How can it be?!
 

After updating, when capturing 720p25, I still lose about 5 seconds on the beginning of each new clip. I knew this happened with 720p30 before, but i supposed it's now fixed... how come is this happening in 720p25... my camera has recently been on the repair bench and has probably some of the latest firmware version... it's a GY-HD100E.

Scott, you said: "make sure to pre-roll all your clips if you are going to shot 24p" - when shooting events that's not always possible, and even when it is, 1 second to be lost would already be too much.
Any workaround to avoid losing footage (and I thought I was now free from workarounds).

Thanks!

From Matt McEwen:

"we hope to add support for QuickTime with 720p/24 as soon as possible....this will be a maintenence release"

This means that if you purchased the Quicktime 30P update you will not have to pay for the 24P update. Considering Focus already knows how to wrap the file correctly now, I imagine this update should come fairly quick, but again that is a guess.

Aaaaaaaargh!

Aside from the missing 5 seconds (which indeed could be quite a problem) this is good news...saying that, my iMac and FCP studio has still not arrived almost 2 weeks since ordering :(
Is it pretty much essential to purchase quicktime pro then folks?

Quicktime Pro 7 comes bundled with Final Cut Studio!

Well there you go! Cheers for that...amateur mac person at the moment (and forever will be unless TNT deliver soon).
Thanks Segio.

I feel the same way, that's why I'm sticking with AIC 720/30p for now.
I've tried everything to get the HDV codec to work. I unchecked the "create new subclip on start/stop", I set in/out points around the interview clips but it still happens.

I wonder why apple hasn't fixed this, since they are clearly trying to make HD100 owners happy by putting out the 24p codec.

A possible workflow for replacing those missing first 5-7 seconds
 

I guess we shouldn't throw away our old workarounds just yet (especially event videographers).

I haven't had a chance to test it yet, but I think this workflow should be effective for adding those missing first seconds of footage into your HDV 720p25 sequence in FCP:


1. Capture the missing seconds of footage as an .m2t file from the camera or deck using DVHSCap. DVHSCap is part of the “FireWire SDK 20” package and can be downloaded from this page:
http://developer.apple.com/sdk/#FireWireX
2. Launch MPEG Streamclip (available from this link: http://www.squared5.com/svideo/mpeg-streamclip-mac.html ) and open the .m2t file you wish to convert.
3. Fix the timecode breaks. (press “Apple-F”, then click "Proceed"). This is a good idea if you've captured the last few seconds of the previous shot when using DVHSCap.
4. Select your In ("i") and Out ("o") points.
5. Select “Export to Quicktime” (Apple-E).
6. Scroll through the “Compression” codecs and select an uncompressed codec (such as "Apple FCP Uncompressed 8-bit 4:2:2" or "Apple FCP Uncompressed 10-bit 4:2:2"). I do NOT recommend selecting "Apple HDV 720p25" as this will introduce an extra step of MPEG-2 compression which will tend to degrade and add artifacts to your image (especially if you are intending to export your final sequence from FCP as HDV 720p25).
7. Drag the “Quality” slider to 100%.
8. Deselect both “Interlaced Scaling” and “Reinterlace Chroma”.
9. Make sure the “Frame Size” is “1280 X 720 (16:9)” or "1280 X 720 (HDTV 720p)". There should also be a message "No scaling will be performed" when you have this right.
10. “Frame Rate” - type in "25"
11. Click “Make Movie”.
12. Type in the file name, select the destination and click "Save".
13. Import your newly created Quicktime movie into FCP and drag it into your HDV 720p25 sequence.

I would imagine that it would be rendered and then behave like all of the footage that was captured directly through FCP.

And because the clip is less than 10 seconds long, making it uncompressed shouldn't cause any problems with drive space.

I have been checking everyday for the update on both my Quad and MacBookPro (not knowing if one would somehow get the update before the other) and today I litterally jumped up in the air and screamed YEEEESSSS!

I imediately grabbed my HD100 and switched it to 24p and shot my roommate (he was the only one near). He was a little confused, since he just woke up and was making coffee. I picked the east setup and changed the device options to 23.98 (like Tim said) and batched some clips. It looks and works great.

