Final Cut Pro 6.0.1 Update Adds AVCHD Support at FreshDV

Final Cut Pro 6.0.1 Update Adds AVCHD Support

Published by Matthew Jeppsen October 16th, 2007 in Formats, NLE, News, Software

The recent 6.0.1 FCP software updated adds AVCHD ingest support via the Log and Transfer interface. However, there are a few caveats; it’s only available on Intel Macs, Standard-def AVCHD sources cannot be captured, and the footage must be transcoded into either AIC or ProRes for editing. There also appear to be a few scrubbing related bugs and in/out point wonkiness. So while it feels a bit incomplete, at least there is a supported option for AVCHD users. Read on for details on what is or is not supported.

From Technote 305997: You can transfer AVCHD footage to your scratch disk using the Log and Transfer window in Final Cut Pro. The workflow for transferring AVCHD footage from a camcorder or disk is similar to the Panasonic P2 workflow. However, there are some important differences:

* AVCHD support is available only on Intel-based Macintosh computers.
* AVCHD camcorders typically connect to computers via USB 2.0, not FireWire.
* DVD-based AVCHD camcorders are not currently supported in Mac OS X.
* Standard definition video recorded with AVCHD camcorders cannot be accessed in the Log and Transfer window.
* Preview of AVCHD video in the Log and Transfer window is limited to 1x forward playback. Scrubbing the playhead does not update the video in the Preview area until you stop scrubbing.
* AVCHD footage is transcoded to the Apple ProRes 422 codec or the Apple Intermediate Codec. You can choose the destination codec in the Log and Transfer window preferences.
* When you choose to transfer AVCHD audio in the Logging area, audio is automatically mixed down to stereo.
* It is not possible to delete clips on an AVCHD volume, even if read-and-write permissions on the volume are set to allow file deletion. This behavior is different on P2 volumes, where clip deletion is allowed when proper read-and-write permissions are set.
* AVCHD files are transferred as entire files from beginning to end. It is not possible to set In and Out points before transferring the clips.

For more information about AVCHD, refer to the document, HD and Broadcast Formats, available under the Help menu in Final Cut Pro 6.0.1

(Thanks for the tip, Randall!)

One Response to “Final Cut Pro 6.0.1 Update Adds AVCHD Support”

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1 LanceDrake Aug 1st, 2008 at 10:54 am

Hi All -

The ‘Getting AVCHD footage into FCP’ issue appears to have been complicated in that AVCHD streams from such cameras as the Sony HDR-CX12 - which uses a Memory Stick PRO Duo Flash RAM chip - stores the files in a format which uses the “.m2ts” suffix.

As of this date (August 2008) neither Final Cut nor Quicktime will recognize and load these .m2ts files.

Furthermore, Sony does not provide Macintosh software support for the movies - although the JPG images can get imported directly from the camera into iPhoto via the USB connection.

The ‘get digital versions of the movies into my Mac’ solution I had to go with was with a shareware application I found called VoltaicHD - from shedworx.com.

By mounting the camera on the Mac desktop, double-clicking on the icon and dragging the folder (or contents therein) from the path /Volumes/[cameraname]/AVCHD/BDMV/STREAM to [wherever], it was possible to then use the VoltaicHD application to convert the captured HD footage into files which could then be imported into FCP or played by QT.

The application appears to be somewhat slower that I might expect - but, prior to locating that app, I was expecting to have to use a PC to get editable files into my Mac and the Sony PMB application does not appear to want to let you perform the conversion such that you end up with 1920×1080 footage - it automatically reduces the frame size of the HD footage which was captured to something like 720×404 - and it’s a WAV file, at that.