Why the duplicated clip when importing from Panasonic AG-AC160AP?

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Level 1

1 points

Why the duplicated clip when importing from Panasonic AG-AC160AP?

I just finished video recording a two-hour training session on a Panasonic AG-AC160AP. I ended up doing it with three clips. The first is about 2 minutes long and was someone doing an intro. The second is about one hour long, and the third is also about one hour long. Here's the problem:

When I take the SD card and insert it into the iMac, then open FCPX and select "Import Media," the second and third clips (the long ones) appear to be identical...sort of. Here's what appears to be the same: The clip previews (both video and audio), the start time, end time, and duration. However, the clip names are different (Clip #2 and Clip #3) and the Content Created information is different (both show the accurate start date and times).

In FCPX, it appears as though the second clip has been duplicated and the third clip is missing.

But when I play back the video clips on the camera, everything is fine. Clip 2 and 3 are just as they should be. Also, if I preview the clips on the iMac without using FCPX, by double-clicking on the AVCHD file in the "Private" folder, all three original clips are there, and clips 2 and 3 are different and play back just as they ought to.

All recording settings were identical on all three clips.

So it seems as though the trouble must be with FCPX.

Have you seen this happen before? Ideas for troubleshooting or a solution?

Final Cut Pro X, OS X Mavericks (10.9.2)

Posted on Mar 3, 2014 11:16 AM

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Answer 1

Jan 25, 2017 8:01 PM in response to WDI

Still no answer to the initial question? I have a card from a Panasonic 130, three clips, FCPX import window shows two of the clips to be identical instead of three distinct clips. I've been using a work around for ever because this has been happening forever and I'm getting tired of it. Anyone?

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Answer 2

Jan 31, 2017 1:35 PM in response to Lucas Chealde

Still working around this problem. I see no reason to settle for any work arounds because when everything is working correctly with the FCPX import window my video imports blazingly fast. Everything else takes extra time and sometimes unneccesary transcoding.

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Answer 3

WDI

Level 1

83 points

Jan 31, 2017 2:09 PM in response to Lucas Chealde

Well I talked with both Apple and Panasonic and i gave up. I think Apple would take a look at it but I had no way of getting them an example. I could create a card archive in FCPX and this file also exhibited the issue. But the file size was too large to send to them. Panasonic just referred me to use their utility which did not exhibit the problem. The free utility only lets you view the files on the SD card. I believe the paid for utility lets you import files but it was very expensive. Luckily Adobe Prelude CS6 still runs in Sierra and lets me import the bad files on the rare occasion that it happens. But it's a pain because I have to double check all my AGAC160 footage every time I import into FCPX.

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Answer 4

Mar 3, 2017 4:18 PM in response to WDI

I've given up and will not research this issue anymore. Final Cut X is the only app I have that has trouble seeing the card content clearly. QuickTime Player, Final Cut 7, Toast, PC-based editors... all recognize the card clips correctly. Divergent Media's ClipWrap http://www.divergentmedia.com/clipwrap is my final answer. It's relatively fast and you can choose to not transcode. I capitulate and add a third party app to my workflow.

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Answer 5

Alchroma

Level 7

23,809 points

Mar 3, 2014 1:19 PM in response to CNaf

Fire up a test capture and only grab clip #3.

Does it work?

Al

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Answer 6

CNaf Author

Level 1

1 points

Mar 3, 2014 1:56 PM in response to Alchroma

I assume that by "fire up a test capture" that you mean import Clip #3 into FCPX. When I do that, it does *seem* to import the clip, but there is no preview. Only a black image and no audio. But no error message at all either. When I try to bring that clip into a project, it looks the same. Black but no audio.

I can supply screen shots if it would be helpful.