I'm so glad I never got Lumieare or similar. Dang hassle.

JVC just released a downloadable firmware upgrade for the BR-HD50 that will improve compatibility with FCP 5.1.2. I haven't performed this update yet, but I assume this will address 23.98 vs 29.97 TC issues during 720P24 capture.
See this thread for more info.
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=76389

This is not a bug but a WAD (Works As Designed)
I f you look ihn the FCP capture presets you'll see that there is 5 second pre-roll and a 3 secon post roll buffer. You can try to modify the settings to a smaller value but you will need a bit of time to let the tape get up to speed.

You're right! I changed the values to 1 sec (the min) and it works... lower would be nicer but that's ok...
Ithought that pre and post roll didn't mean much in capture now mode, but hdv is another story.
Thanks!

Does this 5 second missing portion relate to the breaks in the tape when you have stopped recording (moving location say) or even when you have merely paused the tape and continue recording footage?

It's a pain because I'm usually hovering my finger over the record button waiting for something to happen, or often a suprise shot is 'offered' to you and you have to quick-fire the record button...you'd miss all this with a 5 sec snip. Not so bad if you can change this to 1 sec pre roll...but are there any paybacks for doing this?

It's when pressing the rec/pause button...
So far, with 1 sec pre roll, I've been having some trouble because in the middle of some shots it stops capturing and then continues, losing about 2 secs of footage in the middle of a shot...
I'll keep trying...

Does the missing footage happen only when capturing a long section of tape across the pause/rec breaks or even when setting in and out points for each shot and doing a batch capture after logging? IOW, making sure the logged clips don't contain any pause/rec breaks.

The reason I ask is because I thought the pre-roll time was the setting for the deck to rewind say 5 secs before the capture in-point to get the tape up to speed before commencing capture. It wouldn't really have an effect on those pause/rec breaks on the tape. Or am I wrong?

Dave Beaty

Device Control Preset in 5.1.2
 

Hey Tim,

In my Audio/Video Setting I don't see a "HDV FireWire 23.98" in the device preset pull down menu. However the "HDV FireWire NDF" seems to work in the easy setup mode.

Any suggestions?

Carlos

Updated FCPRO and our BR-HD50's today. Once I went into Audio Video settings and corrected the device control preset to read 23.97 TC all is well. I was able to capture 24p just fine. The missing video happens over any pause/rec break on the tape as FCPro seems to think the Mpeg stream needs to be restarted. I didn't try setting preroll to 1 sec to see the effect on these long breaks as it "Searches".

But I did try logging in and out points for the shots one by one. Then setting preroll to 7 seconds to allow the BR-HD50 to get up to speed before the capture. I walked away and 4 or 5 shots captured fine without any missing footage.

The pain is that the BR-HD50 trasport is so unresponsive, logging clips takes a lot of patience. Especially if you're used to Sony BetaSP or DVCPro machines.

Dave Beaty

^^ Dave - would that work out ok if I wouldn't be using the BR-HD50 i.e. using the camera as the tape deck?
Thanks.

You know, you aren't the first person to mention this. Maybe this preset was already there from when I was doing my own unsuccessful experiments with 24P capture.

Anyway, I will edit my advice in the first post and add more specific instructions here.

• Open Audio/Video Settings
• Select the Device Control Presets Tab
• Select HDV Firewire NDF and click the Duplicate button
• Change the frame rate to 23.98, the preroll to 7 seconds, and edit the name to read "HDV Firewire 23.98"
• Either "checkmark" your new setting or confirm it is set in the Summary tab
• Click OK

capture aborted due to problems with stream?
 

