Samsung SC-HMX20c & Apple Quicktime Problem

[BobDiaz]

First the Samsung SC-HMX20c is NOT a professional camera, it's a consumer HD camera that uses the Sony IMX017CQE high-speed/high-resolution CMOS
sensor that can output 6.4M-pixel images at 60 frame/s. Unlike most consumer HD video cameras, it uses a 1/1.8" (0.56") CMOS image sensor and can shoot 1080/60i, 1080/30p, 480/60p, and 300 FPS at 348 h x 336v; it sells for around $899 list.

OK, so it's a toy, but what a fun toy!

So i go down to the local Circuit City to play with the camera for a while and record several files to the SD Memory card... Then I go home and try to play them on my iMac. That worked great until about 3/4 through the playing of the file and Quicktime locks up. I had to use OPTION+COMMAND+ESC to force the program to quit. FCE (Final Cut Express) also locks up when I drop the file into the time line.

So I post the files on my public page for others to try out and 2 other people (different forum) are telling me that they have no problems with the files on their MACs. Odd, very odd...

So here's the link to the files:
http://idisk.mac.com/bobdiaz-Public?view=web

The files are as follows:
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f103/KQ6WQ/HMX-20c.png


My iMac OS X 10.5.3 and my son's MAC Mini also 10.5.3 both lock up when playing the files.

The question is do other MAC users see the problem?

If no, what version OS are you running?


By the way, the camera is a lot of fun to play with, but it just kills me that I can't get the files to work on my system...


Bob Diaz

[matt s.]

Hey Bob I was able to play both an HDV clip and the SD clip slomo of the pen drop.
The slomo clip didnt have any audio though.

10.4.11 & QT pro 7.4.0

[BobDiaz]

matt s.,

I'm starting to see a pattern of what works and what doesn't. If the OS is not 10.5.x, but older, the files play without a problem. One person who did have 10.5.3 had a different driver for the H.264 files.

With 10.5.x, AVDHD files seem to lock up Quicktime and other applications.

By the way, there's no audio recorded on the slow motion clips, which is a shame, because it would have been cool.

I'm starting to wonder about AVCHD and Apple, I've seen other messages of Apple users having problems, so I wonder if the new version of their drivers has problems with AVCHD files...

I have 10.5.3 and my Quicktime is version 7.5 .


Bob Diaz

[Duffdaddy]

Hi Bob,
read this from dv.com Sounds like it's the same issue;
----------------
----------------
First off, the REALLY bad. When I transfer the files from the card or her internal memory to my MacPro disc drive, QuickTime can’t read them. I emailed Samsung USA and they know nothing.

A passing good Samaritan, Mei Lai Wah, saw my video on Vimeo and posted:

By installing the avc1Decoder QuickTime component by MyCometG3, available free on Apple's download page, I can view 1080 60i clips from the Casio EX-F1 on a MacBook Pro.

I found MyCometG3 using Version Tracker and installed it. Bingo. How I love instant success. I could actually see the files in QuickTime. Whoo hoo! I can even import into FCP at a full 1920 x 1080. But editing ain’t easy. Susie’s timeline in FCP hates any other format. Perhaps I’m doing something wrong.

I’m lucky, I have a nanoConnect box and a BlackMagic HD-SDI card. I feed HDMI from Susie into the nanoConnect — then to the BM card. I can import right into FCP. It’s a real time transfer but it works and I get a normal ProRes timeline.

http://www.dv.com/columns/columns_item.php?articleId=196604125
----------------
----------------

***EDIT***
BTW, this sounds like more than a toy for the price, especially if you don't need it's audio. If anyone buys one for work (or play for that matter) please let us know your experiences. If I could get one here in NZ, I think I'd consider it. Cheers ;-)

[BobDiaz]

Those who have installed the avc1Decoder don't have the problems and those like me who are using the default MAC decoder and OS X 10.5.3 have problems.

I really wish that Apple would fix their AVCHD drivers, because this is not the only AVCHD camera that generates files that can't be played properly on the MAC. In an ideal world, it would be nice to just hook things together and it works right without jumping through hoops and downloading third party software that may cause other problems with other things...

In as much as I'd like to get the camera and it would be fun to have, I'll wait until Apple can update their own drivers and get it to work correctly. With more and more AVCHD cameras hitting the market, it's only a matter of time before Apple will have to deal with this problem.


Bob Diaz

[Duffdaddy]

In as much as I'd like to get the camera and it would be fun to have, I'll wait until Apple can update their own drivers and get it to work correctly. With more and more AVCHD cameras hitting the market, it's only a matter of time before Apple will have to deal with this problem.

Bob Diaz

Good point. Apple seem to be slow on the uptake on the strangest things.

[BobDiaz]

A bit of a surprise... on another forum, someone posted a link to a review of the Samsung SC-HMX20c. The review contains sample video files that I've downloaded and tested.

All of the files from the review page play without problems.

I'm guessing that maybe my cheap SD card dropped frames or had some sort of glitch in the file. If so, you would think that Apple's drivers would have reported a problem, rather than lock-up.

Later on I may go back to Circuit City and re-test the camera again with a better card.


Bob Diaz