Hi all,

Any minidv DV25 camera works with MC 3.x. So isn't it time for native AVCHD support? What are your opinions?

This may be considered a "feature request" but I'll put my vote in for it.  The more flexible MC is the less I have to hear about that other program and what it does that MC doesn't.

adam5000:

This may be considered a "feature request" but I'll put my vote in for it.  The more flexible MC is the less I have to hear about that other program and what it does that MC doesn't.

OK, I have made that "feature request," but I whole-heartedly agree and would add in my two cents here.  I have heard it said that AVCHD is a consumer approach as opposed to a professional one and, hence, it is not suitable for inclusion as part of MC's feature set (at this time).  I purchased Pinnacle Studio 12 Ultimate figuring that since that line was owned by Avid and since Pinnacle advertises AVCHD compatibility, I could use Pinnacle as a "front end" for Avid MC.  Not so.  True,  in fairness to Pinnacle, I am a newby and maybe I was doing things wrong.  But still, presumably no one knows MC better than Avid and, therefore, Avid / Pinnacle is in the best possible position of anyone to make a suitable AVCHD "front end" to Avid.  I am offering the foregoing thought simply because I think most of us are just looking for the best possible solution.  Right now that appears to be TEMPenc 4.0 and MainConcept 1.1.

My problem is that I work solo and have become addicted to multicam stuff.  I can get a decent ACHVD camera that can record for 3 hours unattended for under $1,000.  Since I am physically distant from 2-3 of the multicam cameras, often in an auditorium, they are subject to theft or damage.  I would much rather have a camera costing $1,000 destroyed than one costing $3-4,000.

I imagine that AVCHD support will arrive in time (perhaps AMA will help in that?) but it's a complex format and can be quite demanding on system resources. Also it's another of those not-really-a-format formats. Sony and Panasonic supposedly created the format jointly, but both have different implementations.

Currently there are a variety of ways to work with AVCHD if it's necessary, but they will require additional steps.

Sycophant:

I imagine that AVCHD support will arrive in time (perhaps AMA will help in that?) but it's a complex format and can be quite demanding on system resources. Also it's another of those not-really-a-format formats. Sony and Panasonic supposedly created the format jointly, but both have different implementations.

Currently there are a variety of ways to work with AVCHD if it's necessary, but they will require additional steps.

This I will playfully call an "unrant."  I purchased two ACVHD cameras for reasons mentioned on a previous post.  My quest for the holy grail is to import material from those cameras into MC 3.5 for use in a multicam setup.  Various members of the forum have proposed solutions.  Thank you, thank you, and thank you again.  Though those solutions sometimes brought me tantalizingly close to the grail, I have yet to arrive.  What really suxxs, is that each test takes soooooooo much time.  In one case, with TMPGenc 4.0, it looked like rendering time for each clip might be as long as three weeks (yeah, yeah ... I know ... get a new computer).  Still, I tried.  Maybe you know how that story ends ... someone's digging or, whatever, and hits a power line ... leading to a brief outage.  Syanora to two day's work.  Yeah, I know I should have a UPS ... but then, there's a lot of things I should be doing.  Hope springs eternal.  Maybe tonight I'll have the answer, because I'm trying something new.  If it works, I'll post a workflow.  I tried Sony Movie Studio 9 Platinum Pro Pack, which at first seemed like a piece of cr#p, but after reading an article holds some promise.  If that doesn't work, my next plan is to get Premier and import the video via HDMI using my blackmagic card.  As I understand it, Premier can export in the format that MC enjoys.

My unrant is that wouldn't it be sweet if Pinnacle Studio 12 ultimate could export AVCHD stuff in a format that was importable into MC?  Maybe it can.  I haven't found the settings though.  Any advice from Pinnacle / Avid on that count would be appreciated.  It seems to me so logical, however,  that since Avid / Pinnacle advertises AVCHD support in Studio 12 and since Avid owns or controls Pinnacle, Avid / Pinnacle is in the best position to come up with a workable solution.  Of course, even sweeter would be native support.  Until then, the quest continues.

So far I'm using TMPGEnc 4.0 XPress to DNxHD and works fine.

I do not understand why everyone is saying is taking soooooooo much time to transfer files. I'm doing it on my laptop workstation and it's not so bad.

Panasonic offers a free program which transcode AVCHD to DVCPRO HD. I do not know if it works with other than Panasonic AVCHD.

Studio 12.1 export as QT could be possible.

I have Studio 12 Ultimate but never tried this one.

I think it's possible.

Here is a link to the Panasonic converter. This is the first version which is supposed to work with any AVCHD camera. It creates a virtural P2 card on your hard drive. Just use AMA to import it into MC.

Lew,

AMA works only with 3.5 and up.

But yes this is the best option.

When using the Mainconcept encoder above, I om only getting green screen, nothing else. Camera is domestic HDR-SR12. Am I missing another codec?

GabeTe (Gabe?),

Thank you for the information!  I used the trial of TMPGEnc 4.0 XPress and it seemed to work.  However, extrapolating the time spent for the test file -- to account for the 30 minute or so files I will be using, gave processing time in the order of days.  To be sure, the computer I was using for the test was a 1.85 GHz dual core machine.  Part of the reason I was using the 1.85 GHz x2 computer was that TMPGEnc 4.0 Xpress requires internet access -- apparently at each startup.  For security and machine safety reasons, I am loathe to have regular working machines connected to the internet.  Besides, maintaining an internet connection involves an unwarranted hit on system resources.  I did buy the full retail package, however, so if the time issue could be resolved I might use the program.  It certainly has a strong following on this forum.

You say that you're using your laptop workstation to do the job and that the time issue is not so bad.  What sort of time is involved for each minute of video?  What type of processor and ram does that machine have?  Are you using AVCHD files from a canon camera?  I've heard it said that Panasonic and Sony agreed to the standard, but their implementation differs.  I have no idea where Canon lies vis-a-vis implementation of the standard, so I don't know if that's part of the problem.  Thanks again!

LewS,

Thank you for the link.  I've tried the new Panasonic / Main Concept converter and the 1.1 version that you supplied.  The new version apparently only works with Panasonic cameras; in any event, it does not work with the files generated by my Canon Vixia.  The 1.1 version does work.  But, as I recall, there was a color variation in the rendered file (it was a bit like having one of those old floodlights with a rotating color wheel shine on the stage ... though a little less noticeable). 

Like the TMPGenc solution, I may well revisit Panasonic 1.1, however -- since the problems I'm having may be something that I've created rather than the program.  What do you think of the idea of using the Blackmagic HDMI capture card with Premiere to create a file that MC 3.5 accepts?  It seems to me that the capture time would be a lot less than the conversion time required by other methods.  I wish the Blackmagic card worked with MC.  Thanks again. 

sverkalo:

Studio 12.1 export as QT could be possible.

I have Studio 12 Ultimate but never tried this one.

I think it's possible.

Thank you Sverkalo!  I tried the QT export with Studio 12, but the resulting file was not accepted by MC 3.5.  Whether that is the result of an error on my part or a problem with the program I cannot say.  If, on the other hand, someone has been successful, a workflow would be nice.