Importing HDV from Firestore at DVinfo.net

Pete Cofrancesco · October 22nd, 2011, 06:02 AM

FCP5 won't import HDV Quicktime Movies captured to Firestore. Any ideas?

edit: I discovered Apple changed Quicktime for FCPX that has screwed things up. No fix available as far as I can see.

William Hohauser · October 22nd, 2011, 03:33 PM

FCP 7 and FCPX on my system play HDV from the Firestore OK but not QuickTime Player. There's something strange with how the FireStore records to QuickTime that the updated codecs don't like. You can try to convert the files to ProRes in Compressor.

Pete Cofrancesco · October 23rd, 2011, 06:32 AM

The annoying thing is that it use to work until Apple decided to change their implementation of Quicktime for FCPX. Apple is so unprofessional in they way they operate.

Compressor doesn't recognize them.

The current work around is to set the Firestore to record as m2t instead of Quicktime. Problem is that doesn't fix previous projects. Import process becomes longer to the point its quicker to capture from tape because the m2t files have to be transcoded to ProRes.

Michael Kinney · November 1st, 2011, 07:20 AM

I had the same problem, and I got this response from Focus Enhancements support:

Currently, there is an issue with FS-XXX recorded files and Final Cut Pro X, and Mac OS, because of compatibility with these latest versions of Quicktime player:
Version 7.7, Release in August 2011 for Mac OS Snow Leopard, Windows 7, Vista, and XP
Version 10.1 Released in July 2011 for Mac OS 10.7 Lion
Apple released these Quicktime updates to address several important security issues and unfortunately our Quicktime wrapped HDV files no longer are compatible. We strongly suggest that you don’t run any Quicktime updaters on systems critical to video editing until this is resolved. One way to verify this problem is to note that the clips play back correctly with other players, such as VLC (VideoLAN - Official page for VLC media player, the Open Source video framework!), but not with Quicktime-based players. We are working with Apple on a permanent fix, but right now we only have some suggested workarounds:

- Record in the .m2t file format and convert the footage to .mov - Use MPEG Streamclip (Squared 5 - MPEG Streamclip video converter for Mac and Windows) or another conversion application to convert
- Import the FS-XXX folders into Adobe Premiere Pro (CS5). Exported as an XML file, then import the XML file into FCP7 using their XML function available via File drop-down menu
- If you are not running Lion and you have Final Cut Pro 6 or 7, you may be able to downgrade your Quicktime player so your files will work. This is at your own risk of course, but many customers have had success with downgrading their Quicktime player by following the steps listed here. We suggest trying Quicktime Player Version 7.6.6 on OS 10.6 Snow Leopard

Using Pacifist to downgrade QuickTime - Digital Rebellion Blog

If you cannot downgrade using Pacifist or you do not want to try this suggestion, you may need to contact Apple for further assistance with downgrading your Quicktime player. We will inform you via email of any changes regarding this issue.

Samuel Wich · June 5th, 2014, 09:34 PM

Hey guys, sorry to dig up an old thread, but I think I'm having this issue. Was a solution ever found? The best I can find online was just "don't update quicktime".

My symptoms are: I recorded a couple short clips from a GY-HD110 to a DR-HD100 DTE in .mov format, and brought them from there onto a computer. Now when I try and import into Adobe Premiere Pro I get "File Import Error - codec missing or unavailable". I can't open it with either quicktime or Windows Media player, but VLC Media Player seems to read and play it just fine. Anyone got any suggestions? I'm going to try recording into .m2t and see if that solves the issue, but I'm worried the quality of the .m2t will be lower than that of the .mov... but I don't have a lot of familiarity with the mechanics of either so maybe my fears are unfounded.

One last note. My apologies proper etiquette would have been to make a separate thread with my issue. I wasn't sure if I should dig up an old one in a section dedicated to Final Cut (even though I'm on Adobe Premiere), or start a new one entirely. Hopefully I made the right call?

October 22nd, 2011, 06:02 AM	#1
Pete Cofrancesco Inner Circle Join Date: May 2004 Location: USA Posts: 2,995	Importing HDV from Firestore FCP5 won't import HDV Quicktime Movies captured to Firestore. Any ideas? edit: I discovered Apple changed Quicktime for FCPX that has screwed things up. No fix available as far as I can see. Last edited by Pete Cofrancesco; October 22nd, 2011 at 11:09 AM.

