Newbie question - Transcoding AVCHD on a pc
 

I'm getting ready to purchase a HF S100 camera. I'm familiar with some prosumer (HMC-150) and AVCHD on a mac/FCP is as simple as log and transfer. However, at home I use a pc and probably intend to use Sony Vegas. What codec/format should I transcode 1080/24p AVCHD video to?

I'd like to make it easy to take to a mac and work on FCP if I have to.

I tried searching, however I didn't see an answer to this directly, so I apologize if this has already been answered.

One answer is the Cineform NEO SCENE CODEC, which costs $129, and creates video files that are editable on both the Mac and Win platforms. ( you have to buy a copy for each computer ) NEO SCENE will also take care of removing any reverse telecine issues.

http://www.cineform.com/neoscene/

Will that codec be accepted by AVID Media Composer?

Rob. No, Cineform cannot be cut natively on an Avid. Not current versions of Media Composer. Supposedly, MC5 will support AVCHD natively, for now, you'll have to import it. I had a very hard time transcoding Vixia footage correctly for a number of reasons but eventually I got it right, So, here's 2 options for you. Both cost money. There are other methods but I have 1st hand experience with these.

1. use Cineform and them import to Avid (not a great option as you are transcoding 2x and need tons of storage space!) But I will say Cineform is pretty impressive.

2. transcode to Avid friendly format using TMPGenc 4 (I suggest you try before you buy!) TMPGEnc - Products: TMPGEnc 4.0 XPress - Product Overview This program is pretty impressive although I've read some negatives about it here and elsewhere. Good luck!