Did a serious pproject on HDV 720p25 after a brief test with Lumiere HD. After a really disappointing two weeks of capturing and recapturing using Lumiere DVHScap and Mpeg Streamclip i almost gave up HDV as a serious thing.
So you can imagine I was really thrilled by the long expected compatibility from FCP and 720p25 HDV. But now i am getting sad again. After capturing two tapes more or less succdesfully, the third tape capture is aborted due to "timecode break" or "problem with the stream". Timecodebreak is not possible because the whole tape is shot in one take. I tried different device control presets (hdv 720p25 and hdv 720p25 basic) different ways of capturing (by logging first and capture now). Different camera output options(native and 720p) but the same problem occurs every time.

i'm getting really frustrated now. This seams to be no serious option in professional editing.

Han,
any progress with your capturing?

Well, i'm trying different things. No very good results until now. I consulted my apple and FCP dealer/helpdesk. They are specialist in apple video-systems. Still no answers on my problem.

I tried the suggestion from Tim Dashwood for 24fps capturing, using HDV Firewire NDF and - in my case - changing the framerate to 25fps. It worked out once and as i'm writing this once again! But it in some occasions in between these successes it did'nt work... Can't find a proper reason why it isn't working all the time. It looks like capturing on the edge of possibilities.

The last succesfull capture i used HDV firewire NDF with framrate changed to 25fps. Capturing using in- en out point in a batch capture. The other presets where from the easy setup for 720p25. I first logged the clip with in and out points. After that i batch capture the clip.

Right now i'm trying for the 5th (!) tape -all shot in one take without timcodebreaks- in two days. For the second time i get an error 'a stream error was detected during the last capture attempt'. No settings have changed.

Next thursday i'm going to take the camera to my apple/fcp helpdesk to find out more. Meanwhile keep you informed.

Hi David, I was going to send you an email but the option wasn't available.
I'd printed your workflow off from one of the threads a week or so back. Knowing you're in PAL land I wanted to know if you have any updates on editing HDV via FCP? I've finally taken delivery of my mac with FCP and could do with getting cracking asap (though due to a steep learning curve, what with using an alien OS and FCP for the first time, this might not be possible yet!)

The set up I'm using will be pretty basic in as much as the footage will be directly piped from the HD100 camera straight into FCP (no intermediate decks/HDD's here I'm afraid). Should I follow the original DVHSCAP (capturing mT2 files) to Quicktime exports or give the native 25p capture a whirl?
I'd just like to get on with it - there might be slight loss of quality here and there but I have to utilise what equipment I have.

Is there a general consensus on the FCP native upgrades a few weeks after they were implemented folks?
Many thanks.

As luck would have it, I'd just finished a massive editing job the day BEFORE the latest FCP update was released (and I've since been poring over the lessons in my recently-arrived Soundtrack Pro training book), so I haven't tested it yet.

I'm due to start some new corporate shooting in 720p25 later this week, so then I'll be able to speak from experience, rather than theory. But I am intending to (and would recommend) capturing natively. Just set the "Easy Setup" to "HDV - 720p25", then capture and edit away.

I'm just going to pre-roll the camera for a good 10-15 seconds before each take. Some have reported (on this board) that their camera "stutters" the footage when capturing over Firewire, which makes FCP think the take is finished while still in the middle, but that might be due to bugs with individual cameras (or maybe not). The best way is to try it with your set-up and remember that you can always fall back on the earlier workflows (such as DVHSCap and MPEG Streamclip) if need be. It's a good safety net.

Thanks David - yes, I'll be testing away once I figure out the mac OS (having always used PC's)!
I'll give both native capture and the workflow you suggested a go. The pre-roll is good for certain projects (docs/short films) but not so handy when after that spontaneous burst of activity (wildlife for example). Perhaps I'll stick to SD 25p/50i for corporates and HDV for more personal projects?! Of course, I might not experience any issues at all (wishful thinking eh?).

Cheers - let us know how you get on with the corporate stuff next week fella.

You probably just need to get a bit of confidence shooting and editing 720p25, because I've been shooting corporates for the last 14 months in 720p25 (and downconverting to SD for delivery) and have had zero problems using DVHSCap-MPEG Streamclip-AIC. Absolutely rock-solid.

These new updates to FCP will simply make life easier (such as giving timecode, audio in synch and saving lots of time) for working in HDV 720p25.

