Problems ingesting 720p60 footage from Panasonic P2 card

To start with, ProRes HQ is way overkill for that footage. Use DVCPRO-HD, or ProRes 422 of you need ProRes.

FCP will drop frames if your hardware isn't up to snuff. And ProRes HQ takes tons of power to work with.

Remember that ProRes playback even in QT Player will be jerky, because it's a massive and system demanding file, and there's no reason to use it with P2 footage.

Actually, for AVCIntra, a 10-bit codec...ProRes HQ is the PERFECT Choice. DVCPRO HD would be a serious step backwards when shooting AVCIntra... AVCI is 10-bit, full raster. DVCPRO HD is 8-bit, and VERY thin raster (hyper-anamorphic at 1280x1080). They are both 4:2:2...but the similarities stop there.

ProRes 422 and LT is best suited for 8-bit shooting formats....like Canon DSLR, AVCHD, HDV... while HQ is best for 10-bit formats, like AVCIntra and RED.

>and there's no reason to use it with P2 footage.

There's ALL THE REASON when shooting AVCIntra P2. He isn't shooting DVCPRO HD P2.

Boy, being certified doesn't teach you everything. Got some gaps in information in there....

I can't see why you're having any issues. I use 720/60p from my HPX300 for speed ramping and it works fine. I'm using an 8 core box, but, I don't see that being the reason. And yes, HQ is the way to go with AVCIntra 100. I've never seen any reason to use a third party utility to wrap the AVCIntra files. What is the transfer rate of your external drive. To me that would be the weak link.

Does the jerkiness happen at the same point every time? If so, that sounds like a problem during ingest.

I would think that the simplest way to see if it's problem during ingest or a playback problem is to take an ingested file with the problem (select in browser, control click and "show in finder" and bring this file into compressor and make for example a h264 file using the preset: Apple: Other workflows: Web: Download: Quicktime 7 compatible: h:264 800kbs. This will keep the frame rate of the original file but bring pixel dimensions etc down so thruput shouldn't be a problem. You might also try one with the frame rate of 29.97.

I'd look at your drive & connection first. You mentioned; "I tried a 4TB FW G-Raid and got the same issues.".

Was it set for RAID1 or zero? And was it FW 400 or 800?

You could try copying a media file to your internal drive and seeing if it plays better from there...

I know it's not always easy to keep track of the entire thread, but the original post states that 1080 60i works without a problem. I imagine that that would demand more of your drives than 720p60.

But doing all the standard troubeshooting steps is never a bad idea: Running disk repair from the disk utility, repairing permissions, running disk warrior, deleting fcp preferences, creating a new account, etc are all useful steps.

Is there any way you can test your workflow on another fcp system?

And I suppose there could be a problem with the camera. You might want to talk to who ever sold you the camera.

If you're in the New York City area, I'd be happy to let you come by with your material.

Funny...Thomas Whaley also has HUGE issues with 720p60...but not 1080i. 1080i is fine, but 720p, he just cannot get to work right. Has several posts on the issue, and we have not been able to solve it. Because it is way out of the ordinary.

I wonder what the issue might be...this is a puzzler.

Wait, you're taking the file that you've ingested with the log and transfer tool and bringing it into after effects and rendering it and it plays fine? So it's not an ingest problem, it's a playback problem? In your original post you said frames were dropped on ingest. Which is it?

or something on your system.. Or operator error? Copy a file to your internal hard drive. Try disconnecting all peripherals (including external drives) except the keyboard and mouse and see if you still have the problem. Do you have the latest drivers for the kona card? I would even try pulling the kona card from the computer and see if you still have the problem.