JVC Everio GZ-HD7

This post is to inform others how to convert the proprietary JVC HD file format (.TOD) used with the JVC Everio GZ-HD7 for use with FCE.

Necessary software:
• Quicktime Pro v7.2
• Quicktime .TOD conversion component (provided by JVC on CD with camera; I could not find this component online for download)
• Automator
• FCE with AIC v1.1 (Apple Intermediate Codec -- provided with FCE 3.5)

Step 1:
Load the JVC Quicktime component into your computer and reboot.

Step 2:
Copy the files with the extension .TOD from the camera to your hard drive. It requires the USB connection and not the Firewire connection (which is reserved only for the iLink protocol). Yes, it's slower but it works. Set the camera to "Back up video" and not "Play back video" when copying the files. Back up your data.

Step 3:
Use Automator to control Quicktime Pro to convert the .TOD files to .MOV files. I downloaded an excellent script from here:
http://automatoractions.com/files/compressquicktimeusingmostrecentsettings1.0.ht ml
To use this script correctly, you must first use QT to open a .TOD file and export a test clip to the .MOV format you want/need. This sets the QT export parameters that the script will use. Leave QT open, boot Automator and load the script mentioned above. Set the script preference to use the current QT export settings (choose "QT Movie", not "MPEG4") and convert all the .TOD files to .MOV files. The script allows you to set the write location of the new .MOV files so choose your location wisely; a lot of data will be generated.

It took my dual G5 about 12 hours to convert 40GB of .TOD files. Make sure your computer will not go to sleep or run a complex screen saver while this script is running.

I used the HD AIC format in the resolution of the camera (1920 x 1080i), which churned out much larger files than the original .TOD file size. I have not experimented with other resolutions yet.

Step 5:
Backup your newly converted data. 😉

Step 6:
Open FCE and use the 1080i60 AIC easy setup. This preps the program for the correct file size & type.

Step 7:
Import files as usual (command-i) into FCE and begin editing.

If anyone else has tips on using this camera, please post them. My initial results are very good for a low-priced HD camera, but using the .TOD files on a Mac is not the easiest workflow for us beginners.