Importing QuickTime files to FCP7

[Derek Heeps]

To begin with let me outline my hardware/software . I have a 2008 8 core MacPro , and similar vintage MacBook Pro , both running El Capitan and with FCP 7 installed from the FCS3 retail boxed set of discs , then ran through the various updates offered online following installation .

I have two cameras - a Sony HVR V1e shooting in PAL at 1080 50i , and a Sony DSR500WSP , DVCAM again a PAL camcorder .

I can record onto tape with both cameras and ingest into FCP7 without any difficulty , including capturing DVCAM footage , which is SD , and dropping it into an HDV timeline - all works fine , and the DVCAM footage looks fine upscaled to HD .

Now , I also have three Focus Enhancements Firestore FS-4 Pro HD DTE recorders , two of which were plain FS-4 units upgraded to Pro HD software , and the third was a Pro HD model from the start .

I use the first two units for SD recording from the DSR500 , encoding as QuickTime , and can copy these files straight into FCP7 with no difficulty , all works great , just as capturing from tape , and since installing a 120Gb hard drive into one unit I can record full day conferences without breaks - just what I wanted . This footage can then be edited in FCP7 and outputted as with tape footage . I have a bracket which mounts the
Firestore on the back of the camera , taking power from the Paglok plate and it is both reliable and easy to use .


Just the other day , I obtained a 'Bebob Box' to mount the third Firestore under my HVR V1e , again fitting a Paglok plate so I can power the FS-4 from one of my PAG L95 batteries . This is really neat and the camcorder records HD footage again as a QuickTime file .

I can plug the FS-4 HD into either of my Macs via FireWire and play the files back using either QuickTime player or VLC , but I cannot import these QuickTime HD files into FCP7 !

I've been through the Firestore user manual , and the various audio/video settings in FCP7 but can't see what's wrong .

Has anyone been through this before , trying to record HDV to an FS-4 then edit on FCP7 ?

If so , did you get it to work , and how ?

[Dave Farrants]

Have you tried copying the FS-4 HD files to a connected drive and then just drag/ dropping into an FCP7 bin?

Do you have a short FS-4 HD file you can Dropbox to me to try / look at?

[Derek Heeps]

Hi , I did try copying to the computer desktop and importing from there , but no difference . Files will play on computer via media players but just won't import to FCP7 .

Hadn't tried dropping into bin , was just using import,files - will give that a go


I'm at work now but will make a short file once home , thanks very much for the quick reply .

[Pete Cofrancesco]

A couple of years ago Apple had an OS update that modified Quicktime making Firestore Quicktime incompatible. There was a utility to fix each file or you could record as an M2T format.

That could be the issue.

[Dave Farrants]

Good call Pete, I'd not come across that I've always used M2T

Derek - Info here: http://www.vitec.com/fileadmin/downl...2015_01_15.pdf

[Derek Heeps]

Thanks very much for that gents .

I've just been informed by her ladyship that we're off to Aberdeen in the morning to deliver Christmas presents , so it will be a day or two before I get back to this .

[Derek Heeps]

Now that I'm home , I installed the file converter in Dave's link above - that solved the problem .

Thanks all for pointing me in the right direction .