Macbook and AVCHD

[StateDOG]

I'm about to purchase a new video camera. I'm looking at the Canon HF10. But I know it records in AVCHD. I know that iMovie09 and FCE and FC can handle AVCHD. But I want to make sure that my Macbook can.

It has a 2.4GHz Core 2 Doe and 2GB 667 Hhz DDR2 SDRAM. But the graphics card is Chipset Model: GMA X3100.

Can a Macbook handle editing AVCHD videos?

 

[bearcatrp]

Max out the ram. It will handle it but slow on a laptop. A quad is better to work with AVCHD.

 

[Heb1228]

Yes, it can handle it just fine.

A RAM upgrade in the future will also give you a noticeable performance boost.

 

[Byzantic]

Yes, it can handle it just fine.

A RAM upgrade in the future will also give you a noticeable performance boost.

So a Macbook Pro (15") 2.53, 4GB RAM will do the job?
Will it take a long time to convert and to edit full HD AVCHD-files (in FCE 4.0.1) ??

 

[chiefroastbeef]

I have a 2.4 mbp, worked with AVCHD files in FCE. Yes it will be slooowwwww. It will take a lot of cpu power, and if I remember right, it was around 7 hours of trancoding time into AIC for 2 hours of footage. And the end AIC file is absolutely massive, taking tons of hd space.

I just bought a JVC GY HM-100, records to SD cards, and is wrapped in .mov. I plug the sd card into my mbp(via express card SD card reader), and can edit away. No more avchd transcoding and massive files.

Let's hope the next version of FCE has native avchd editing, for the sake of you guys.

 

[Hayzie]

I have a 2.4 mbp, worked with AVCHD files in FCE. Yes it will be slooowwwww. It will take a lot of cpu power, and if I remember right, it was around 7 hours of trancoding time into AIC for 2 hours of footage. And the end AIC file is absolutely massive, taking tons of hd space.

I just bought a JVC GY HM-100, records to SD cards, and is wrapped in .mov. I plug the sd card into my mbp(via express card SD card reader), and can edit away. No more avchd transcoding and massive files.

Let's hope the next version of FCE has native avchd editing, for the sake of you guys.

This is great news, now i can buy a 3.06GHz 17" MBP in confidence... if only I could afford 8gb of ram

 

[matteusclement]

Canon's HV10, 20 & 30 might be an option for you.
That goes onto miniDV and the low light performance is SAWEET!
The HV20 also does 24p and might be in the same budget range.

 

[electroshock]

This is great news, now i can buy a 3.06GHz 17" MBP in confidence... if only I could afford 8gb of ram

You'd be fine with 4 GB for now, I think. Faster CPUs in general are a VERY good idea when it comes to AVCHD editing since that format is incredibly CPU-intensive, all right.