Import MPEG-2 files into Final Cut Pro X

That's right. Also ProRes is very large, unnecessarily large for MOD files, which are SD. ProRes LT would be adequate or DV50 or even DVCPRO for most things. Your options are much broader if you do it outside of FCP.

I don't known what page you're talking about. There is a link for the playback clone my on the squared 5 download page.

i don't get it if you read eariler in the thread you were referring to the apple mpeg2 playback component and i asked if you had a link because the last time i check you can longer access that download page.

ok thanks for clarifying but if the rest of your project is already some higher prores format would you not need it in that same format to avoid a duplicate file anyway or are you you saying you you prefer not to use that setting in your fcp x production environment and do all your ingest transcodes manually?

thanks again love your input i always learn stuff reading your posts!

The thread's almost a year old. You may be in a new operating system. What OS are you using? Did you look on the Streamclip page.

i have streamclip had it for years but without the mpeg2 playback component its not very useful for mpeg2 currently on lion.

You duplicate the media regardless of where you transcode.

yes but am i mistaken in thinking that would be an extraneous encoding step unless you picked the exact format as your project is in or does fcp x allow for multiple prores formats in the same project without transcoding?

and regarding the mpeg2 playback component please do share a link if you have one cause i havent been able to find that section of the apple online store in years. as i said before it may be of minimal utility at this point but i'd still like to be able to access it seeing as i paid for it if that's possible.

If you picked one of the codecs I suggested there is no extra encoding step as you can export a master file in any one those codecs.

Please see the information on the Streamclip side as I think I said earlier in the thread. Do you not have the original installer disk image?

Lion/Mountain Lion and MPEG-2 Playback Component

The installer of the MPEG-2 Playback Component may refuse to install the component in Lion and Mountain Lion. Apple states the component is unnecessary in Lion and Mountain Lion, however MPEG Streamclip still needs it.

To install the component in Lion or Mountain Lion, please download MPEG Streamclip 1.9.3b8 betaabove; inside the disk image you will find the Utility MPEG2 Component M. Lion: use it to install the MPEG-2 Playback Component in Lion or Mountain Lion. The original installer's disk image (QuickTimeMPEG2.dmg) is required.

The current versions of MPEG Streamclip cannot take advantage of the built-in MPEG-2 functionality of Lion and Mountain Lion. For MPEG-2 files you still need to install the QuickTime MPEG-2 Playback Component, which is not preinstalled in Lion and Mountain Lion. You don't have to install QuickTime 7.

Also read the information for Snow Leopard below.

If you picked one of the codecs I suggested there is no extra encoding step as you can export a master file in any one those codecs.

well okay but i thought we were working from the assumption this was going into a FCP X timeline as such it would need to be the same format as that timeline or wouldn't FCP X automatically rencode it anyway (unless again you were not checking off the use optimized media option in preferences?

Please see the information on the Streamclip side as I think I said earlier in the thread. Do you not have the original installer disk image?

i do not have the original disk image anymore i never saved it before it disappeared for whatever reason i just figured i could download it whenver i needed (i think maybe cause i figured it may have one day been updated to run more properly on os x post tiger since before lion it would run but it would always give you that warning about being for an older operating system).

it would need to be the same format as that timeline or wouldn't FCP X automatically rencode it anyway

No. It only reencodes when it has to render like a title or a transition. FCPX isn't like legacy versions that needed to render everything to a single codec.

Email me about the other.

I bow to your better judgement, however it is good enough for the project I am working on... I cannot tell the diffence personally, so I can guarantee my client won't! The source material I was provided isn't good enough to be able to notice.

But in future projects, if I need the best quality, I'll convert to ProRes first. I just wanted to point out that FCPX does indeed support MPEG-2 files, because that was the original question.

nice to know thanks! i feel like FCP X is so advanced most industry people don't recognize it for what it is, anyways good for us that do!

i think he is saying however if you have the default "use optimzed video" setting enabled renaming to .mod is a good path simply for the sake of expediency is just that if you are trying to actually work in that format that you would encounter trouble. i think i will start using that shortcut myself as a matter of fact it may avoid the neccesity for using streamclip at all (cept for demuxing, strait conversions and the like). Please correct me if i read you incorrectly Tom.

Do you mean "Create optimized media"? I had it unticked. However, since I have pretty much tweaked every part of the video I believe it is pretty much all transcoded now. My Movie Events folder for the project is running at about 35 GB for a 25 minute SD project. The Render Files folder contains a load of data files and plists stating ProRes422.

yes and generally speaking it's a good setting to have checked off (i often check off the proxy media option as well to speed up editing until im ready for export but if you leave that option your final output will be degraded).