60i Video Identified as 29.97i in FCPX

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apollo2011 Author

Level 1

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60i Video Identified as 29.97i in FCPX

I have been working with video recorded on a Sony SLT-A55 camera (records 1920x1080 60i AVCHD video to a .MTS file) and a Canon Vixia HF S200 camcorder (records 1920x1080 60i AVCHD). I noticed the video looked choppy both in Final Cut Pro X and when I exported it either using ProRes 422 or H.264.

Upon further investigation, I discovered that Final Cut Pro X was importing and optimizing the video as 1080i 29.97fps video, which is half the frame rate of the original video. When I drag the clips onto the timeline in a new project, it automatically sets the project to 1080i 29.97i. I can go in and change the project properties to 1080p 29.97p, but that does not fix the choppiness of the video as the clips are already imported as 29.97i so it's just duplicating the frames to 29.97p.

Once the clips are on the timeline, I cannot select any other framerates in the project properties other than 29.97i or 29/97p.

Am I missing a step in importing the video or selecting a wrong setting somewhere?

Thanks for the help!

Posted on Jul 19, 2011 4:14 PM

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Answer 1

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

151,010 points

Jul 19, 2011 6:01 PM in response to apollo2011

Interlaced media is never 60fps, or 59.94. It is always 29.97 (in the US). Only progressive media can be 59.94.

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Answer 2

Badunit

Level 7

25,802 points

Jul 19, 2011 6:32 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

The project setting of 1080i 29.97i does seem incorrectly stated. I'd think it should say 1080i 60 or 1080i 60i or 1080i 29.97f or something more along those lines.

I have a lot of 1080/60i media and it appears to me to export correctly with those settings. I get some choppiness when I view it immediately after export but I have been blaming it on things going on in the background, like maybe FCP X is saving immediately after export. One of these times I'll open Activity Monitor and take a look.

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Answer 3

Aug 1, 2011 3:33 AM in response to apollo2011

I am a newby, and just got to know iMovie using 1080i/50. Isn't FCPX doin the same as iMovie, in creating on export (automatically) a progressive video by deinterlacing it to 30p (and thus losing resolution?)

I am interested in this cause maybe I'"ll switch to FCPX

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Answer 4

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

151,010 points

Aug 1, 2011 3:43 AM in response to Badunit

This is what I see

Not sure what's wrong with that, other than perhaps the redundancy of 1080i on the right and the 29.97i on the left, but it seems very clear to me, emphsizing that it's interlaced and showing the correct frame rate 29.97 and not emphamisms like 1080i60 or calling it 30fps, when it's 29.97, such as you see in iMovie.

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Answer 5

Aug 1, 2011 7:32 AM in response to Tom Wolsky

So, it should work then...

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