Import MPEG-2 files into Final Cut Pro X

Hi 3arrows,

Glad you could take advantage of my findings. 🙂

The thing is, Apple isn't really ignoring MPEG-2, since MOD files are MPEG-2 format. For some reason, they've just not enabled import of files with the .mpeg file extension. Hopefully, like me, if you rename your files from .mpeg to .mod, they should import and work fine within FCPX.

MPEG Streamclip works for me in Mountain Lion, although the sound doesn't play through. However, it does appear to import and export all file formats without a problem. I get some video rendering issues in the GUI, but under the hood it appears to still function properly. I've been meaning to see if I could get the audio working again by reinstalling the MPEG-2 QuickTime Component, but I appear to have lost the original installer disk image, and I don't really want to buy it again. Then again, if it ain't broke (broadly speaking!)...

Thanks, Tom and Jowie. Mpeg Streamclip works in moutain lion but I can't convert mpeg 2 files. The screen goes blank and all I have is audio. It doesn't matter anymore because this MOD thing is just brilliant! Thanks again.

Not sure what you're doing, but if you have the playback component and the beta version of Streamclip it works correctly, video and audio.

i guess its just a matter of Apple not wanting FCP X to be able to recognize any file type it cant preview in real time without transcoding but it does seem a bit silly, they should just have a warning on the ingest screen for these kinds of formats indicating a forced transcode. It is nice there is a way to force recognition since it is a more efficient workflow to have FCP handle the conversion. My 2 cents anyhow for what they are worth.

Hi, Tom. The workflow is very simple: I download mpg 2 files from a Broadcaster's site. I drag them to mpeg streamclip and convert to quicktime mov. After that I edit those files together with my camera files (quicktime mov) in final cut.

It was working just fine but after I upgraded to Mountain Lion I could not do that anymore.

I have mpeg component, I downloaded mpeg streamclip beta version and followed the instructions. I went to security to allow any application etc.

I just can't do what I was doing before. But, as I said before, it doesn't really matter anymore because the MOD option makes for a faster workflow what is absolutely essential for my job, which is news. I guess I could try Sorenson or Episode but not really.

i don't think he's saying theres any problem with this workaround as long as you are forcing the transcode and not attempting to play mpeg-2 unconverted in the timeline.

changing the extension to .mod saved me loads of time on a quick project - thanks!

Myself as well. Found a program to rename and it changed almost 500 file names. Now they're all importing. Why FCPX doesn't just do this is beyond me. Now I can try the software out.

yeah its funny i was just looking this thread up again 2 days ago because someone sent me an mpeg2 b-roll. you'd think they could just force you to create optimized media like they do with camera clips.

😕

so this method no longer works but you can simply recontain the mpeg2 now using the QT player.

scratch that final cut chokes on those and you cannot force optimized media transcodes, seems really odd they would make this so difficult…

😟

i think the best thing now is to run it through compressor convert to prores there.

I struggled for about 8 hours today trying get FCPX to read my MPEG-2 video files from the old camcorder (copied over onto the Macbook running El Capitan). Trying every solution that I could find including those from 2012 which are still present on the Apple Forums, downloading more than one dicey, third party software that doesn't work, chasing fantasies about "easy to use" or "free" converters available on the internet. I also bought one from the App Store on Apple, which was advertised as a "quick and easy" solution to this problem. Nada - nothing. I pretty much gave up and thought the kids birthday parties from years ago will just have to be stored in my own biological memory. I was even willing to buy another camera and play the movie on a TV and re-record it onto another camera with a movie type that FCPX would support.

But, I ended up doing two things. First, I used Quicktime version 10.4 to open the old MPEG-2 movie, then used QT's Export function to convert the movie to a .MOV file, which FCPX could understand. It worked. This was satisfying to finally find such a solution after so many hours of research, false leads, cost, and substandard, buggy software trials.

The icing on the cake, though, was when I read your post, Jowie, about changing the file extension.

IT WORKED PERFECTLY!! I first copied the movie to the desktop so that if anything didn't work, I still had the old .MPG still there. I changed the extension but it didn't work right away. I used the "Get Info" function to make sure the file name "really" was changed to .MOD, because the way my operating system shows files, when I changed the file extension, the end result was that it was really only adding .mod to the middle of the file name and keeping ".mpg" hidden.

Another little spike of worry was when the preview thumbnail in Finder changed to an .exec -style thumbnail picture. However, FCPX knew just what to do with it. I now have all the old home movies ready for processing. I feel like I've defeated Goliath with Jowie's simple fix.

Thank you Jowie for posting your solution here on the forums - now all the world who has old MPEG-2 videos (probably people close to 50 years of age like me) can benefit from your simple gift. Kudos to you and of course Apple for maintaining this forum.

ADK-Mark