Help importing AVCHD to final cut pro

[deejaydoubleyou]

convert its .MTS file contents to 540p with Voltaic, and just drag the resulting .AIC files into my project. It could hardly be easier.

Just curious, how long does it take you to convert say 10 mins of AVCHD to 540P using Voltaic HD? I am finding that it is taking close to 1hr for 10 mins. Is it faster to convert from your scratch disk? And if so, how long does the transfer from camera to disk take? I am converting straight from the camera at the moment.

Thanks.

 

[bbq2k]

Just curious, how long does it take you to convert say 10 mins of AVCHD to 540P using Voltaic HD? I am finding that it is taking close to 1hr for 10 mins. Is it faster to convert from your scratch disk? And if so, how long does the transfer from camera to disk take? I am converting straight from the camera at the moment.

My conversion time is about the same. Keep in mind that with this low rate of data transfer usage, the processor is your bottleneck, not your drive. In short, it doesn't matter if you convert from the scratch disk or another disk.

 

[emeek77]

Not practical? Macbook Pro cant edit 422 good enough? TOTALLY WRONG STATEMENTS. Read my comment below.

I edit Pro Res on my mac pro on a weekly basis. No RAID. Just a stock 7200rpm HD. Its not painfully slow either. My 15inch Macbook Pro even edits it, let alone the new one. The new macbok pro with up to 8gb of RAm two nvidia GPU's and an optional 250gb Solid State Hard Dive would burn through 422 fast as almost anyone with these options. Even with the 7200 rpm stock HD the new macbok pro 17 would edit pro pres. Thats what its for. I work at a tv station locally and they edit pro res on the macbook pros in the field just fine. And they are the old model. So whoever said 422 is to much without a RAID is completely wrong. I can easily show my mac pro working with 422 and have no problem. I dont know what you have but my mac pro does just fine. Granted its not like editing dv or something but its not super slow or unworkable at all. Also I also edit pro res on an eternal FW800 With no problems at all. So please guys, dont listen to everything you hear. Listen to people who actually work with pro res. Not ssaying people who posted here do not. im not saying that at all. I dont care who cant edit in pro res. My mac pro with a stock HD and LOTS O RAM edits it just fine. So maybe you are having problems but I never do. Log and Capture your AVCHD media and work in 422.

 

[Mister Three]

Guys, any ideas?

I've read everything I can find about how to get avchd into fcp6 but it won't work for me. It will see the files in log and transfer and I can put in and out points and edit the text and see all the glorious footage but after it injests I get the red exclamation mark. Every time. In imovie i get an error the files may be damaged. Why does this happen? Does anybody know? I'm on a mac pro with 8 cores, 2gig ram (rubbish i know but not the cause of this problem i don't think, will get the upgrades soon i promise)...
I can get all the files to quicktime using voltaic which is grand but have you seen how long it takes? My god a 40 minute interview takes four years to convert. Four years! (I'm exaggerating cos I just don't get it but it does take an extraordinarily long time - please don't anybody tell me to film shorter clips
I know that it simply works for some of you so has anybody any ideas? I've just re installed everything, the program (6.0.5), the system software (10.5.6), all the updates and got rid of every single thing I can find, like perian, that might be causing glitches.
I must be missing something or have some button checked or unchecked somewhere cos it should bloody work and I've spent months on and off looking for the smegging answer. So for my sanity, can you help?

 

[skana]

Just as an update, I took my Sony SR12 camcorder in to my Apple store here in Edmonton and hooked it up to the Mac Pro on display. Log and transfer worked flawlessly. Something is obviously wrong with my setup. I have been able to edit my clips but with a very long winded process by importing through iMovie, then exporting as XML then importing in to FCP.

Thanks for all the info and help guys.

I went to my local mac store here in Vancouver, (Simply Computing) with my camera and hooked it up to a stock Mac Pro (4Gig Ram, 2 x 2.7Ghz CPU's, ATI 2600 graphics card, etc) and got the jittery video after Log and Transfer process, as well.

The other question I have is: can you use the log and transfer function for files which have been transferred to the hard drive, instead of directly from the camera?

 

[dreetn]

Thanks for your answers Keith.

Well as of right now I am stumped. The drive is empty and all the presets are correctly setup (as far as I can see). I have tried importing with Pro Res 422 and AIC, various different resolutions and frame rates, I have copied all the video clips on to various drives as well as the camera itself and everything all ends up with the same jittery video.