Yes, you could shoot your corporates in PAL 50i (I directed a commercial in June where the client insisted on 50i - so I know the camera gives great images in 50i) but it could be a wise move to shoot, edit and archive in 720p25 (downconverting to SD only for current delivery). I've got one corporate client (who stated last year that he couldn't care less if it's done in SD or HD) who is now very glad that I mastered a video we did last September in HD. He recently got a large HD plasma TV for his home and is suddenly a massive fan of HD and has been talking about installing a large HD plasma in his lobby to show the video to clients. As HD DVD players start to catch on (and when Blu-Ray gets released) I expect this trend to accelerate. So unless you've got a corporate client who insists on a 4:3 aspect ratio, I think it's wisest to shoot in 720p25 if you can. (Purely my opinion. It's quite okay to ignore it because only you are familiar with your particular clients and their needs.) But get some confidence first with the editing workflow for 720p25 footage.

I've also realized that there are actually now 2 options for capturing 720p25 footage through FCP. You can capture in "HDV - 720p25" or you can capture in "HDV - Apple Intermediate Codec" where FCP captures the footage and transcodes it to AIC on the fly. This HDV-AIC method has the big advantage of giving you timecode plus saving a lot of time compared to the earlier DVHSCap workflow.

So my preferred options (given in order of preference) for 720p25 footage are:

1/ Just set the "Easy Setup" to "HDV - 720p25", then capture and edit away. Then do the final export in whatever codec you prefer.

2/ If there are problems with capturing in HDV - 720p25 which aren't resolving (even after shortening the pre-roll and post-roll settings) then capture and work in "HDV - Apple Intermediate Codec" as follows:
a) Set the "Easy Setup" to "HDV - 720p25"
b) Open "Audio/Video Settings"
c) On the "Summary" pane, go to the "Capture Preset" window and scroll down to and select "HDV - Apple Intermediate Codec"
d) Click "OK"
e) Capture your footage over the Firewire
f) Create a new sequence
g) On the menu bar under "Sequence" click "Settings" (or press Apple-0)
h) Under "Compressor" scroll down to and select "Apple Intermediate Codec"
i) Click "Advanced" then select the preset of "HDV 720p" and click "OK"
j) Click "OK" again

You should be good to go. (But remember I'm just giving you a theory at this point.)

3/ If there are still problems with missing parts of clips, etc. using 1/ or 2/ above, then use the old DVHSCap-MPEG Streamclip-AIC workflow as given in earlier posts. As I said before, it's rock-solid, but it won't give you timecode and it will take longer.

It's probably a good idea to shoot a single piece of footage in 720p25 then try all 3 methods with that same footage.

Many thanks David - you're right, I need to get my own hands dirty now.
The mac is actually partially in the box (taken it out to see it) - the reseller neglected to include a power plug! Can use a spare one I guess but it doesn't fit snug (apple deisgns for you!) and since I've paid all that money I'd expect everything in the box! However, they did fully install FCP studio for me, so when I get the time I'm good to go.

Wouldn't missing timecode be a bit of a problem...I only ask as I can't currently see a need for TC at the moment - though is this pretty much required for certain types of work (multi cam/linking up foley & soundtracks).
I guess I have a requirment to read up a little more on timecode - last time I was using this was when at college linking multi-track recordings via SMPTE.
I'd also like to utilise my DAT machine somehow (reads/writes ID's but not sure if this is 'real' timecode or not....but that's for another thread!).

I have no preference at the moment (basically because I really can't discern between them at the moment); I'm soon to start on a personal project (short documentary on a photographer friend of mine) - will hopefully be shot in HDV 720p then finally transferred to DVD (I assume I would use another codec if footage from this where to be used on a website for example?...I'll figure out and read up on DVD studio also).

Really appreciate your advice David.

David
Thanks for this.

Andrew

How are you getting on with this David? Any noticeable problems with native 25p via FCP (especially short clips where drop out would be devastating)?
Cheers.

Hi everyone- this post has been interested to read- the company i work for have been having all the same issues with our gy-hd101.

I was wondering if anyone has had the same problem of loosing the begining of clips, when using JVC's own hdv tape deck?

