Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Mullen
1) When you import .MP4 files, do they play smoothly in the Source window?
2) When you import .MP4 files, do they play smoothly in the Timeline without the need to render?
3) Can you do real-time CC on these files?
4) What kind of filters need MOV files as this is very odd behavior?
5) How do you convert the clips needing conversion to .MOV? Do you simply need to force render these clips?
Although I love 60p -- I note that AVCHD and BD writing software will not accept 720p.
6) So can you use 1920x1080 clips the same way as you do 720p?
PS: You can import and edit 720p60 in iMovie 08, but it always exports as 720p30 with pairs of frames! Damn frustrating.
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The answer to 1-3 is no but I'm sure the problems have more to do with my old system (2GHz, 2MB RAM iMac Core Duo) than the HD1000's codec. If you have one of the current iMacs or MacBook Pros, you should do fine. The dual quad-core Mac Pros will definitely save you render time but generally may be overkill.
Some filters that have motion analysis functions such as the Smoothcam require the clips be in Quicktime format. Whatever you do to change the wrapping from .MP4 to .MOV you ultimately have to force render the clips for any effects to be applied and played back. I don't think FCP6 could handle the HD1000's original AVC/H.264 clips "natively" in the same way it does HDV clips. You may be able to set the sequence in the timeline to H.264 (to match the original clips' codec) but exporting always takes a long time making me wonder if there is any transcoding in the process.
The workflow for the 1920x1080/60i clips is the same but you need to have a third-party avc1 decoder installed in your Quicktime folder before you can do anything with the clips.
Steve, you are probably like me and a few other video geeks who bought this camera because it's cheap (for HD), pocketable or almost and it can shoot 720/60p where the nearest alternative, price-wise, may be the Panasonic HVX-200 or Sony EX-1. After some months of fiddling around, I can say this camera's footage at the top two quality settings is not Mac-friendly. Just forget about using any versions of iMovies or FCEs. You need FCP6 or maybe the latest Avid or Adobe Premier Pro for that matter! to just get the footage properly edited and keep the clips' properties intact.
I now wish I had one of the flash memory AVCHD cameras. I am happy to live with the bigger size and slower frame rates.
Wacharapong