JVC GZ-HD7 (FHD 1920x1080i) & FCP6 ?
 

Hi,

Being quite a new user to FCP, im working my way though apple's pro training book!

Im trying to import footage from my JVC Everio HD7. I connect the camera, drag the *.MOD files to my mac but when i import them in FCP, they need rendering. Even after rendering, if i make a small change, it needs to render the clip again :-(

Even just after importing, FCP has trouble viewing the clip in the Viewer?

Im not quite sure what settings I should use?

They seem to import & render in iMovie fine?

Download MPEGstreamclip V1.9 BETA and use it to BATCH convert TOD to AIC.

FCP gave us nothing new for MPEG-2.

Check out this JVC tutorial on converting the TODs to MOVs:

http://software.transdigital.co.jp/p...cbs_ev/qc_eng/

If you're recording in [1440CBR] you can batch capture directly into FCP6 over Firewire/i.Link, too.

Cheers :)

Or just use Mpeg Streamclip to export to HDV 1080i 60.

This software doesn't work with FCP 5.1.4 and 6. You can import fine, but if you play footage it will turn garbage. So, you can only use TODs in iMovieHD.

Hello :)

I wasn't actually referring to any software linked on that page; rather the linked online tutorial that runs a user through converting TOD to MOV with Quicktime. I've been using that well-described method for captured FHD footage since I got the camera and not had any problems importing or editing with FCP or iMovieHD. Anything less than FHD I'm just batch capturing over Firewire/i.Link.

Cheers!

The tutorial provides advice that makes converting a nightmare.

The QT Player doesn't do batch converts -- MPEG Streamclip does. Therefore, you do a batch convert overnight.

UPDATE: The JVC software works only with iMovieHD and the QuickTime Player.

If you assume it will work with FCP 5.1.4 or 6 you'll be screwed. You can import TODs, but if you play footage it will turn garbage.

For FCP, the TOD must be converted -- either using the QuickTime Player or MPEG Streamclip to AIC.

The QT Player doesn't do batch converts -- MPEG Streamclip does. Therefore, you do a batch convert overnight.

The Tutorials are at:

http://software.transdigital.co.jp/p...eng/index.html

after doing some testing MPEGstreamclip to HDV 1080i works perfect in FCP.

if you MPEGstreamclip to AIC your videos on your time line will have to be renderd or you will have to deal with crap video lag with real time.

MPEGstreamclip to HDV is damn near perfect on the FCP timeline no need for render or use of the real time engine.

just my 2 cents.

~Mike

Michael- that's how I do it- no problems at all. I'm not sure why someone would use AIC- just doesn't seem necessary- or am I missing something using that codec?

Michael, Steve- how much it takes time (on Your system) to transcode with MPEGstreamclip 1 min. clip TOD to 1080i HDV?
I have MacBook Intel C2D 2,0Ghz with 2MB Ram and FCS 5.1.4 .
1 min TOD transfer takes 5 minutes. Have You near same result? 1 hour TOD takes 5 hour to transfer?

Sulev Sepp

I just sold my HD7 and don;t have any raw tod files to transcode- but they did take awhile to encode- even on my MacPro desktop.

Steve,

You sold your GZHD7; I am afraid why you sold? You were not happy with it? I do remember you were the among the first who bought GZHD7 when it was launched four moths ago, I also purchased on first day when it was launched in North America. I am happy with it.

I was just curious about your decision so I asked

Kaushik

Kaushik, I've owned allot of high-end cameras within the years as a hobbyist. I know good video quality and the HD7 just didn't do it for me. The form factor was great and the concept of HD to hard/drive is fantastic (without using AVCHD) so I jumped in and bought it. JVC says it has a broadcast quality lens spec, yet it has terrible chromatic abberation (usually a lens design trait) and worse blows out highlights really badly. It has trouble in higher dynamic range areas and handles brightly lit areas poorly- I just couldn't use the camera anymore- it was sub par in video quality and I was very disappointed....these are my observations with the camera. To those who like their units- I give thumbs up- mine was a dud! It was the one camera I wasn't sad to see go- and I got about 1/2 of what I paid for it!!!!!!