One thing I did try is using iMovie, which of course worked flawlessly! I then exported the XML files and imported into FCP and the clips played perfect. Do you know how iMovie imports the video? And how I can set FCP to copy it? I really don't want to have to export every single clip individually from iMovie.

I have uploaded clips to youtube if looking at the video might help figure out the problem
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8BWn_f1sks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX25UfK9KTE

I have decided I am going to take my camera into my Apple store next week and see how it works the Mac Pro there.

Hi,
I am experiencing the same problem with the jittery import and was wondering if you might have found a solution to it, seems kinda
stupid to constantly import through iMovie

 

[deejaydoubleyou]

Hi,
I am experiencing the same problem with the jittery import and was wondering if you might have found a solution to it, seems kinda
stupid to constantly import through iMovie

Sorry for such a long absence for an update, but here it is. I use Voltaic HD as was stated earlier. Convert to 540 and import the resulting .mov files into FCP. Not the best solution for various reasons but as far as I can tell it's the penalty for working with AVCHD files in FCP.

 

[cabbageevo]

Thanks for your answers Keith.

Well as of right now I am stumped. The drive is empty and all the presets are correctly setup (as far as I can see). I have tried importing with Pro Res 422 and AIC, various different resolutions and frame rates, I have copied all the video clips on to various drives as well as the camera itself and everything all ends up with the same jittery video.

One thing I did try is using iMovie, which of course worked flawlessly! I then exported the XML files and imported into FCP and the clips played perfect. Do you know how iMovie imports the video? And how I can set FCP to copy it? I really don't want to have to export every single clip individually from iMovie.

I have uploaded clips to youtube if looking at the video might help figure out the problem
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8BWn_f1sks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX25UfK9KTE

I have decided I am going to take my camera into my Apple store next week and see how it works the Mac Pro there.

For everyone's information, I am getting the exact same jittery video importing AVCHD on my MacPro. It does it after every 12th frame.

It's definitely NOT a hard drive speed issue as some people think though. This is what I've narrowed it down to so far:

- I'm running FCP 6.0.5 and my 'old' Macbook Pro (15" Alumnium, approx 3yrs old). It Log & Transfers AVCHD from my Sony HD Handicam perfectly. I've been importing my videos on it for the past 6 months. It is capturing video fine on very slow, 85% full, laptop hard drive no probs.
- I just bought a Mac Pro recently (8corex2.8GHz - "early2008" model) and trying to use this machine I now get the jittery video. Mac OS and FCP versions the same as my laptop. I tried a single hard drive and 2x RAID 0 drives, still jittery video.

Interestingly enough, I thought I'd check to see if it was a software problem, so I booted my Mac Pro off my MacbookPro harddrive via Target disk mode. I found that it was definitely a hardware issue on the Mac Pro as I got the same jittery video effect.

Any solutions anyone. I wonder if it's a RAM problem as I haven't upgraded the RAM on the Mac Pro yet? Still running the standard 2GB (which incidentally is all my Macbook Pro is running).

 

[cabbageevo]

Solution Found

Hi everyone, I've just found the solution to my problem.

I run "Perian" to watch .avi files. Simply turn it off in the system pref's and AVCHD will transfer perfectly into Final Cut Pro 6.0.5.

Strange though, as I run Perian on my laptop without problems but obviously on the Mac Pro the hardware may be more sensitive to the app.

 

[TheStrudel]

Why does Perian interfere? That sounds like an awfully strange conflict.

 

[stanton.wong]

Solution Found - Checked

Hi everyone, I've just found the solution to my problem.

I run "Perian" to watch .avi files. Simply turn it off in the system pref's and AVCHD will transfer perfectly into Final Cut Pro 6.0.5.

Strange though, as I run Perian on my laptop without problems but obviously on the Mac Pro the hardware may be more sensitive to the app.

He's right. I just tried it and it works. Turn off Perian if you're having jittery video problems while working on a Mac Pro. It now works like it does on my 2.5 year old Macbook Pro...

 

[casablanka]

I'm Still having jittery AVCHD

He's right. I just tried it and it works. Turn off Perian if you're having jittery video problems while working on a Mac Pro. It now works like it does on my 2.5 year old Macbook Pro...

I have Final Cut Pro 6.06. and my video is still Jittery after 'uninstalling' Perian.

But maybe I just don't know how to 'turn off' Perian. I didn't see a 'turn off' option - only an uninstall option. When I tried it - it just says 'not installed' - and the AVCHD that I import is still jittery.

What else can I try?