe]

Well, make no mistake, I am an amateur. However, I don't see how it is meant for amateurs when it is a more advanced codec than HDV and does not require tapes. Can you help me out as to how my question is answered on the FCP website? I'm checking but I see no mention of AVCHD or if and when it will be supported. Thanks for the response as well.

Easy. The site lists all supported formats. AVCHD is not on the list.

To say that AVCHD is an "advanced codec" says nothing of the purpose the codec. AVCHD is based on MPEG-4 AVC, a highly compressed output format. It is meant to save video on memory sticks and other capacity-contrained media. It is a lossy format. HDV is primarily a magnetic tape-based format which is somewhat compressed but not so much so that it can be edited and transcoded into other formats without noticeable additional fidelity loss. It is the high-definition source format.

Takeaway message: HDV, primarily source; AVCHD, primarily output.

 

[solvs]

Buy the HDR-HC1 or HC3 if you must have HDV. Hard drive and DVD models aren't great. Also look for the Canon HV10, though the lack of accessory shoe kills it for me. If you don't need HD, Camcorderinfo.com has some good info on other models.

 

[needlecat]

Not all cameras are compatible with final cut.
I have a problem digitising footage into final cut from my Sony HD 1080i/mini DV camera.
It used to work ok, albeit with some rendering issues.I had it set to the HD settings. Suddenly it stopped working
I have tried adjusting the audio visual settings, using several different types. The only one i could get it to communicate on was DV50 pal 48Hz anamorphic.But it stops digitising after 3/4 sec and says there is a problem with my source tape.

I dont mind digitising at a lower rate as i use I movie to burn my DVDs and it doesn't have a blue ray burner .

I used to use a college three chip cannon camera with no probs before this and could use my sony camera to digitise stuff I had recorded on that.
so I dont understand why things have suddenly gone wrong....
can anyone out there help me
jenny
sorry if this is posted incorrectly, I have not used a forum before...