ANYONE using an HMC150 w/ FCPX??

[Vince27]

Hey guys - presently, I am using an HMC150 with FCPX.

So I'm specifically looking for people who are using this same combination (an HMC150 with FCPX) as I am running into issues, & trying extremely hard to see whether or not this is an Apple/FCPX issue, an AVCHD issue, a transcoding/codec issue, or perhaps if there is just an issue with my camera...

According to the FCPX Techs, they haven't seen or heard of (my problem) & they seem to be just as dumbfounded as myself...
I also find it almost impossible to believe that no one else has run into this issue (if you are using this camera, & this editing system together) -

I have done EXTENSIVE testing & troubleshooting for almost 2 months now, but still haven't been able to solve this issue, and/or pinpoint the problem...

The Problem: my footage seems to play perfectly fine & smooth when I view it in the camera (i hooked the camera up to a full HD 22" monitor using hdmi & watched it) - but once i get the footage into FCPX, the footage plays back with jerky motion (where it will seem to "stagger" or "skip" from time to time) - this especially happens (& mainly happens) when the camera is panning (in the shot)... or panning & zooming at the same time (again, in the shot) - this also happens with slow panning as well as fast panning (again, in the shot)...

Also, i think it's important to note that these "glitches" aren't happening in fixed spots - for example if you see a glitch, then stop, rewind, & play back again, you won't see the glitch (where you just saw it!) and it will now play through that trouble spot smoothly - and this is also true for an exported .mov file as well!! - which perplexes me!?

I've tried bringing the footage in natively (without checking any boxes) & i've also tried transcoding it to 422 by clicking the "optimize footage box" - still have the problem either way...

I've spoken to FCPX techs, Panasonic techs, B&H techs, people in forums... it's crazy to me that there just doesn't seem to be an answer/solution to this problem...

I wouldn't care if the final export was clean (but it's not)... final export seems to remove alot of the glitches, but I still see glitching in the .mov playback, & like i said, it's not in "fixed" spots (as you can rewind & playback again with smooth results)... in the .mov export!?


SO I AM WONDERING...

If any of you are using the HMC150 with FCPX - I would love to hear how this is working out for you, & if things are running smooth for you?? - because I am starting to wonder if this camera has compatibility issues w/ fcpx (and other software editing programs)...

Are any of you running into this jerky playback problem? - or are you guys having no problems using the HMC150 w/ FCPX?

Also - are any of you using a third party AVCHD converter before importing into FCPX? - if so, which one? and how are you transcoding the footage for import & export? (422? 422 LT? etc...)

How are you guys importing your footage into fcpx??



I would totally appreciate any input if any of you are using this camera with this editing system (HMC150/FCPX) -


- THANKS!




______________________________________

My Machine Specs:

New 27" iMac (3.4GHz i7 processor, 16g RAM, 7200 1T Hard Drive, 2g Dedicated Vram) - externals are connected firewire 800)

_______________________________________________________





Tests & Troubleshooting Steps I have taken:

- 3 weeks of talking with fcpx techs (so far) - no one has a clue what the problem could be, & i was told that I am "the only one" who has called up with this issue (which i find almost impossible to believe) - I have actually been assigned as a special case, & am now working one-on-one with a senior tech

- I talked to a Panasonic Tech who was very knowledgable about my camera (he doesn't think my camera has any damage, or issues because the playback on the camera itself is seamless (so he thinks it's an Apple/fcpx issue)

- I also spoke to a pretty knowledgable B&H tech who knew the camera, & his editing... (he thinks it's a transcoding problem, & not the camera)


- I tested out the same footage on THREE different machines (my iMac, an iMac in an Apple store, & my macbook pro) - the footage staggers on every machine - so this eliminates that maybe there is an issue with MY iMac) - I would think...


- I shot in EVERY mode on my camera (720/60p, 720/30p, 720/24p, 1080/60i, 1080/30p, 1080/24p) & I shot/tested with different shutter speeds as well - still, the footage has this problem with all modes (although, the 720/60p seems to struggle the most, whereas the 720/30p seems to play better, but will still skip/stagger in places)


- I've tested using the external hard drives (firewire 800) AND I have directly worked with the INTERNAL hard drive - problem still exists... & is the same...


- As mentioned, I've done a "final render" (export media) to a ProRes .mov - this cleans up the mess alot, & definitely improves the playback, BUT, where there may have been 12 "skips/glitches" before export, now maybe there will be only 3... still not acceptable


- Play - Stop - Rewind - Play through again... I think this is a Major KEY - if I am watching the footage, & then see it "stagger" - I will then stop the footage, rewind, & then play through it again - when I do this, the footage will usually THEN play smooth (where it just staggered!) - this tells me that it can't be "damaged footage" from the camera's recording, because if it was, then the footage would stagger in the SAME PLACE every time - don't you agree? - & as i mentioned, I watched the footage directly from the camera on an HD monitor, & playback seems perfectly smooth...


- I imported the same footage into iMovie (iMovie doesn't have the ability to give you a 60p timeline) so i watched 60p footage in a 30p timeline - which in a way, seems to play the footage better... ?? - but you can still see jerkyness...



- I imported some older footage (into fcpx) that I had in my consumer Sony DCR-SR80 hard drive camera (.mts) standard definition) - I ALSO saw jerky movement with some of this footage as well, but not as prominent as with the HMC AVCHD footage... but still, I don't recall the footage being jerky when I edited this Sony footage on my PC with Pinnacle... so now that's TWO different cameras (.mts, that were imported in similar ways, & both seem to have this jerky footage problem...


