Importing Footage into Premiere Pr cs4
 

I record my footage through my Z5u onto a compact flash card through the MRC1k, settings on the camera are 1080i 60fps, the unit is set to record RAW DV (other option is AVI) and when I open a new project in Premiere Pro and when I come to the sequence presets option i am not sure what option to choose to setup my project. Everything keeps comming up 29.97fps and i did not shoot in 30fps...

I think I answered my own question by doing a little more reading. but I am still puzzled as to why it keeps coming up 29.97 fps? AVCHD 1080i30(60i) Am I close?

Not quite sure what setting to "RAW DV" does when in HDV mode, but I would try the 1080i30 (60i) preset under the "HDV" option when creating your new sequence. Your footage will be 60 interlaced frames per second in a 29.97fps project, which is normal.

Craig, the only two options I get are AVI and RAW DV, then the file comes out as an AVCHD file

If the only options you are seeing in your MRC1k are RAW DV or AVI, then you are not recording HDV. They are regular DV options only.

And the MRC doesn't do AVCHD in any form.

And the Z5 doesn't do 60fps at all, unless the f for you means fields. It only does 30 frames per second -- either as 60i or as 30p -- or 24 fps as 24p.

Something's wrong here.

Adam, the folder I imported to says, well here u see for yourself... oooh and it's 60i sorry... but the options are as set and I am geting avchd files in .m2t format... Take a look

I think Windows is confused. The Z5 shoots, and the MRC records, only HDV with an m2t file extension. It's not AVCHD in any form. It's HDV.

If your MRC unit is only seeing DV (RAW DV or AVI), then you are outputting DV rather than HDV from the firewire. You may have your cam set to downconvert or are really recording DV rather than HDV after all.

If your cam's LCD says "HDVout" in the upper right corner, then you should be able to record HDV no problem, and shouldn't be seeing those DV options. Where are you seeing them?

The proper Premiere presets should come right up, either 60i, 30p or 24p, depending on how you are shooting.

A .m2t file isn't AVCHD. Not sure why it's getting shown that way in Windows. Disregard the whole "AVCHD" portion... it doesn't apply. What you have is HDV in at 30 frame per second, but interlaced in a 60i format. Use the HDV format I suggested earlier.

I am getting HDV out of the camera (positive) and the clip in Premiere shows HD 1080i, I was not sure what setting to use to import the footage but I will use your recommendations Craig.

Here is a bit on AVCHD that was confusing me...

AVCHD (Advanced Video Coding High Definition)[1] is a format for the recording and playback of high definition video.

Jointly developed by Sony and Panasonic, the format was announced in 2006 primarily for use in high definition consumer camcorders.[2] Wide range of file-based recording media choices is allowed, including DVD discs, hard disk drives, and removable flash media such as SD/SDHC memory cards and "Memory Stick" cards.[3]

All that is true. But the MRC is designed for use on tape-based HDV cams, which output m2t HDV files via Firewire (aka i.Link).

The new NX5/AX2000 are card-only, and do record AVCHD on their SD and MemStick cards. They don't use CF cards at all. AVCHD usually comes out of USB, not FW.

I just got off of the phone with Sony and he is confused as well, I sent him my video file and it is coming up the same on his windows 7 computer but not vista. It is a .M2T file but an avchd. He is going to see if it isnt something with windows 7 or a setting in my firewire port but he said it is definately a avchd file format.....

Your tech is either an idiot or he doesn't understand your question. Trying to get AVCHD out of the MRC is like trying to get Orange Juice out of a cow.

How did you get this file onto your PC? Transfer from card, using the Sony Utility? Just a straight file transfer? Or capture from tape?

Some AVCHD files could have the m2t extension and that might be confusing your PCs. But typically AVCHD is mts or m2ts. I think.

Maybe *I'm* the idiot. It's happened before.

YOur right the tech is nuts...
I captured the file through a SanDisk Extreme CF card reader, then I went through the MRC1 to the laptop, and cannot get the sony utility to come up...

This is the data I get when I import the clip into CS4 - It is a .m2t file.... Maybe Windows 7 just sees it as a avchd file. Craig, your suggestion worked so I will use it for now, thanks so much!!

I use the same reader, and have found that unless you are rejoining files split by the 4GB FAT32 limitation imposed by your MRC, you don't need the Sony Utility. The files should edit fine in an HDV preset. If not, try changing the file extensions to .mpeg -- this could fool Premiere into thinking these files were captured from tape and maybe it will treat them differently.