Oh! I see. But it is always like that with electronics gadget if you resale it you will get half price of original. I am not technically savvy like you, and this is my first ever camcorder and it is HD too! I never have had any camcorder so I am ok with it. And I guess video quality is not bad.

Kaushik

For a 1st camcorder and one not used for pro applications- it's a fine camera. It sorta reminds me of the rest of the Everio Line- just in HD spec!

AIC is widely used for with Sony and JVC "pro" camcorders with no need to render and no "crap video lag with real time." You seem to have a system problem others don't.

Choosing HDV is very negative choice:

1) conversion to HDV takes 2X longer; 60GB will take 27 hours of computation!

2) conversion to HDV requires over 4X more storage space; 60GB will use 260GB of space rather than only 60GB.

Best Codecs to use for .tod conversion
 

Hi everyone,

I am new to these forums but I hope I will be able to contribute some good info and learn from those before me as well.

First, I would like to say that I have been using the JVC Everio cameras since the original (now discontinued) JVC GZMC200 4 gb microdrive camera. Despite the bad reviews on other sites, the GZ-HD7 to me is a top notch consumer camera. The constant complaints about OIS to me are being blown out of proportion. I think that most professionals (atleast the ones I have seen at events) use shoulder mounts, tripods, and steadicams regardless of how good the OIS is on any camera. I have been using my collapsible tripod as a temporary steadicam of sorts with great results. My friends that have seen the footage from this camera were all very impressed. But without going into a full review, I will just say that anyone remotely considering the JVC over other brands should not believe everything they read on the net. Play with one and experiment and see if it is a right fit for you.

Moving on to my specific questions....Which codecs and settings have worked out for others with the best results for converting .tod to .mov files.

I have been using MPEG-SC for quite awhile since it was the only app that originally allowed me to convert my .mod files from the original Everio to Quicktime files, but with the new HD-GZ7 I am having a bit more trouble. I am also trying to use QTpro since it can read .tod (with the jvc plugin) to see which gives the best output.

I originally made the mistake of filming in FullHD mode when I first used this camera and I have nearly 3 hours of footage that I have downloaded off the camera to my local HDD. I know that if using 1440 CBR mode I could import straight into iMovie or FCP, but importing the .tod files themselves has not worked well and I am left trying to convert these files to QT or .mov instead.

I have experimented with Sorenson, h.264, hdv, AIC, etc. Using either QTpro or MPEG-SC to convert has always had the same results - stuttering footage and poorly synched sound when viewing the Qt files. The other issue is that the files sizes have sometimes tripled or quadrupled on my machine after the conversion. This in itself is a problem even having a 1TB external drive at my disposal.

If anyone could share their experience with which codecs and what settings that have worked for conversion, while maintaining the highest possible quality for use with iMovie or FCP, I would really appreciate it.

Thank you very much.

Try Mpeg Streamclip to HDV 1080i- you'll end up with files you can edit within FCP.

A faster alternative to MPEGStream Clip -- shoot 1440CBR and capture via FireWire as HDV.

Hey Steve and Steve,

Thank you for the quick responses.

Regarding using MPEG-SC and hdv1080i...I tried this and the quality was good, but the file sizes were still rather large, atleast twice what the original .tod file was. Can you elaborate on what other settings you used for quality, compression and sound for your conversion to hdv1080i?

Regarding shooting in CBR mode, I am definitely going to use CBR in the future, but I have existing footage (specifically a family member's wedding event) that is already on my system and not in the camera anymore.

Thank you again for the helpful tips.

1) with FCP you cannot edit in real time if you bring in 1920x1080 AIC or HDV. So, you'll need to downscale to 1440x1080 during conversion.

2) Yes, converting to AIC really requires tons more storage.

