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Canon Legria HF200 and Final Cut Express

I´m having a hard time getting a good quality on the exported movies (using QTM). I´ve tried lots of combinations of Easy setups and export settings, but the result is still a bad quality. I´ve tried to find the answer by reading forums etc., but still, after lots of hours I haven´t found the answer....

The best result so far is by using iMovie and importing the video "Large" (960x540) and not "Full". In this case the quality on the exported video (using Quick time movie) is good, but it´s still far from HD quality.

I found this thread on the Apple forum:

"The issue is that with the Canon Legria HF20 and HF200, iMovie incorrectly flags 50i content as progressive and 25p content as interlaced. This issue is discussed in detail in the following thread":

http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=10678937#10678937

Does this mean that it is impossible to make a movie with a good HD quality with the combination iMovie/FCE (I´ve tried both) and Canon Legria HF200?

If not, what kind of settings should I use to get the best result?

Mac OS X (10.6.3)

Posted on May 29, 2010 2:00 AM

26 replies

terekvi Author

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May 29, 2010 1:30 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

Url to screenshots:

http://gallery.me.com/terekvi#100007

Tom Wolsky

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May 29, 2010 1:47 PM in response to terekvi

I see the problem in the third image. I've heard of it before but I don't know what causes it. This is not normal for video ingested in FCE. Perhaps someone else with this camera can report if they have a similar problem. It's a motion related problem. In the third image I should be seeing interlacing and I'm not, which is probably what's causing the problem. I wonder if this was shot in some kind of progressive format. I can't find anything on the Canon tech specs page that indicates what frame rates the camera shoots in.

terekvi Author

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May 29, 2010 2:22 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

It was shot in 50i format.

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

151,022 points

May 29, 2010 2:39 PM in response to terekvi

Yes, and that's what's troubling. I'm not seeing any i in this media. I don't know why this is happening.

terekvi Author

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May 29, 2010 2:42 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

Could it have something to do with this:

"The issue is that with the Canon Legria HF20 and HF200, iMovie incorrectly flags 50i content as progressive and 25p content as interlaced. This issue is discussed in detail in the following thread":

http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=10678937#10678937

It seems like the problem has been discussed earlier, but I haven´t yet found any threads with the solution......

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

151,022 points

May 29, 2010 3:47 PM in response to terekvi

It wouldn't seem so as your material was shot 1080i50, so it's interlaced and not progressive. This thread refers to how progressive media is treated in iMovie.

Casho3

Level 1

30 points

May 31, 2010 5:41 AM in response to Tom Wolsky

Actually the thread deals with how the Legria HF20 and HF200 50i incorrectly tags 50i content as progressive, and 25p content as interlaced during the conversion to AIC in iMovie.

This also occurs if you you use VoltaicHD to do the conversion to AIC. Maybe there is an incompatibility with this Camera and AIC, which carries over to Final Cut Express.

If you have access to a high powered Windows machine you can edit the AVCHD footage natively using: Windows Live Movie Maker, Premiere Elements or Sony Vegas. I look forward to the day that native AVCHD editing is available on the Mac - although you need a very high end machine.

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

151,022 points

May 31, 2010 5:52 AM in response to Casho3

AVCHD editing is available on the Mac with Premiere Pro.

Casho3

Level 1

30 points

May 31, 2010 4:04 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

Thanks for the info - I didn't know that.

But, that is still a fairly expensive option for me. Also, native AVCHD editing demands a lot of horse power, and my budget doesn't extend to a Mac Pro.

Unfortunately, Windows is the best option for me at this stage, as I can put together a high powered rig for much less than a Mac Pro.

Unless I am mistaken, it appears that Apple are competitive at the lower to mid end of the market, but once you go to the high end they are very expensive.

Jun 23, 2010 9:06 AM in response to terekvi

This a question in regards to timeline settings in Final Cut Express.

I shot a bunch of footage real quick and in the wrong frame rate on a JVC GY HM100u.

I shot it at 1920x1080 but in 25fps not 24fps

is there any settings in the timeline so I don't have to render every clip I put on it????

Thanks

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

151,022 points

Jun 23, 2010 9:11 AM in response to fstopblue

In FCE4.0.1 there is a AIC 1080i50 setting, which is 25fps. Where are you going with the media? 25fps is obviously a problem in the US.

Canon Legria HF200 and Final Cut Express