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Answer 7

CNaf Author

Level 1

1 points

Mar 4, 2014 9:53 AM in response to CNaf

I've experienced the same results after video recording today's training session. This time, I recorded four video clips. Two are short (clips #1 and #3) and two are longer (clips #2 and #4). When I insert the SD card into the iMac and double-click on the AVCHD file, it looks correct with the four different video clips:

But when I open FCPX and go to Import Media, the last clip (#4) appears to be the same as clip #2. Again, the start, end and duration info, along with the clip preview of #4 matches #2 exactly. But the Content Created information is different (and correct):

If I go ahead and try to import clip #4 anyway, this is what I get:

Any help or suggestions for troubleshooting would be very helpful. Thanks!

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Answer 8

Alchroma

Level 7

23,809 points

Mar 4, 2014 4:32 PM in response to CNaf

My suggestion would be looking at the formatting of the SD card.

Do you format in the camera before recording?

I run an AC 90 and experience no issues like this one.

Al

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Answer 9

CNaf Author

Level 1

1 points

Mar 4, 2014 4:40 PM in response to Alchroma

Thanks for your replies. I really appreciate it.

Yes, I've formatted the cards. I've been doing internet research on this for hours, I've been on the phone with Apple, and I've made contact with Panasonic, too. According to Apple, it has nothing to do with FCPX (no surprise), but is a problem with how the camera is writing the metadata.

One common denominator is that the problem clips are always long ones. In my limited understanding of AVCHD, that would mean that the clips are broken down into smaller pieces. Perhaps that is part of the issue.

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Answer 10

Mar 4, 2014 7:04 PM in response to CNaf

I would suggest simply copying the contents of each card in total - preserving all directory structure to a New folder on your fastest drive. Do that and what ever happens after that, you will have your original video.

Then from inside of FCP X import from the folder making certain that the file formats, fps, etc match. Import with the boxes leave in place and create optimized & proxy media.

Do not import directly from your card into FCP X.

Your video's content is very similar. Trust the metadata.

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Answer 11

CNaf Author

Level 1

1 points

Mar 5, 2014 9:27 AM in response to babylonslim

Thanks for the reply. Copying the entire contents of the SD card onto a drive is already part of my workflow (I didn't make that clear previously) but I still experience the same problem whether I tell FCPX to import media from the card directly or from the location on the drive where it was copied.

I have been in contact with Panasonic regarding the camera to troubleshoot it from that direction, too. They seem very slow in their response, however, which has been frustrating.

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Answer 12

Alchroma

Level 7

23,809 points

Mar 5, 2014 1:14 PM in response to CNaf

Can you give us a step by step of the process plus the camera settings?

Al

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Answer 13

CNaf Author

Level 1

1 points

Mar 5, 2014 3:03 PM in response to CNaf

Camera settings: 1080/30p, manual settings, no variable frame rate, etc., recording simultaneously onto two SD cards.

Step by step:

On Camcorder: Insert cards, turn on camera, set focus, iris, etc. Press record. Record for an hour or so. Press record button to stop recording. Wait about 10 minutes. Press record again. Record for another hour or so. Press record button to stop recording. Put camcorder into playback mode. Look to be sure that both clips have been recorded. Turn off camera. Eject both SD cards.

On iMac: Insert one of the SD cards. Create a folder on the local drive with today's date as the title. Copy all of the contents of the SD card into that folder. Eject SD card. Open Final Cut Pro X. Select "Import Media." Navigate to the folder where the contents of the card were copied.

That pretty much gets us to where the problems start to occur, as described above.

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Answer 14

Mar 5, 2014 3:23 PM in response to CNaf

http://shop.panasonic.com/docs/operating-instruction/2012/professional-video/AG- AC160A_OperatingInstructions_Advanced.pdf

I believe that you have "Simul-Rec" set to "on" on your camera. See page 32 of your manual above.

Hope this helps.

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Answer 15

CNaf Author

Level 1

1 points

Mar 5, 2014 3:38 PM in response to babylonslim

Yes, I do. But that is on purpose and I don't see how that should cause a problem. It is just saving the data onto two cards instead of one.

I've been on the phone with Panasonic tech support and they don't have an answer at this point. They sugggested resetting all the menu settings back to factory settings and running a test. So that's what I'm doing right now. In about 15 minutes I will have recorded two one-hour clips of video at whatever menu settings that the camera had from the factory. We'll see...

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