3) converting to HDV keeps file sizes the same -- but takes 2X longer.

So if you are disk space limited, convert to HDV and let it work overnight or all day long.

I prefer AIC because time is limited.

Hey Steve,

Thank you very much for your reply.

I will try this out this weekend and see how it goes. I also will be checking out your book on this camera. It looks like you have a lot of good info in there from what I saw in the contents listing.

Thanks.

Aspect Ratio
 

Hi Steve,

I took your advice and tried using the HDV export option to save on filesize. My only concern is that the aspect ratio now seems off. I prefer to do everything in widescreen.

Would I be better off to drop it down to 720x480. All of my projects get compressed for DVD output anyway, which I believe only has a native res of 480i to begin with.

BTW - Nice job on the handbook. I have been going through it and you have definitely put a lot of effort and work into it. Good job! I would highly recommend it to anyone who owns this camera.

Thanks.

Thank you for the kind words on my Handbook.

I'm not sure why the aspect ratio is off. Try reading the section on conversion to HDV. If you shot FullHD you want to set the output to 1440x1080 that uses the HI quality scaler.

Please let us know how its going.

Strange and irritating
 

Well, too bad I did not find this discussion earlier.

I am a newbie.

I am just trying to break in to some documentary work. I wanted to get started in HD at a reasonable price and then improve equipment bit by bit. I picked up the Everio, a good shotgun mic etc. I finally just made the jump and got a macbok pro and FCS off ebay and was all ready to start shooting and editing. Now, I gather from this discussion that I am going to have some real problems.

So, is it better to shoot at HD rather than FHD...am I understanding correctly that this is the easiest way around these importing/editing problems? HD is still the standard for broadcast quality right?

It is funny because the review posted in this forum says it works fine with Final Cut...A bit of a dramatic blunder for the reveiwer!

I am a bit shocked that JVC would not simply pay to have a proper, simple to use, and time/storage efficient patch made.

Thanks!

I'm not sure why you say that given that there are no "problems" with using FCP with the HD7.

The simplest way is to capture 1440CBR via FireWire wire. The alternative is to use MPEG Streamclip to convert files to AIC.

Both paths work perfectly. Where's the "problem?"

Maybe not so bad
 

Hmmm, I guess I am just too new at this to realize...

It just seems strange that JVC would have people doing conversions on 3rd party software that either take a long time or a ton of space for a program as heavily used at FC...Not the end of the world I guess. I will switch to the firewire by the sound of it...

Thanks for all the effort in your posts and responses.

It is funny, my version of MPEG SC (I just downloaded 1.9) does not SEEM to give an option to convert to AIC... maybe I am just not looking in the right place but it is not with the rest of the convert commands. I guess I will buy your book to try and figure this out. I am really looking forward to actually editing some of the footage I have taken!! ;)

Thanks again.

Russ

Amazingly, Apple still doesn't support 720p50 or 720p60. Nor do they support Sony's 24p. Seems like Apple only cares about supporting Panasonic's DVCPRO formats or now AVCHD.

Avid hasn't added any HDV support in 4 years.

Steve...your handbook?
 

Is it the JVC ProHD handbook you have as a footnote link..or do you have another one specific to this camera? I just want to make sure before I buy...

The manual for my Mpeg SC does not say it even does conversons from TOD to AIC...and the option does not present in any of the drop downs. I must have the wrong version or be an idiot.

Russ

Here's the link to my HD7 eBook:

http://home.mindspring.com/~d-v-c/GZ-HD7.htm

Newbie converting MS... what options should I use?
 

I am sorry if this is a "no brainer" question. I am very new to video, bought a HD7 and I want to preserve video in the highest quality possible - you can always convert down, but never up. I am not concerned about disk space at this point. It is becoming cheaper and cheaper, and I am not a heavy video user. I only shoot family home videos. I do understand the basics that every time there is a conversion process, the quality of the video will be affected; hence, my questions:

I am recording at FHD, and converting to AIC with MS and will later edit using iMovie 08. My specific question is: what options should I use in MS? It is a shame that I cannot post an image...

