FCE 4 and Sony HVR A1U HDV

All of the Sony HDV cameras have worked with FCE in the past. I don't seen any reason why this one wouldn't. I know it works with Final Cut Pro.

Exactly what FCE compatible list are you looking at? If it's not on the list, the Apple care person will say it won't work. If it's not on the list it most likely means it's not been tested by Apple. There are thousands of models of video cameras. Apple tests very few.

"Most Mini DV tape-based camcorders that use a FireWire cable (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) which support DV (standard definition) or HDV (high definition) formats" are supported. That's from the Apple web site. I would be astonished if this camera could not be made to work, but it's probably dependent on the correct configuration and settings. There have been significant issues with QT7.3 and older versions of FCE. I'm not sure if this affects v3.5. If you're using 10.4.11, you're probably using QT7.3.

I have the Sony A1E model which is for Europe and it's fine with 3.5.1. Just upgraded to FCE 4 and imports HD fine.

The only small 'complaint' which I've seen mentioned elsewhere on the forum which I also experienced is that although iMovie6 gives you playback control of the camera in HD via the program, FCE does not. You just start capturing, start the tape and sit back. Each shot goes in the bin as a separate clip and numbered in sequence, so it's really not a big deal. I seem to remember that this was a function of the Apple's Intermediate HD Codec not having been written for machine control rather than a compatibility problem.

Hope this reassures you!

I have been using a Sony HVR-A1U since February and it works very nicely with FCE 3.5 HD and with the new FCD 4.0.

I use firewire to download from the camera onto a Mac Pro. Works like a charm using iLink to download HDV or downconverted to DV. I usually select crop for DV downconvert.

RevCurmudgeon

Thank you for this post, as I am considering purchasing the Sony HVR-A1U and was concerned with it's compatibility with Final Cut Express 4 which I just purchased.

I am using a G5, though I would suspect this would not impact it's compability.

Any additional information greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Lyman

i would assume you would have no probs...i have a sony hc3 and the hvr-a1u and have never had any problem with fce 3.5...

Many thanks for the information, much appreciated!

Lyman

Message was edited by: lgldsr712

Okay, here's the current deal with the Sony HVR A1U with Final Cut Express 3 & 4 AND FCP Studio:

The Sony HVR A1U works perfectly as an SD deck, with either SD or downconverted HD footage, however it DOES NOT work as an HD deck with any Final Cut program. This appears to be a Sony issue, as Final Cut is able to control the deck (play, stop, etc.) but when the deck is playing the footage, the computer does not receive the HD footage, and so you get a perpetual black screen that says "cueing tape."

The sorta good news is I found a workaround:

Use iMovie HD to import the footage in HD format, save the iMovie file, and then import the iMovie file into FCE or FCP directly, as both programs recognize iMovie files and their content.

jb

I'm surprised you say that as that specific camera is on the Final Cut approved list, which means it was tested by Apple.

Sony HVR-A1U Final Cut Studio 2.0.X FireWire NTSC KBase Article
Final Cut Studio 1.0.X Sony HDV FireWire


http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/resources/devicelist.php