Can someone please give me a rough estimate on the import time of a minute long AVCHD clip using the new Media Composer 5. I'm looking into buying an AVCHD camera and will be filming many hours of footage, but don't want my system to be bogged down with long import times. I have a Dell Precision T3400 Intel(R) Core 2 Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40GHz, 2.00 GB of RAM
With your system buy another camera or another NLE.
If I was you I would just buy another camera.
What camera you want to buy?
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I would estimate 4 or five minutes based on my pc
Using MC 23.12. Win 22H2 Avid FX6.4, Vegas Pro 20/ DVD Architect 6pro, DVDit6.4proHD, CCE Basic, TmpGe Express4, TmpGe Authoring Works 4, DVDLab-Studio. Sony EX-1R, Canon XH-A1, GL2, GL1, Canon EOS 60D
Transcoding to DVCProHD (i.e. with MainConcept and a Panasonic camera), it should give you about 1 min for 1 min of footage.
I have a HMC150 and will also make some tests importing some of my AVCHD footage into MC5 when the box will arrive.
Sylvain Primeau
Self-employed worker - Les productions Primeau Medias
primeaumedias.com
Radio-Canada/CBC news editor
cbc.ca / ici.radio-canada.ca
I hope you post your tests to MC5 Diary so we have them because those will be from one person that has an AVCHD camera. Most if not all I hear about are from downloaded clips as I did.
Ok, I'll try to post the result of my tests when I'll receive MC5.
Each minute of AVCHD video on my camcorder at highest quality is approximately 123MB and I just happened to have a file this size still on my camera. Importing it directly from the camera via USB 2.0 into MC5 as:
XDCAM EX 35Mbs file: 1 min 24 seconds
1:1 MXF: 1 min 18 secs
DnxHD 145: 1 min 7 secs
I haven't found an option to import these clips as native AVCHD (MTS's) in MC and I don't think there is one. You have to pick a file conversion type for import.
By comparison, simply copying the same file from the camera to a hard drive took only 14 seconds. That would be great if someday soon MC could work with these AVCHD files natively and not have to convert them.
-Steve
Wow, I thought the benefit of tapeless storage was no need to wait to capture.
Yes I know that AVCHD is not a pro format, and yes I know it needs transcoding. I am very interested as I may complement my HDV camcorders with a smaller consumer AVCHD to carry around and personal projects. The day I don't tear my hair out with tape dropouts and capture errors will be a joyous day indeed!!
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David M
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Still using MC5
Thank you for all your responses. Looks like you have to spend the big bucks on a camera in order to take advantage of the tapeless format and the capture/import times. So the only tapeless cameras that will have import times faster than realtime is the sony xdcam and ex series? Is this right?
My Canon imports very fast when AMA and trnscode at my desktop.
Faster than RT.
morriss:Wow, I thought the benefit of tapeless storage was no need to wait to capture.
I still think that is a benefit as you can see by the time of only 14 seconds to xfer the MTS file from the camera to the hard drive without using MC to transcode. But yes unfortunately MC requires these files to be transcoded. I also have Sony Vegas Pro and with that NLE I can drag an MTS file straight from the camera to the timeline and begin editing. The drawback is once you add effects or another layer of video it really bogs down the timeline playback (like to 6 fps instead of 29.97 fps) or can begin crashing if the timeline gets too complex using all MTS files. So it's better to transcode with that app as well. The HD quality of AVCHD files is wonderful but the NLE vendors still need to work the bugs out of editing it natively. Happening soon I hope.
morriss:Yes I know that AVCHD is not a pro format
It's moving in that direction as we can see by Panasonic using it for their HMC150 and Sony's HDR-AX2000 and HXR-NX5U cams, for example. As to whether AVCHD is "pro" or not, well I've read some interesting debates on that subject during the past year. To me it seems that it's "pro" if the the pros are using it. And I believe they'll use what gives great results and is easy to work with. Right now AVCHD gives great results but is not easy to work with. That could change over time.
rjacks: Thank you for all your responses. Looks like you have to spend the big bucks on a camera in order to take advantage of the tapeless format and the capture/import times. So the only tapeless cameras that will have import times faster than realtime is the sony xdcam and ex series? Is this right?
BTW, I just received my MC5 upgrade box today!
Sylvain P: BTW, I just received my MC5 upgrade box today!
...
stwb: Each minute of AVCHD video on my camcorder at highest quality is approximately 123MB and I just happened to have a file this size still on my camera. Importing it directly from the camera via USB 2.0 into MC5 as: XDCAM EX 35Mbs file: 1 min 24 seconds 1:1 MXF: 1 min 18 secs DnxHD 145: 1 min 7 secs
I finally installed MC5.
I made a first test importing a 1 min AVCHD clip from my HMC150 and, with my Core 2 Duo system, it's not so fast.
DV25 = 1 min 23 (project type must be 30i NTSC)
DNxHD 45 = 1 min 52 (project type must be 1080p/29.97)
DNxHD 145 = 1 min 53 (2 min 19 if imported on a USB2 drive)
1:1 MXF = 1 min 20
XDCAM EX 35Mbs file = 2 min 20
DVCProHD = 2 min 30
So, I can see that 1:1 MXF speed doesn't change based on system performance, but with the other formats, a faster system does improve speed import.
But the imported video file vary a lot in file size (without the audio files).
Original AVCHD file : 156 MB
DV25 : 208 MB
DNxHD 45 : 326 MB
DNxHD 145 : 1,02 GB
1:1 MXF : 7,02 GB
XDCAM EX 35Mbs file : 252 MB
DVCProHD : 831 MB
Now, if I transcode the AVCHD clip in DVCProHD using the MainConcept transcoder, it takes 1 min 30 to transcode and the P2 folder's size is 842 MB.
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