Why doesn't FCP support h.264 editing?

FCPX does. FCP 7 does not.

H.264 has a non editable Long GOP Structure - only every 15th (12th in 25fps systems) is a full, stand-alone I frame, the ones in between are based on and cannot exist without that I frame. Cutting anywhere in the middle requires the Long GOP structure to be recalculated.

"Native" editors decode in the background to an I frame format. Just because you don't see it happen, doesn't mean it isn't. In FCP 7, you choose how you want to convert it (a good thing).

The underlying architecture of FCP7 and earlier were written a long time before DSLR existed and before the web was a viable distribution method. True, re-encoding has been tacked on since those times but that's better than nothing, right?

Not everyone shoots on DSLR, in fact some of us just plain dislike it and prefer full I frame formats that are instantly editable.

Remember, Final Cut Pro was designed to fit in with industry standard formats and workflows. H.264 is not one of them. It might become one due to the expectations of the YouTubers, but that's not neccessarily a step in the right direction.

>This post was more or less to see if people agree with me in my thinking that this is crazy.

I totally disagree with you. What I find crazy is that camera manufacturers have been using codecs for acquisition that were originally designed for final delivery. I understand why they've done it (to get more recording time on miniscule memory cards) but I don't agree with the practice.

H.264 is just today's popular codec; tomorrow it will be something else. Something newer and even more compressed and then people will be complaining that FCP-X doesn't work with that codec natively. It goes on and on ... don't think for a minute that H.264 is the end all, be all format.

-DH

I don't agree with you. This isn't crazy. STILL CAMERA manufacturers made their cameras able to shoot video, not for VIDEO professionals in mind, but for photojournalists to be able to shoot quick video, in a small size, to upload to their news station or network. The networks, all running Avid or FCP or Edius, would then convert the video to an editable format.

But then the independent filmmakers latched onto the camera due to the depth of field and low light capabilities. But that didn't change the fact that it shot a compressed, non-editing format.

Now some other NLEs will work with it natively, but only because they have serious help from RAM, very specific and powerful graphic cards, and fast processors. But it wasn't designed to be edited natively...the format really doesn't like it.

Don't blame the NLE makers, blame the camera manufacturer. BUT, if you want to edit it natively, there is FCP X, and Premiere Pro (that one requires the specific graphics card).