We're trying to find a viable way to work with this camera- most of the workarounds take too long for the speed we need to work at.

Every one is having this problem and I have yet to hear of a viable work around besides it being fixed by Apple or JVC I would be very interested in hearing of a solution my self if somebody has one. I would also like to know if people are having these problems in Avid Liquid, Canopus, MatroxRT. X2 ect......is this an apple problem or a JVC problem? If other software is not having these problems with JVC than I would assume it is a problem with the Apple software.

I believe this post by Tim Dashwood in another Thread answers the question!

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showpost....8&postcount=35

Hi David.

I captured the footage last week in HDV - 720p25 and it was successful (i.e. I got all of my footage captured and into the timeline). It was a lovely feeling to finally be editing natively!

In all of the footage I shot, I allowed a pre-roll of at least 10 seconds and a post-roll of at least 5 seconds (that's pretty easy to control in a corporate shoot).

The capturing was not smooth however. I'm currently checking over my capturing workflow (especially in light of Tim's post earlier today on another thread!) as that may have contributed to the difficulties in capturing.

The problem was rather strange (intermittent). For example, I captured one continuous take of about 3 minutes and it made it into two separate movies with a seven second gap in between.

So I went back and tried to capture it again and it captured the whole thing perfectly. (Go figure!)

On any later capturing where it split the take with a seven second gap, I simply went back and captured only that seven-second piece of footage (with a few seconds coverage on either side) and then dropped it into the sequence. (This was easy to do because we are finally working with timecode!)

So, in that way, I was able to capture it all successfully.

The thing I'm concentrating on now is how to eliminate these mid-take gaps by:
1/ Checking over my capturing workflow (especially in light of Tim's post) and
2/ Looking into the firmware on my camera. I got my camera 15 months ago and haven't had any firmware updates (the camera's always worked fine in shooting and editing), but I'll contact my local JVC rep next week and check for any firmware updates relevant to FCP 5.1.2

As you've only recently gotten your camera, your firmware may already be up-to-date. (?)

Also, the reason for my delay in giving you feedback was because I never got around to testing that theoretical set-up for capturing in "HDV - AIC" for 25p. So I just finished testing it half an hour ago and unfortunately that set-up didn't work (it recorded the video at 50 fps with the audio at normal speed [but only half the audio was recorded]). I tried a few different configurations but no luck so far (all video at 50 fps). If I figure out a workable solution for this I'll let you know.

But the most important thing to bear in mind is that you CAN capture and edit natively (if you get gaps just go back and capture that missing portion). The key is allowing sufficient pre-roll and post-roll. If you are in a situation where you can't always do that (like shooting wildlife) and you need those first few seconds, capture those first seconds in DVHSCap, turn it into a Quicktime with MPEG Streamclip (I recommend you export it as Uncompressed - as it's only a few seconds long it shouldn't take up too much disc space) drag it into your native sequence, render it and edit away.

Cheers David - I'll endeavour to keep long pre and post rolls for starters.

Am I right in suggesting that you can't capture HDV-AIC (Nigel Cooper may have mentioned this on the other thread) for 25p? I'm guessing that this is one of the apple issues being discusses and not JVC?

Are you using the 'log and capture' function rather than 'capture now'? To be honest, I'm just reading up on that - I may give this a try (though it will take much longer) as it's good practice despite whether or not native capture is working.

...and there is no noticeable difference in image when you mix native capture with the DVHSCap workflow?

Thanks fella.

David, I dont think that it has anything to do with this. I just bought a HD111 with latest firmware updates and it does exactly the same thing as you described. I am in the middle of shooting a big project and committed to shooting in 25P and am resigned to spending many late nights dealing with this disappointing problem using some of the workarounds described.

Rob

Hi Rob.

I finally had a chance today (being a public holiday for the Melbourne Cup [big horse race in my part of the world]) to experiment with a few different capturing methods and see if that has any bearing on these intermittent capturing problems with HDV 720p25.

a/ Did a log and capture (batch capture). On "User Preferences" I first unchecked "Abort capture on dropped frames" and then on the drop-down menu next to "On timecode break" I selected "Warn after capture" (rather than "Make new clip").

