Q: Importing files that do not need transcoding?

According to Apple, FInal Cut does not have any problems working with XDCAM and Pro Res is unecessary.

If you export as Pro Res, then yes, it will render to PR during the export process.

Russ

Apples says no problem with XDCAM?

What follows is not a solution just a way to understand what is happening under the bonnet.

Try this workflow:

Leave FCPX closed and out of the equation for the moment.

Copy BPAV folder to your HD

Eject any SD , SXS reader or camera.

Open the XDCAM Transfer app

Click the Add.. button

Navigate to the BPAV folder

Select the import location from Preferences

Select any clips you wish to ‘Import’

Hit Import.

XDCAM Transfer will rapidly ‘unwrap’ the movies and place them in the destination folder

Go to folder, open a clip in something like MpegStreamClip or QT

Hit cmd i 

this will bring up an info window

note the clips attributes

Video Tracks:

XDCAM EX 1080i50 (35 Mb/s VBR), 1920 × 1080, 25 fps, 35.00 Mbps

Audio Tracks:

(lpcm), 768 kbps

Now open FCPX

select Import Media.

look carefully at the drives available to you.

If you copied the BPAV folder to the top level of a finder window that will appear in the ‘CAMERAS’ pane. This applies to any camera folder type such as BPAV for XDCAM, PRIVATE for AVCHD and even DCIM if you have some still images copied rom a camera.

If these are a pain you can hide them by creating a folder at the top level and drop them in that.

OK, back to Import Media

Locate your newly unwrapped XDCAM clip

Hit' Import Selected'

Now notice the dialog ‘create optimized media’ …according to Apple this should be greyed out, ‘because XDCAM works just fine’  but its not

OK lets see what happens if do select it and also copy to events folder?

Once imported the Background Tasks render spins from 0-100%. Ok so I have created an optimized clip, ProRes?

Drop the clip on the timeline ,

Lets check, go File - Project Properties…hit the  little spanner far right, says ‘Render Format ProRes

hit Export…(aka Share’ what a stupid name),

select Master File, now watch the Background Render Tasks drop back to 0% and slowly crawls up to 100%. rendering yet again.

Your export will open by default  in QT, hit cmd i and you will see its ProRes. Now thats when we get ProRes

Go to your Final Cut Events folder

Open your Event

Note you will have an ‘Original Media’ folder with copies of the XDCAM clips

However no ‘Transcoded Media’ folder with no ‘High Quality Media’ as would be the case for formats other than XDCAM.

which is why editing XDCAM is ‘not just fine’ its a pain.

No Optimized media of XDCAM can ever be created.

As far as I can see…unless anybody knows different.

BTW I know you can Import direct from the BPAV folder with the Sony PDZK-LT2 FCPX plugin..but still no real transcode to ProRes.

No XDCAM is not just fine, ProRes? yes I totally agree bring that into FCPX and sure it works so much faster.

If you want to work really fast, SDI or HDMI out into  devices such as the Ninja or Samurai Blade, record as 4:2:2 ProRes

have fun

There are a number of formats that don't need optimization, XDCAM is just one, basically I-frame codecs don't need optimization. It's an anomaly that it optimization appears on import and as you noted doesn't actually do it. ProRes is the default render option and the default output option, but if you have an XDCAM based project you can export XDCAM; it will be available as an option.

Tom, Thomas...if only it were I frame. Sadly its that darn Long Gop we got suckered into all that time ago. I was at NAB when they launced AVC, we all though yeh great, small files, great quality. Where's the catch

However, if like me you still can recall editing I frame movies, oh how we just breezed through the edits. DV was the start then on up to DVCHD pro on P2...ah bliss.

Why did I do it, MPEG2!!! its a delivery codec, always was.

I am never going to buy another 'AVC' again. Kind of twisted logic, I frame was getting huge files, storage space was expensive and slow...now its never been cheaper. But hang on, yep fit hours of 'AVC'  on it..but, that's no good. Has to be 'I' frame PropRes and to edit well...back to the huge files. Anybody remember uncompressed?

Should keep 'AVC' (h264) as the delivery, and a very fine delivery codec that its.

btw I was at NAB when that was launched.too..got home and proclaimed to the guys, at last mpg1 is dead... 'I have seen the future' and it is h264.

little did  I know bah