why can't FCPX able to import AVCHD (MTS) files from my Panasonic camcorder?

As far as downgrading from 60p to 30i - I would have thought there would be a setting for FCPX to leave it alone?

Looked like a question to me.

Not sure 60p delivery is going to happen. There are a lot of things that make it less than advantageous, not top mention you loss the slomo ability of 50p or 60p to conform to the standard frame rates.

Just wanted to say thank you for trying to help with what I can only describe as an irritating and very annoying problem. Having bought a Panasonic HD Camcorder three years ago and overcome the problems associated then with importing AVCHD I bought my son a Panasonic SD900 thinking all the issues had been resolved. Frustratingly he has been able to import, edit, share etc with his Windows system whilst I, with my hi-tec Apple set up have really struggled. He is absolutely delighted and is throroughly enjoying my difficulties having been telling me for years that Apple is not all it is made out to be ! Am presently trying one of the suggestions made earlier in this post to download the free Miro app from the Apple store. I find it incredible we are in this position and would hope that someone, somewhere in the Apple hierarchy will read posts like these and wake up to the fact that this is unacceptable. Finally I would like to say thank you to those who replied with constructive comments unlike Tom Wolsky and his cahoot who even more annoyingly wasted far too much of my time with their authoriative know all, bordering on bullying responses. They should not be allowed to post with an attitude like that - these posts are designed to help those who need advice not as a platform to demonstrate the big I am !

I have a similar setup to you and I use the same camera . . . . well actually it is the SD800, which is exactly the same lens and processors etc., just minus an external mic socket and a few other little tweaks.

It works perfectly with no problems whatsoever however I import the video, either by popping the SDHC card into a card reader or by connecting the camera with the USB 2.0 cable.

So there is either a problem with your equipment or technique.

Are you doing the following?

1. Plug in camera with USB 2.0 cable and switch on in Playback (VTR) mode.

2. In FCP X select File>Import from Camera.

If that doesn't work and you haven't already done it, trash the preferences with this:-

http://www.digitalrebellion.com/prefman/

If you still have no luck, read through this troubleshooting article

http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/troubleshooting_fcp_x_03_taylor.html

I think I may have hit on what is causing your problem!

Are you shooting 1080/50p ?

If so FCP X probably won't recognise the video files.

SORRY! I did not read all the posts and it looks as though this has been dealt with.

Message was edited by: Ian R. Brown

Thanks for suggestions - the camera puts out 1080p at either 50 or 60 - I need to investigate this further

Am still working at it but haven't found an easy solution yet - the Miro app works to a certain extent but from what I can see there is a loss of quality and it takes ages

Thanks again

The soloution is simple.

Do not use the 1080/50p setting.

For all normal video and editing you should be using the "HA" setting which will give the highest quality video with the advantage that it can be edited quickly and easily.

The only time the 50p or 60p setting should be used is when you want to do some special slow-motion effects . . . . which for most people means hardly ever or never!

I can confirm that I have not been able to import video from my Cybershot still camera (DSC-HX100V) without transcoding from the raw .mts files, which produces MPEG-2 low-res video! I've tried plugging the camera card into my USB reader and pointing FCPX to the various folders, with no results.

I checked this out before I bought the Sony and when I saw "AVCHD" I thought I was home free! All this is VERY confusing, but the discussions here are very helpful.

---

Bye R@y

ACE001

Thank you for this post! I think we may be getting somewhere here... So to run down your workflow I assume you do the following...

1. Shoot in your Camera's highest settings of 1080/60p

2. Convert to ProRes 422 in Clipwrap.

3. Import the files in FCP X as 1080/30i

Does that sum up your workflow? Do you ever use the Proxy Playback feature? I figured that would lighten the load on the computer. And finally when "ingesting" the files into FCP X do they have to go on the iMac HD or can they stay on a separate "Media" HD?

Thanks in advance - mdee

Almost there:

1) Record in 1080 60p.

2) Convert to ProRes 422 in ClipWrap.

3) Import files in FCP X as 1080 60p, not 1080 30i.

FCP X can edit 1080 60p effortlessly. However, as many others are quick to point out, you can't (currently) do much with 60fps as far as exports (i.e. internet upload sites will require you to convert to 29.97 fps, burning a DVD requires frame rate change, etc.). Maybe I'm foolish to use 60 fps at all considering the fact that I have to convert later, but my logic is this:

1) My camera records at its highest quality at 1080 60p --why record anything less than highest quality?

2) Eventually the world might allow for different frame rates, and my projects will all be readily available to export at 60 (59.94) fps so I can finally share them the way they were meant to be seen. In the meantime, however, taking the extra step to convert to 30 (29.97) fps is not a big deal.

I hope this helps. It's been working for me. I probably wouldn't shoot a feature film in 60 fps --not because it is inherently worse-- but simply because the world is used to 24 / 25 fps. But for everything else I do this frame rate works wonderfully (except having to render twice the frames in Motion when doing motion graphics).

Yep ClipWrap sovled all my issues. Works a treat!

ACE001

Thank you once again. Since I'm still in "experimental" phase I wanted to know if you use the Proxy setting for playback and where you have your Transcoded Files located?

I have my Clipwrap files on a Ext Media HD but wondering where to tell FCP X to park the Transcoded Files?

Also, I've been reading about ways to properly Archive Camera Media such as creating a Disk Image and then dragging my Camera Media to that Disk Image. My camera holds 96GB.

*The following tips were found on You Tube under Keywords - "Disk Image - FCP X"

Click on + Create Disk Image

Save As - File Name

Where - Ext Media HD

Name - File Name HD

Size - Size in GB

Format - Mac OS Extended Journaled

Encryption - None

Partition - Hard Disk

Image Format - Sparse Disk Image

You don't need a sparse image. Simply select the camera disk and have Disk Utility make an image of it. The disk image only needs to be as big as the media. It doesn't have to expand the way a sparse image allows.

Don't make the proxy files in ClipWrap, simply rewrap the media to QuickTime. Use the transcode function in FCP to generate the procy files.

Thanks for the Disk Image info. Yeah I was talking about using Proxy in FCP X not Clipwrap.

Since the latest FCPX update to 10.0.4 I can import AVCHD footage directly from my Canon Legria HF G10 camera. Before I used ClipWrap as work around.

Does FCP X support Sony Hnadycam PJ260VE?