Then I went through the tape and logged the clips I wanted to capture (note for any newer FCP users: full info on how to do this is given in chapters 17-19 of Section I in the FCP User Manual). Then I did a Batch Capture.
All clips less than 2 minutes long were captured successfully. All clips over 2 minutes long were not. These longer, uncaptured clips were the same ones that were broken into smaller clips with seven-second gaps during my initial (earlier) attempts using Capture Now.

b/ Attempted to capture these longer clips using "Capture Clip" or "Clip Capture". This was done by simply setting the In point, then the Out point, then clicking "Capture Clip". The initial attempts were unsuccessful and gave a message "Capture was stopped due to a problem with the incoming stream. Could not generate requested clip. This might be a problem with the tape."

I didn't change my In or Out points but simply clicked "Capture Clip" again. After 4 or 5 goes, it would finally capture the entire clip successfully. I also did this for the remaining uncaptured clips (up to 4 mins 15 secs long) and it took about 4-5 goes each to capture these successfully.

Worth noting is that there was absolutely no rhyme or reason as to where the capture would abort. It might abort at 3 mins 15secs, then the next attempt would abort at only 10 seconds, then the next one at 1 min 30 secs, then the next one captures it all.

So, in terms of working in native HDV 720p25, I currently see two capturing options (using FireWire) with FCP:

1/ Set your In and Out points (whether logging them all first and doing a Batch Capture or just setting them for a single clip and doing a Clip Capture)
This has the advantage of capturing ALL CLIPS FULLY AND SUCCESSFULLY. On the down side, it takes heaps longer (usually 4-5 goes to capture the longer clips), it can cause wear and tear on the tape (which is why I would recommend using the high-quality Pro HD tapes M-DV63PROHD) plus extra wear and tear on the heads.

2/ Use "Capture Now". This is the "quick and dirty" solution. Short clips should capture okay. Longer clips will be split up with seven second gaps in the middle. Go back and capture each seven second gap. Then, during editing, insert the seven second "gap-filler" into the sequence between those two clips.
This should take about 5 minutes to capture a 4 minute clip (4 minutes plus about a minute to determine and capture the seven second gap - I would set very precise In and Out points for that gap, then click "Clip Capture") as opposed to the 16-20 minutes to capture the full clip using Batch or Clip Capture. (And if you have 10 four-minute clips to capture, it could save about 3 hours.)

If there are a lot of longer clips, the "quick and dirty" solution may be the way to go. It will also save wear and tear on the tape and heads.

Rob, as you have the latest firmware, I was wondering how you captured. If you've only used "Capture Now" so far, could you try "Batch Capture" and also "Clip Capture" (if you haven't already) and let me know?

On my side I'm going to chase up the firmware next. I'm just "eliminating the suspects" one by one. I'm now suspecting that the "culprit" might be the way that FCP "perceives" the data coming in over the FireWire. It obviously doesn't do it purely by observing the timecode (otherwise setting the In and Out points would have solved everything and we'd all be "breaking out the champagne").

David,

Thanks for all your efforts at trying to locate the problem.

I have tried every conceivable capture attempt including clip capture. The problem appears to be arbitrary and not dependent upon method of capture. My son who is a software engineer just laughed when he saw the problem. If anyone finds the magic bullet let us all know.

My workflow when I simply cannot capture a missing portion of a clip is to use DVHSCAP to capture which is always successful. I then use MPEG Stream to convert to HDV720P at 25P. Once I rebuild the entire clip in a sequence I then export it as a new Quicktime move and reimport it as a single clip. This is an extremely tedious process but it has saved my arse on the project I am shooting. I just pray to god that Apple or JVC or Apple and JVC get their act together. I will not be shooting in 25P again though I love the look until the problem is resolved.

rob

Rob, I'm not sure if you've ever tried editing an entire project of 720p25 footage using AIC (Apple Intermediate Codec) before. It's supposed to be very close to visually lossless and it will give visually superior results to your current workaround (which would be introducing new artifacts each time you apply a new MPEG-2 compression, i.e. the image goes through an initial MPEG-2 compression when it gets recorded onto tape, then when you convert the "gap" footage with MPEG Streamclip, that footage gets a new MPEG-2 compression, then when you recombine the parts of a clip and export it as a sequence to make a single clip it gets a new MPEG-2 compression. If your final project is also exported in HDV 720p25, then that's another "squeeze" with MPEG-2, meaning that some of the footage would have been compressed with MPEG-2 on four separate occasions.

