Panasonic HDC-TM900 60p & 5.1 Questions

I have 2.4.1 and it does not work. Ticking LPCM mixes my AC-3 5.1 source to a 24bit mono file.

Have you tried this yourself?

The Aunsoft MTS Converter worked and transcoded the 5.1 to LPCM 5.1 ingesting into FCPX perfectly.

So am I to understand that FCPX can not infact ingest native AVCHD 60i/5.1 via a Panasonic HDC-TM900?

I'm just looking for clairty.

Thanks!

I think it's a 700 vs 900 issue. I heard back from ClipWrap support and they forwarded me a seperate installer that transcodes that AC3 to LPCM.

I need to now sort out my 60p aspiration.

Thanks for your reply!

Ray,

"Are you guys saying I have to do some sort of pre-conversion before I can get TM900 video into FCP-X? Aside from the bother of doing this, what do I loose? Is this something that Apple might correct in the near term for this seemingly VERY popular camera?"

I can't speak to this. Only Apple knows. I imagine so.

"Is it only p60 footage that FCPX can't handle? What other formats from the TMC900 will FCP-X handle?"

If you plan to shot ANYTHING other than 60i / 2 channel on the TM900, then you'll need to convert via all the methods discussed in this or other threads. Have a look at the one I'm more involved in.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3131540?answerId=15589899022#15589899022

Personally, the 60i image quality is really poor compared to the 60p. At the end of the day, you'll have to figure out what your end output device is going to be. For me, I use AppleTV 2, an HTPC and Mac's. If I want to view my stuff on the AppleTV2...I know I have limitations to frame size and rate. To me, there is a significant quality reduction this way. If I play my exports on my HTPC or Mac.....an H.264 1080p60 w/ 5.1 AAC looks the best and plays extremely well. It's worth all the crap I have to go through to retain this quality.

Gene

Ray,

Apple does have that listed on their site, however it does not natively support 1080p60 nor the 5.1 the TM records.

It supports 1080i60 and the iFrame (960x540p30) the TM can record. Once you switch 60i to 5.1, it breaks the "native" compatibility.

I am frustrated too.

Hi Ray,

Regarding your previous questions:

HTPC = Home Theater PC (it's my Blu-ray player / Media Server)

AppleTV2 = 2nd Gen AppleTV

2 Channel = Stereo

5.1 AAC = 5.1 in Advance Audio Codec (the output format my 1080p60 audio gets exported to. it's only compatible w/ my HTPC or ATV2 if I bring the frame size & rate down to 720p30 or lower.

"What I THINK I understand:

- I can shoot 1080i and edit directly in FCPX

- 1080p is better in a number of ways but as of now I will have to "convert" before editing in FCPX"

Yes! But "converting" isn't all that bad. And you only have to convert if you shot 60i in 5.1, or 60p in stereo or 60p in 5.1.

What I THINK would be my output medium from FCPX: Mostly to my 27'Mac screen, Vimeo, DVD's and to project at our church from my Mac.

All this can be support even if you shoot in 60p. It's just a matter of how you convert the files.

So, how would using 1080i impact my use of these mediums? (I probably would not be as critical on "image quality" as some of you more experienced guys are... and I'm reading the other thread you referenced, Gene. Thanks!)

I truly hope you are as critical as we are if you're going to spend $1k or more on a camera. If you have the patience, you should rent/buy and return as many camera's as you can to discover the right one for you. That's what I'm going with Canon's HFG10.

maybe Apple will eventually fix FCPX to handle 1080p?

FCPX does in fact edit 60p if you're willing to put a little more leg work into the workflow. Once I convert my stuff to ProRes or Proxy, FCPX handles it like a breeze. I've outline the workflow I use with great success on my 2 computers. I can't speak to computer specs that are any less than what my post listed.

I trust this helps,

Gene