Level 1

10 points

Choppy imported AVCHD footage - FCPx 10.4

Help! I don't know if anyone's replicated this but it's a showstopper bug if there's not some simple workaround.

I am seeing slight but noticeable choppy playback on AVCHD footage imported through 10.4. The choppiness is NOT baked into the file - if I test the imported footage into Premiere or play through Finder, it plays back very smoothly. The choppiness appears in the browser, the timeline, and exports.

I've set the view to best performance, trashed renders and prefs, removed effects, even reinstalled FCPx altogether, and nothing seems to be correcting the playback issue. If I drop the footage into Motion, the problem is there as well. Any footage I imported before 10.4 is fine. Footage that's not AVCHD plays back fine, including some imported Mavic Pro 4k footage. This has been my workflow for 6 plus years with the exact same footage and I don't know what I'm missing. Any thoughts?

On a late 2014 Retina 5k iMac (32 GB) and M295X video card (4 Gb). Camera is a Panasonic AF-100.

Posted on Dec 22, 2017 6:50 AM

98 replies

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,780 points

Feb 26, 2018 7:23 PM in response to DanniSuzanni

I have no idea how FCP handled it in previous versions. The media appears to be defective. Perhaps this version is more demanding and doesn’t accept the metadata attached to the file at face value.

Mar 2, 2018 11:24 PM in response to Ballinrollin

I have made a clean install of HS and FXPX10.4 on my MBPR -still the same problem.

APPLE, WOULD YOU FIX IT?

Mar 3, 2018 7:07 AM in response to DimitriL1

Of course - i made it

Mar 18, 2018 10:42 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

Sure thing! Tell me where to find the "real" specs, and I'll pass along.

DimitriL1 Author

Level 1

10 points

Mar 18, 2018 10:56 PM in response to inte_moto

High Sierra is definitely the problem.

Mar 18, 2018 11:04 PM in response to DimitriL1

Given that's all I can isolate the problem to, I'm definitely going to try downgrading and see if I can get the Mac Pro to work like the Macbook does.

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,780 points

Mar 18, 2018 11:05 PM in response to inte_moto

No. The MBP is a more modern, more capable machine for AVCHD than the MacPro.

Mar 19, 2018 6:11 AM in response to Tom Wolsky

Tom, you work for apple?

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,780 points

Mar 19, 2018 6:20 AM in response to nordheide

No. This is a user to user forum. The only people from Apple here are moderators who run the website.

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,780 points

Mar 19, 2018 6:36 AM in response to nordheide

Definitely Canon media is having problems. This skipping, which I've not seen, or the tearing, which I have seen on media users have shared.

Mar 19, 2018 6:53 AM in response to Tom Wolsky

And Apple changed there workflow from 10.3 to 10.4 with that result? Haha!

It is not a bug it is an option ....

IT IS A BUG!!! Because apple said the XA10 is a valid cam.

Mar 19, 2018 6:56 AM in response to nordheide

Let's wait for 10.4.1...if that still doesn't fix it, then exclamation points may in fact be needed. Not like canon's are an unpopular camera.

Mar 19, 2018 7:18 AM in response to ramierik96

Same here ramierik96....though i've never messed with HS...was an issue with Sierra as soon as I downloaded 10.4. Using a canon G20. 10.4.1 please!!!

Mar 19, 2018 7:30 AM in response to Tom Wolsky

All files where I have had problems are less than one minute long. However, it shouldn’t matter how long or short the file (a clip) is. They all should be flawless.

DimitriL1 Author

Level 1

10 points

Mar 19, 2018 9:04 AM in response to rjpimprov

I understand the skepticism, but I can tell you for a documented

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Choppy imported AVCHD footage - FCPx 10.4