End of support for interlaced H.264 since FCP 12.2 / Compressor 5.2
 

Hello,

Since Final Cut Pro 12.2 and Compressor 5.2, exporting to interlaced H.264 is no longer supported. Any previously created presets are now disabled. This is a huge regression, as it is no longer possible to have a native end-to-end workflow for footage recorded on 50 Hz AVCHD camcorders sold in Europe. It would seem that Apple has decided to focus the Final Cut suite on TikTok or YouTube "content creators."

My workflow used to be: import AVCHD files into Final Cut, edit, and export a ProRes 422 master at 1920x1080 25 fps interlaced TFF (exactly matching the source). I would then compress it to H.264 using Compressor, keeping the resolution, interlacing, and frame rate identical. It was also possible to export directly to interlaced H.264 from FCP using the Compressor preset. From there, I could either author a Blu-ray (which I stopped doing) or simply put the H.264 file on a USB drive to watch on a TV. This yielded the best playback quality I found, as the TV is capable to synchronize at 50 Hz. Every attempt to deinterlace to 60 Hz for viewing on computer screens or devices failed due to severe quality degradation. As you can imagine, I was very attached to this workflow, which is now ruined.

Have you run into the same issue, or perhaps found a solution? My only lead so far is testing DaVinci Resolve to see if this alternative Mac software (available in a free version or for €350) still supports encoding my ProRes masters to interlaced H.264. However, that represents significant complexity and a steep learning curve that I am quite reluctant to take on.

Thank you!

Re: End of support for interlaced H.264 since FCP 12.2 / Compressor 5.2
 

Weird that they should remove a feature. It's not as if it has to be programmed again.

Is it possible to downgrade?

Andrew

Re: End of support for interlaced H.264 since FCP 12.2 / Compressor 5.2
 

I discovered last month when I upgraded that they also removed the audio codec AC3 used to encode for DVD they also I believe removed BluRay support. I found a work around using Audacity through a free plugin to encode AC3. There might be a paid 3rd party utility to encode interlace.

BTW, Apple doesn't allow you to even step back to previous versions even if it is a small revision. The only place I saw the previous version was on T*orrent but I didn't want to risk it had a virus.

Obviously I was pretty angry but nothing I can do.

Re: End of support for interlaced H.264 since FCP 12.2 / Compressor 5.2
 

Yeah, Apple are jerks.

Might be time to otherwise make the jump to Davinci Resolve. The learning curve is probably not as bad as you imagine it to be, and there are plenty of tutorial videos out there.

Andrew

PS. You would certainly be right to warn others on their forums against upgrading.