October 22nd, 2011, 03:33 PM	#2
William Hohauser Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: New York City Posts: 2,650	Re: Importing HDV from Firestore FCP 7 and FCPX on my system play HDV from the Firestore OK but not QuickTime Player. There's something strange with how the FireStore records to QuickTime that the updated codecs don't like. You can try to convert the files to ProRes in Compressor. __________________ William Hohauser - New York City Producer/Edit/Camera/Animation

October 23rd, 2011, 06:32 AM	#3
Pete Cofrancesco Inner Circle Join Date: May 2004 Location: USA Posts: 2,995	Re: Importing HDV from Firestore The annoying thing is that it use to work until Apple decided to change their implementation of Quicktime for FCPX. Apple is so unprofessional in they way they operate. Compressor doesn't recognize them. The current work around is to set the Firestore to record as m2t instead of Quicktime. Problem is that doesn't fix previous projects. Import process becomes longer to the point its quicker to capture from tape because the m2t files have to be transcoded to ProRes. Last edited by Pete Cofrancesco; October 23rd, 2011 at 02:29 PM.

November 1st, 2011, 07:20 AM	#4
Michael Kinney Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Arlington VA Posts: 34	Re: Importing HDV from Firestore I had the same problem, and I got this response from Focus Enhancements support: Currently, there is an issue with FS-XXX recorded files and Final Cut Pro X, and Mac OS, because of compatibility with these latest versions of Quicktime player: Version 7.7, Release in August 2011 for Mac OS Snow Leopard, Windows 7, Vista, and XP Version 10.1 Released in July 2011 for Mac OS 10.7 Lion Apple released these Quicktime updates to address several important security issues and unfortunately our Quicktime wrapped HDV files no longer are compatible. We strongly suggest that you don’t run any Quicktime updaters on systems critical to video editing until this is resolved. One way to verify this problem is to note that the clips play back correctly with other players, such as VLC (VideoLAN - Official page for VLC media player, the Open Source video framework!), but not with Quicktime-based players. We are working with Apple on a permanent fix, but right now we only have some suggested workarounds: - Record in the .m2t file format and convert the footage to .mov - Use MPEG Streamclip (Squared 5 - MPEG Streamclip video converter for Mac and Windows) or another conversion application to convert - Import the FS-XXX folders into Adobe Premiere Pro (CS5). Exported as an XML file, then import the XML file into FCP7 using their XML function available via File drop-down menu - If you are not running Lion and you have Final Cut Pro 6 or 7, you may be able to downgrade your Quicktime player so your files will work. This is at your own risk of course, but many customers have had success with downgrading their Quicktime player by following the steps listed here. We suggest trying Quicktime Player Version 7.6.6 on OS 10.6 Snow Leopard Using Pacifist to downgrade QuickTime - Digital Rebellion Blog If you cannot downgrade using Pacifist or you do not want to try this suggestion, you may need to contact Apple for further assistance with downgrading your Quicktime player. We will inform you via email of any changes regarding this issue.

June 5th, 2014, 09:34 PM	#5
Samuel Wich New Boot Join Date: May 2014 Location: Murfreesboro USA Posts: 11	Re: Importing HDV from Firestore Hey guys, sorry to dig up an old thread, but I think I'm having this issue. Was a solution ever found? The best I can find online was just "don't update quicktime". My symptoms are: I recorded a couple short clips from a GY-HD110 to a DR-HD100 DTE in .mov format, and brought them from there onto a computer. Now when I try and import into Adobe Premiere Pro I get "File Import Error - codec missing or unavailable". I can't open it with either quicktime or Windows Media player, but VLC Media Player seems to read and play it just fine. Anyone got any suggestions? I'm going to try recording into .m2t and see if that solves the issue, but I'm worried the quality of the .m2t will be lower than that of the .mov... but I don't have a lot of familiarity with the mechanics of either so maybe my fears are unfounded. One last note. My apologies proper etiquette would have been to make a separate thread with my issue. I wasn't sure if I should dig up an old one in a section dedicated to Final Cut (even though I'm on Adobe Premiere), or start a new one entirely. Hopefully I made the right call?