The AIC workflow only receives one MPEG-2 compression (when recorded onto tape) and one AIC compression (during conversion to Quicktime with MPEG Streamclip). If you stay with AIC after that, there should be no further compression, including final export.

It's a simple workflow, time-efficient and, most importantly, NON-FRUSTRATING.

You can capture the entire tape in one go (if you like) with DVHSCap. Then you can fix the timecode breaks in MPEG Streamclip and convert the entire hour-long file into an AIC Quicktime (or you can set In and Out points and convert smaller clips - your choice) then import the Quicktime(s) into Final Cut Pro.

In fact, if I were a wedding videographer (taking very long clips such as the wedding ceremony, plus a lot of very short snippet clips without the chance to pre-roll) I probably wouldn't bother working natively (with the current capture problems). I'd opt for the AIC workflow.

And AIC gives excellent results with iDVD and DVD Studio Pro.

And this may make it more viable for you to keep shooting in 720p25 for now.

Here's a cut and paste from an earlier post I did giving the full workflow for AIC 720p25 (I'm aware you already know most of these steps):

CAPTURE:
Capture the .m2t files from the camera or deck using DVHSCap. It is part of the “FireWire SDK 20” package and can be downloaded from this page:
http://developer.apple.com/sdk/#FireWireX

CONVERSION:
1. Launch MPEG Streamclip (available from this link: http://www.squared5.com/svideo/mpeg-streamclip-mac.html ) and open the .m2t file you wish to convert.
2. Fix the timecode breaks. (press “Apple-F”, then click "Proceed").
3. Select your In ("i") and Out ("o") points, or omit this step if you wish to convert the entire clip.
4. Select “Export to Quicktime” (Apple-E).
5. Scroll through the “Compression” codecs and select "Apple Intermediate Codec".
6. Drag the “Quality” slider to 100%.
7. Deselect both “Interlaced Scaling” and “Reinterlace Chroma”.
8. Make sure the “Frame Size” is “1280 X 720 (16:9)”. There should also be a message "No scaling will be performed" when you have this right.
9. “Frame Rate” - type in "25"
10. Click “Make Movie”.
11. Type in the file name, select the destination and click "Save".

EDIT IN FINAL CUT PRO
1. Launch Final Cut Pro.
2. Open "Easy Setup", select "HDV - 720p30" and click "Setup".
3. Make a new sequence (Apple-N).
4. Double-click the new sequence to open it, then select "Sequence - Settings" (or press Apple-0).
5. In "Editing Timebase" select "25".
6. Under "Compressor" select "Apple Intermediate Codec".
7. Click "Advanced..." and under "Preset" select "HDV 720p" then click "OK".
8. Then click "OK" on the "Sequence Settings" window.
9. Now import your converted AIC files and drag them into your sequence and (if done correctly) there should be no need to render.

Dear David,

The words "NON - FRUSTRATING" immediately caught my attention.

No, I had not considered a workflow based on AIC. I have two more shoot days using two JVC HD100s tomorrow and friday and was not looking forward to a week of fiddling about so I will certainly give it a try over the weekend.

Thanks for your generousity in helping out.

Rob

Still yet to try HDV 25p David...so many other things to practice on at the moment (currently sticking the FCP studio and Logic Pro into my brain...bit of an all round learning curve there).
Is the AIC route a workaround for the fact that there is no AIC for 24/25p?
Currently downloading the Firewire SDK 20 you kindly linked to - also noticed an update on the site for Firewire SDK 23 - any idea what this is for? An update from 20?