FCPX 10.4 Import AVCHD video distortion problems

I have the same problem. Canon C100 and multiple G25s importing into FCPX 10.4 on High Sierra 10.13.4.
I tried my spare El Cap machine importing with QT 10.4 and the problem is the same.

MTS crashes FCPX so my workaround is converting MTS with Prism.

The iDVD comment was just an aside at the end - although as the subject involves videos and codecs its a related issue that FCPX 10.4 export MOVs now say "file type not recognised".

Only downside to the Prism conversions is a second of dead audio at the end. Easy to cut around that happens to be one of your audio tracks.
Apart from that, the multiple MTS-converted clips drop in and replace the FCPX/QT clip and stay in sync.
Just waiting on a fix now....

Darnit. MacOS 10.13.4 and FCPX 10.4.2 update didn't fix it.

Will have to chase up my support case again....

Why:Final Cut, C02QT395GG7N, Importing media from files, cameras, or camera archivesWhen:Tuesday, 3 April 2018Case ID:10049842----

Got 4 big jobs in 5 days starting tomorrow. Nine hours of stage time with four angles.
And the final gag - the new FCPX seems to have disabled my Contour Shuttle wheel..

Bit rate is variable, what would you recommend?
And yes, audio isn't optimal, but you can always use the FCPX import as the glitch is only video
(in fact, i may do that as Prism leaves a split second of silence at the end of each MTS)

Hoping Apple get it sorted pdq!

Greetings,

I have figured out a workaround that will get me through until this issue with FCPX 10.4 is fixed. (I do believe it is problem with this version of FCPX.)

Give this a try: Open up your AVCHD archive file (Right-click, select "Show Package Contents.") Using same technique, open up AVCHD, then BDMV. Open up the "STREAM" folder. Set up your desktop so you have your FCPX workspace and the Finder folder, side-by-side. Then, simply drag the MTS files into an Event. This works, even though you apparently can't import the files into FCPX the usual way. Now you can highlight all the dragged-in files, right-click on one of them, and select Transcode Media, to create your Optimized media (and also Proxy media if you are using Multicam).

Here are some additional background notes:

• I have an older Canon Vixia HF S100, which I use for smaller projects, but also as "B" camera with my Canon C100 for larger projects.
• I seem to have the breakup issue only with the Vixia HF S100, but not with the C100
• I first thought my Vixia was having issues, but discovered I could open up the STREAM folder and play the MTS files without any breakup issues.
• When I tried deleting affected imported files, and then re-importing, I still had breakup, but at different places... previous bad footage was now OK, and some previous good footage now had breakup.
• My system:
  • 27", late 2015 retina iMac
  • 4 GHz Intel Core i7
  • 32 GB RAM
  • 10.13.3 High Sierra

I hope this helps.

I'm glad I'm not the only one with this problem! I too get distortion, mostly at the top of the shot occasionally, but other times all over the shot, but it only happens for a few seconds, and not throughout the entire clip! I'm using the Canon Legria HFG25. It's really frustrating, and I can't see a way out? Like yourself all my other clips from previous projects work within this update....

I have the same exact issue (shot with a Canon G20 to AVCHD)...seems to be a 10.4 bug. Serves us right for not waiting for 10.4.1 (which I usually do!). Downgrading to 10.3.4 fixed the problem immediately. Only drag is that now any libraries I've updated to 10.4 will have to have the original files (found in the library folder) imported back in since it's not backwards compatible. Hopefully a fix is coming in either 10.4.1 or in the ProRes update

Actually it's very easy to convert .MTS files to Apple ProRes without any software but QT X.

On High Sierra:

1. Copy your MTS files to a folder

2. Select all the files to convert and click right button

3. Chose "Services > Encode selected video files"

4. Chose "Apple ProRes" from dropdown menu

5. Done!

The only problem is that you cannot chose the destination folder...everything will be placed in the source folder.

Right, but the point of the original post is the wrapping by Final Cut of AVCHD files specifically (not MTS files) and how they are playing back choppy and distorted in 10.4. MTS is a different issue

@rjpimprov Yes, you're right. Fortunately there is a workaround, but the problem is still there...

Btw, I've noticed that the only difference between "normal" imported files and the "dragged" ones is audio codec (PCM linear Vs. AC3). Dunno if this could be related to the bug or not, but it means that files are processed in different mode.

I need to retract at least part of my post... I posted too soon. My workaround doesn't always work. Using my workaround, I have had some clips exhibit the breakup artifacts. Also, when you bypass the import process and just drag in the MTS files, none of the metadata is attached, and if you are trying to create Multicam clips, it doesn't seem to work at all. I do believe at this point that my "additional background notes" stand true: so far my C100 AVCHD hasn't (yet) given me any problems.

One thing I have done is to import the same AVCHD clip twice (you need to import into a new event), and lay one clip under the other on the timeline. When you find a bad section on the top clip, there's a good chance the lower clip won't have the artifacts in the same place, so you can bring the opacity to zero on the top clip for that section... but what a hassle.

Anyway, sorry I jumped the gun a bit.

Gary

Not trying to sound like a jerk, but the easiest workaround until there is a fix to 10.4 is simply to downgrade to 10.3.4. I know almost nothing about computers and a simple youtube search and a zip file did it....took me 5 minutes and things works great in 10.3.4 for avchd. I can understand wanting a workaround, but an easy one isn't there for 10.4

Can't you just go into the package contents and find the original imported files and re-import them into a 10.3.4 project? I'm guessing you'd have to start the project file over if you started one...not sure if you can re-import that.

Just spent a couple of hours on the phone to apple support and he is going to get the engineers looking at it and get back to me.

Its obviously a common problem but it is happening on my El Cap machine as well as the High Sierra, importing both Through FCPx and QT.

Now copying 4 MTS files from each of the 4 cameras for each of the 4 shows I am trying to edit...

One solution I have found is to convert via Prism converter, gives me a clean .Mov file,
I will try replacing the corrupted ones in all the muticamera clips i have now edited.

BTW anyone managed to get iDVD back to life? My El cap machine won't recognise new .mov files so I have to use some garbage by corel and reimport all the chapter markings by hand. Grrr.

Your post is not related to this thread, which is about FCP X 10.4 and AVCHD material. 10.4 does not even run on El Capitan.

If you have specific issues, start a new thread and be clear about what the problem is.

Do not mix unrelated problems. iDVD, for example, runs fine in El Capitan, so your machine may be having some unrelated issue. Again, start a specific thread. This probably belongs in a different forum, too, not related to FCP X.