iMovie fails to import H.264 properly

Your camera is not on the [list of camcorders supported by iMovie|http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3290].

I would recommend that you open your h.264 file in QuickTime Player. If it plays properly, I would recommend that you get MPEG Streamclip (which is free). Drag your h.264 file into MPEG Streamclip and export it using QuickTime as Apple Intermediate Codec in the same dimensions as the original. Then import the resulting file into iMovie.

This will give you a file of full frames rather than highly compressed h.264.

This is me replying with a different AppleID. It's a long story...

Anyway, thanks for your help. I converted to AIC using MPEG Streamclip as you described. The resulting looks the same or very close to the the original when played in QT, and the file can be imported into iMovie without the problems that I get with the original H.264 file.

So, I wonder why QT and MPEG Streamclip can read the file while iMovie fails to do it properly?

About Apple's list of camcorders. The Samsung HMX-H105 is very recently released and I would have been surprised if it had been on Apples list. Surely there must be cameras NOT on the list with H.264 files that import to iMovie? It would be nice to understand better why some H.264 file import ok and some do not.

Have Apple published the H.264 profiles and levels that it is compatible with? Isn't Quicktime used for importing?

Will going through AIC significantly decrease the quality of my recordings, it will be a re-compress using MPEG2, right? I noticed that IMovie was a lot snappier working with AIC compared to H.264 (at least with my partially failed import), that is a plus. The file size, of course, is not.

From MPEG Streamclip, I get the following file info of the original. Is there anything in it that stands out as peculiar? Why 25 fps and not 50i or something?
---
Stream: HDV_0004.MP4
Path: ~/Desktop/HDV_0004.MP4
Duration: 0:00:43
Data Size: 89.34 MB
Bit Rate: 17.09 Mbps
Video Tracks:
SAMSUNG AVC encoder

I agree. Can anyone explain why some h.264 files works while others don't?

Some are high definition. Some are low resolution.

h.264 is used in the AVCHD standard, but iMovie makes AVCHD cameras convert to AIC on import. It is not logical that it could handle h.264 at the same resolution with no conversion.

no -- i guess i wasn't clear. I meant imovie sometimes doesn't even recognize it all apparently. While other times, the import does work and then on import, it can be converted. I agree its ok to convert, but some times imovie won't even let it import to use the import process to convert. Maybe i am still not being clear.

oh well. Not an issue for me...just trying to understand and learn all the issues with these codecs.

tx

AppleMan1958 wrote:
Some are high definition. Some are low resolution.

Yes, a H.264 file can be in any of a large number of different resolutions. In this case the resolution is 1920 x 1080, 50 fields per second (interlaced). I thought that that is a common resolution and that iMovie can import files with this resolution from a number of camcorders. Is this true?

h.264 is used in the AVCHD standard, but iMovie makes AVCHD cameras convert to AIC on import. It is not logical that it could handle h.264 at the same resolution with no conversion.

My understanding (very limited) is that AVCHD is H.264 packed in a 'transport stream' and that there are additional data in a special file structure. I too find it strange that H.264 is edited without conversion while AVCHD is converted to AIC - but maybe the data when it is in a stream is more difficult to extract as individual frames, or maybe Apple convert to AIC just because the format is more complex.

Anyway, if you look inside an H.264 file from a supported camera, there must be differences compared to the H.264 files from my Samsung, and neither Samsung nor Apple publish the information you need to find out what is is. Both only say they support H.264.

/jonas

I'm having the same problem. Different .mp4 h.264 files - from similar but slightly different sources - behave very differently with iMovie. One will import just fine, while others aren't recognized at all. Converting to AIC (at least with the default settings) yields a file nearly 10x bigger than the h.264, and dramatically lower resolution.

What makes one h.264 file acceptable to iMovie, another is rejected?
And what AIC settings should I use for MPEG Streamclip? I don't want to lose resolution...

In MPEG Streamclip, use Apple Intermediate Codec at 100% quality on the quality slider. Choose the original dimensions (e.g. 1920x1080 if that is what your camera shoots.)

Thanks. When I tried this earlier, I got files that were 10x bigger than the original .mp4, and the quality was measurably worse (more pixilated). Admittedly, this was on 80% quality - I'll try again at 100% - but won't that make an even bigger file?

I am hoping this thread gets picked up again. I too have a Samsung HMX-H106 which will not import directly into iMovie without the aspect ratio screwing up. The workaround with MPEG screenclip works, but at export a 6 second clip that is 17mb coming out of the samsung is 125mb out of screenclip /iMovie.

Has anyone found a way to output with a compression/quality that is comparable to the original Samsung file? At this rate I will have to get much better at shooting footage as editing renders the finished product unshareable.

Love to hear from someone who as cracked the size issue, or better yet, sorted the direct import to iMovie for the samsung camcorders.

I'm giving up on the HMX-H106. The Elgato Turbo H.264HD stick will convert it on an Intel Box which I don't have, the Turbo H.264HD will do HD, it distorts the aspect ratio something fierce, the Turbo H.264 only does 800x600, MPEGstreamclip takes HOURS to convert minutes of video. The two AVC converters I've tried both crash immediately. I'm not that patient. So it's going to eBay for some luck Windowze user to have. It's a shame too because the camcorder is a sweet machine.

I really fail to understand why Apple seems to be ignoring this and it's starting to freak me out. I have two issues with my Samsung H105 and both have NOT been fixed under 8.0.5:
a) when filming in 720p it will only import half of the clip, in other words a 30 seconds clip will be cut to 15 seconds once imported into iMovie
b) it imports the clips with a completely different aspect ratio
Anybody working on this solution over there in Cupertino? After all, the Samsung camera is one of a few out there that capture in H.264, Apple's beloved format. How come this camera should not be supported under iMovie. This does not make sense. FIX IT!!! PRONTO!!

I just upgraded to Snow Leopard with QT X. Now my HMX-H105 clips have the wrong aspect ratio already in the QT player. Mac software obviously doesn't like H.264 files from Samsung. Surely Apple must know what the problem is - please tell us.

/jonas

The Samsung writes the wrong frame-size into the recorded file. It is a very bad bug. I would take it back.

Steve Mullen wrote:
The Samsung writes the wrong frame-size into the recorded file. It is a very bad bug. I would take it back.

Do you know that that really is the case? Can you point to a source with more information?

It would be great if that was it. With more information I can request a corrected firmware from Samsung. Right now it is difficult to do so because the files have no aspect ratio problem
1) on the Sony PS3
2) in Quicktime player 7.x
3) in VLC
4) in Sony Vegas editing software (Windows)

In fact, I have only seen the problem in software that is based on QT. In my case iMovie and now the new QT Player. What I have seen in VLC and QT 7.x is that the files appear to be difficult to decode, there are stuttering and artifacts, while there are no problems at all in Vegas or with playback on the PS3.

My best guess is that Samsung is using features of H.264 that have bugs or are not implemented at all in Apple's software. It is frustrating not to be able to do anything more than guess though.

I do not have access to any other editing software (Vegas was a 30 day free trial). If anyone would like to help by trying the Samsung with other software I can supply sample clips.

/jonas