Final Cut 6.0.5 upgrade...has it totally solved the transcoding issue

[mcsean]

reading through the diff posts here and on other sites, i still dont know for sure if the newest upgrade in Final Cut offers full support of the HMC...so that transcoding etc doesnt any longer have to be done...

for example, in a post elsewhere Barry Green said that he hoped that when Final Cut 3 comes out that IT will offer full support.... that would seem to indicate that this newest upgrade hasnt quite done the trick....

we are strongly leaning towards the 150 but we work in an student environment and so the more user friendly the workflow in post the better....thanks

[Barry_Green]

What I meant by that is, the current version of FCP requires the footage to be transcoded to another codec (typically ProRes). The next version of FCP is supposed to offer native codec support (just as it does for HDV right now) so no transcoding necessary.

The actual workflow with FCP will probably stay the same (meaning, forcing you to go through "log & transfer"), but instead of transcoding the footage, you'd have the option to keep it in its native file format. If your computer is fast enough to handle the native codec, that might be an appealing option. If you prefer to work with ProRes or your system can't handle native AVCHD processing, then ProRes should still be available.

So FCP 6.0.5 should be supporting all modes now, through transcoding, meaning you can get to work right now with nothing lacking. FCP3 should bring another option, the ability to skip the transcode. What would be ideal is if it'd also allow you to skip the log & transfer process completely and just let you import the files directly, as-is, without having to convert to Quicktime files first. Premiere CS4, Vegas, and EDIUS all do it that way. I hope that Apple will do that in FCS3, but I do not retain a great degree of optimism for that.

[mcsean]

thanks for the clarification, Barry!

On a related note, our tech person was talking today to a Panasonic rep and got the impression from the rep that if we are using G5's (2Ghz power pc's--they are circa 2003-4) we may have some trouble handling AVCHD ....(we have no shortage of external HD' s and will soon have a RAID system in place) so, our question is has anyone tried to use G5's (and Final Cut suite) with HMC 150's .........?

thanks again......

[NewspaperVideo]

For any AVCHD camera, you need an Intel-based Mac to use Final Cut's log & transfer.

It's possible to transcode using a third-party app like Voltaic or Toast but it's painfully slow and would not be suited for a student lab.... it could not be done within a class period.

With G5's that old, I'd strongly recommend sticking with standard def tape cameras.

[mcsean]

Thanks for the headsup!...we will take your advice.. . (and maybe try to get the school to pony up for new macs!)