Final Cut Pro for iPad fails to import HEVC mp4; loads fine in Files.app & FCP for macOS

Question

Level 1

4 points

Final Cut Pro for iPad fails to import HEVC mp4; loads fine in Files.app & FCP for macOS

Final Cut Pro for iPad was released yesterday and I was excited to edit some old family VHS videos on my iPad.

How they got onto the computer isn't important, but what is important is that they've been converted to MP4 containers with HEVC ("Main" profile) video and AAC ("LC" profile) stereo audio. The video type is 29.97i FPS 720x480 DV format.

They load into FCP for macOS just fine. They play in Files.app on iPadOS just fine. But when I bring them into FCP for iPad, they show up with a puzzle/plugin icon and an exclamation mark as shown in the below screenshot.

I created an AppleCare support case and finally got them convinced I knew what I was talking about and they pushed it to their engineers.

Is anyone else experiencing this issue with FCP for iPad?

If anyone's curious how the files were converted, this is the ffmpeg command:

ffmpeg -i in.mpg -c:v libx265 -crf 18 -preset slower -c:a aac -b:a 256k -tag:v hvc1 out.mp4

iPad Pro (4th generation)

Posted on May 24, 2023 10:14 AM

Reply

Answer 1

nateschmoll Author

Level 1

4 points

May 24, 2023 10:28 AM in response to Tom Wolsky

The audio is missing as well in FCP for iPad, but the audio plays as expected (in addition to the video) in Files.app on iPadOS and FCP for macOS.

In Files.app on iPadOS, it's just the app itself (Apple's built-in libraries) reading the file... Files.app doesn't (to my knowledge) support external file interpreters or libraries to render files within Files.app. They provide QuickLook "thumbnailing" (see more on developer.apple.com) to developers, but if an actual video is played in Files.app, it's all done within Apple's built-in code and libraries.

Reply

Answer 2

nateschmoll Author

Level 1

4 points

May 24, 2023 11:21 AM in response to Meg The Dog

That worked! At 59.94p it now loads into FCP for iPad and works flawlessly, including the unchanged audio.

I wonder if this is just an oversight in FCP for iPad. I don't see this limitation documented anywhere.

For those who are curious, I was initially converting from a DVD MPEG2 like this:

ffmpeg -i in.mpg \
  -c:v libx265 \
  -crf 18 \
  -preset slower \
  -c:a aac \
  -b:a 256k \
  -tag:v hvc1 \
  out.mp4

I'm now deinterlacing the video along with the conversion and it imports into FCP for iPad successfully:

ffmpeg -i in.mpg \
  -vf bwdif \
  -c:v libx265 \
  -x265-params interlace=auto \
  -crf 18 \
  -preset slower \
  -c:a aac \
  -b:a 256k \
  -tag:v hvc1 \
  out.mp4

Thanks!

Reply

Answer 3

May 24, 2023 11:42 AM in response to nateschmoll

IMHO, it is a good sign that Apple in 2023, when making a new application, does not want to saddle it with support for interlaced material. I know that there are a lot out there, but I wish it would die already...

It is downright silly that we are using "retina" displays with 120Hz, HDR and all that but so many in power in the video and tv industry still insist on outdated and inferior technology. Note: I understand that your old material was interlaced, my rant is not towards you, but to tv channels still broadcasting in digital interlaced, and even requesting material be given to them that way.

Reply

Answer 4

Davis_

Level 2

219 points

May 24, 2023 12:39 PM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Luis, it's about bandwidth when broadcasting. Plus, equipment that gets re-purchased every 10 or 20 years is quite expensive. A lot of used equipment from "first world" countries ends up in less developed countries and has a second life there. So, we could be many years from not seeing interlaced delivery specs. again. Many older tapes, DVDs, etc., are not worth spending the money on re-mastering, so we're going to have to deal with interlacing there, as well... just saying... ;-)

At least we have good and fast tools available to deal with such things.

Reply

Answer 5

Meg The Dog

Level 6

13,591 points

May 24, 2023 10:34 AM in response to nateschmoll

As a test, try convert a short clip of your source material to the same properties but make it progressive instead of interlaced, then see if that clip works in FCP/iPad.

MtD

Reply