Converting HMC-40 files to QuickTime problem
 

I sent a data DVD with original .mts camera files (from my HMC-40) to a friend who has a Mac. He is trying to use "Clip Wrap" to convert the .mts files to QuickTime. This is the e-mail I got from him:

"it's not recognizing the footage enough to even allow me to copy it to desktop and i am trying a program called Clip Wrap and it's not recognizing your footage either."

I don't know what to tell him. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

Re: Converting HMC-40 files to QuickTime problem
 

Hi Herm

Some programs just don't see MTS files as legitimate video files and if it's a format they cannot read then they cannot convert it. Just because it's AVCHD doesn't mean any program can read the file..Panny AVCHD is a lot different to other similar formats!!

I use this for wedding clients who want my raw footage (which I don't want them to have) and I send them a 10 second MTS and of course, most cannot read it!!

What NLE do you have??? It might be an idea to render each file into something a Mac CAN read like MP4????

Chris

Re: Converting HMC-40 files to QuickTime problem
 

I have ClipWrap version 2.4.2 and it processes the MTS files from a Panny TM700 just fine.

Re: Converting HMC-40 files to QuickTime problem
 

I use Vegas. I could convert the files for him, but there are about 8 hours worth. I'm trying to avoid that if I can.

Update
 

More info from my friend...

"I can't get the footage OFF your DVDs I try to drag them to the desk top or interact with them and I get an ERROR -50"

Any Apple people have a suggestion?

Re: Converting HMC-40 files to QuickTime problem
 

Error code -50 usually means that there is a problem reading files from the source disc (or disk). This may be due to the way the source disc was burned. Problems may be caused by the file system used for burning (UDF, or NTFS, or HFS+ or some other), also it happens if the disc session wasn't properly closed. Many Windows tools for burning discs don't properly write burning sessions, or close them properly. This occasionally causes reading or copying errors on computers that are compliant with existing standards.

Try burning your MTS files onto a disc once again and make sure you choose UDF, and close the session at the end. Hopefully, that will work.

Re: Converting HMC-40 files to QuickTime problem
 

May not apply to all Mac/Apple software, but FCP 6 needed to see the AVCHD folder structure and files, not just the MTS files. You may need to send the folder structure including the corresponding CLIP and PLAYLIST files as well..

Re: Converting HMC-40 files to QuickTime problem
 

If the recipient is using ClipWrap to rewrap MTS stuff into a Quicktime MOV wrapper, then he won't be transcoding them into FCP. Instead, he'll be importing the resulting Quicktime files directly, for which there is no need for the entire AVCHD directory structure and supporting files. While this method allows a Mac user to edit original AVCHD content directly, I'm not a big fan of it, for the usual reasons (heavy burden on CPU, preventing live preview of anything other than simple cuts between shots). Be that as it may, for ClipWrap re-wrapping, the recipient will only need MTS files and nothing else.

My guess is still with the burning process and burning software in Windows. To eliminate any possible issues with this, I would use reputable disc burning software (such as Roxio or Nero), create a proper data disc format (UDF would ensure compatibility across systems) and make sure session is properly closed at the end of burning.

As I said, the 'Error -50' that Mac OS gives is NOT related to Final Cut Pro, or MTS format, or issues related to importing, conversion or transcoding of the AVCHD files. It is an OS message related to the problems reading file data from the source medium (in this case, optical disc) and copying it to the target medium (in this case, hard disk).

Alternative solution would be to copy MTS files onto a USB stick (formatted in either HFS+, if the source Windows computer has a utility that can read/write/format into HFS+, or FAT32, assuming that no single file is larger than 4GB) and sticking that USB stick into the target Mac. As long as the stick is formatted in one of the two file systems (FAT32 or HFS+), the Mac will read it without issues. Your friend will be able to copy files onto his Mac and re-wrap them in ClipWrap.

I burn raw MTS files onto a disc in Windows environment and then copy them onto a Mac hard drive all the time. This works perfectly fine, without any special considerations. The only issue is to make sure the disc burning is properly done, using legitimate disc format (such as UDF) and the session is closed correctly.

Re: Converting HMC-40 files to QuickTime problem
 

company called shed worx, it will convert MTS files into .mov files

AVCHD converter, AVCHD video converter, AVCHD editor | ShedWorx

supports mac

Re: Converting HMC-40 files to QuickTime problem
 

Voltaic is great, but it does more-or-less the same thing that FCP does (transcodes AVCHD into another codec, wrapped in QuickTime). This doesn't solve OP's problem, which is inability, on a Mac, to read a DVD burned on a Windows machine.

In other words, ClipWrap seems to be perfectly adequate for the task at hand; the problem is in the means for transporting files from one computer (Win) to another (Mac).