1) By default MS uses 50% quality. Does moving the slide bar has any benefit / implications? I am using an iMac 2.8 dual core, 2 GB RAM and I am seeing near-to-flawless conversion (slightly brigther, though); meaning no dropped frames, changes in ratio, etc.

2) Under frame size, there are two options: 1920 x 1080 (16:9) and 1920 x 1080 (HDTV 1080i) - Is there any difference?

3) What about frame rate, and the frame blending, better downscaling options?

4) Finally, what about the interlaced scaling / reinterlace chroma / deinterlace video. It is my understanding that the camera actually records in progressive mode, and then converts it to interlaced mode (1080i). Since my objective is to preserve image quality, what options should I check?

Thank you so much for your help!

If go to eBay and search for JVC GZ-HD7 you'll find the CONSUMER version of my "HD7" book for sale. It includes information on using iMovie 08. However, it does not cover FCP.

Thank you...
 

Hi Steve,

Thank you so much for your answers... Do you cover exporting into Quicktime movie? Once I finish editing my movies, I would like to export to QT, and exporting is just (if not more) as confusing as importing.

Onre more thing/suggestion... Have you considered pusblishing your guide at lulu.com? I would be nice to be able to get a professional grade printout.

iMovie 08 is totally confusing on import and export. :)

In fact, after reading your post, I rechecked both. The bottom-line is that everything must come in and out of iMovie 08 as 1920x1080. This is perfect for going to Blu-ray or HD DVD. Or, to play using the QT Player. And, that's one of the nice things about 08 -- it really is a perfect match to the FullHD HD7.

Yes -- I need to look at lulu as it might allow listing at Amazon.

They eBook is set-up to be printed at Kinko on double-sided paper and bound.

Thank you Steve...
 

Just by any chance... do you know if iMovie 08 converts or re-scales the movie for editing?

I pretty much decided that I will leave my finished movies in AIC... hoping that there is no "conversion" process, and that all iMovie will do to the clips will be "cut and paste". I experimented with H.264 but I found that it doesn't shrink the file enough to justify the extra conversion (and further deteriorate the quality) when the cost of storage nowadays is so cheap! Besides, I will always have to re-convert every time I want to distribute - burn a DVD for my folks, put it on the web, AppleTV, etc. Needless to say, the conversion was a complete hog... it took forever!

My question around the conversion process stemmed from exporting a clip using QT. I am selecting AIC, but on the current size reads: 960x540, so I have to manually go in and change it to 1920x1080. If this is the case, filming at FHD, converting to AIC using MS, editing in 1920x1080 would make no sense at all!

BTW... Another quick newbie question: When exporting using QT... There are two 1920x1080 options. One reads "1920 x 1080 HD", and the other one reads "HD 1920 x 1080 16:9". When you select the later, on the options screen it displays the following: "Dimensions: 1920x1080 (1888x1062)" Mmmmmmm.... Very confusing!

I really appreciate all your help. You are very knowledgeable.

I am hesitant between ordering your guide or your handbook. I could certainly use some help in my shooting - My indoors looks ugly under energy efficient white bulbs, and overall is very shaky. I find that indoors it even looks grainy. Also, I would like to increase my overall knowledge of video, codecs, editing, etc.

What is the main difference between the guide and the handbook? Is one a watered down version of the other, or is there some content that is mutually exclusive (e.g. iMovie).

Thanks!

Apple has defaulted to 960x540 for output. Just keep everything to 1920x1080.

Go to eBay and you'll find the GUIDE eBook and a Table of Contents. You can compare that to the HANDBOOK Table of Contents at my site.

Alan,

when you record in 1440CBR and then batch capture in FCP6, does that work with FCP5.1.4. Also what do you capture it as to make it the best possible to work with?

Thanks!