- I dropped 720/60p (59.94) into a 29.97 timeline - this seems to make it a little better (like in iMovie) but still you will see some jerkyness - I have a feeling that there are some issues with 60p...


- what about "rolling shutter" ?? - or is the camera "strobing" ?? - a few people have DEMANDED to me that this is the problem, & that this is what I am seeing - first off, I don't believe the camera is supposed to "strobe" when using 60fps, thats why you use it with sports etc... second, let's say ok, its strobing... IF it really was a rolling shutter/strobing issue, or a case where the camera strobed WHILE RECORDING, then wouldn't the staggering/skipping (in playback) happen IN THE SAME SPOT - EVERY TIME?? - wouldn't the camera have RECORDED the strobing?? when I am seeing this happen, its happening with RECORDED FOOTAGE, its not like i am shooting LIVE & then reporting issues... in my mind, if this WAS a rolling shutter/strobing issue, then HOW can you stop the footage, rewind, & then NOT SEE the "strobing/skipping" where you JUST SAW IT??

- Also, I've heard "well, if you're panning too fast, then you will have these issues" - really? in 60fps?? - Then why isn't the footage "strobing" when i watch it back on the camera?? - Also, this "strobing" happens on SLOW pans as well, & - (in 60p!) - along with the other modes as well) - so in my opinion, I don't believe this is a strobing/rolling shutter problem... BUT, just to make sure, I did shutter testing with the camera, AND, I ALSO made fcpx "analyze & fix" for "rolling shutter" - and still, the problem remains...


- As mentioned, I tried optimizing/transcoding the footage to ProRes 422 upon import (w/ fcpx's transcoder) - same results...

- I've tried exporting with different ProRes options - still see jerky playback (although, cleaner playback) -


- how about looking at "original media"? - does that play back smoothly? - It seems to definitely play back better, but still there are some spots where it will "skip" or have this jerky playback...


- how are you importing? - SDHC card in the SD slot on the iMac, then I Archive the footage first (to the Internal Hard Drive) - Then, I import into an event...


- how about trying to import using the camera? - the HMC150 doesn't have a firewire jack - & i can't see importing HD footage using 2.0 usb - although I am tempted to try at this point...

- a tech mentioned to me that he once saw this issue due to the "stabilization" being on (on the camera) - I saw that it WAS on, so I turned it off, shot some new footage, & still have the problem...

- is it possible that the sdhc card is bad? - I tried 2 different cards - same problem with both cards...

- is the sdhc card formatted the wrong way? - I checked the HMC150 manual, & its supposed to be formatted FAT32 (which it is)


- Maybe then, it's just the camera... (i've gone back & forth with this theory a thousand times) - and alot of this will make you think it is the camera, BUT, here's why it's hard to think that the camera is the source problem... 1. when you watch (the same footage) play back ON THE CAMERA (and I watched this using a 22" full HD monitor/hdmi cable) the playback is like butter - I don't see ANY glitches/stuttering/staggering/jerky footage/ or "rolling shutter" - it plays very smoothly! - 2. HOW can it be a camera problem/recorded footage problem, if you are able to stop the playback (after you see it "stagger") and then rewind, play again, and then NOT see the stagger?? - if it WAS a camera issue, then wouldn't that mean that the camera RECORDED "damaged footage" which in that case, the "staggering/jerky movement" would then happen IN THE SAME SPOTS - regardless of HOW MANY TIMES you rewound, & then played through again... wouldn't you agree? - this is why, i really don't think the camera has any type of damage - but I am really going to put this theory to the test soon, as I plan to personally walk into B&H & record footage with one of B&H's HMC150's - then see how THAT footage plays...


- I am also going to try a third party converter, as I believe this may also possibly be the issue... I think the FCPX transcoder for converting to 422 (upon import) might have an issue... as it seems to literally not make a difference at all -


- how about trying a different editing platform? - I just downloaded a trial version of Adobe's CS5.5 - this seemed to play the footage alot smoother, but, I still saw some glitches/jerkyness - and also, there seemed to be problems with the audio dropping out... which makes me think that AVCHD is either Evil, or that perhaps my camera IS the issue... which is why I am going to walk into B&H & test with their camera...


- so pretty much that's where it's at... any help, insight, or guidance is much appreciated - thanks!

 

[noam]

It sounds like the problem you're having is related to the computer hardware simply not being fast enough to play the video. How much ram do you have? What kind of computer? Is fcp x the only program open when you're testing these things? All of that is important to determine the problem.

I use an hmc with fcp x all the time and it's fine.

The fact that there are no actual jumps in the footage when you replay the same part makes it quite apparent that it's not a problem with the video file. Especially because when you compress it further your computer plays it back more cleanly. As a test, try transcoding to something really easy for your computer to play. Like an h.264 with a bit rate of under 3500kbps. It will likely play perfectly on your machine. If it does, than you have your answer. Sounds like you might need a computer upgrade or graphics card upgrade of some kind. Can't recommend anything specific without knowing what you are working on though.

 

[Vince27]

Hi Noam - thanks for responding...

I have a brand new 27" iMac: (3.4GHz i7 processor, 16g RAM, 7200 1T Hard Drive, AMD Radeon HD 6970M 2048 MB (2g dedicated video ram) - externals are connected firewire 800) - I also ran the footage internally - No other programs open

As you can imagine, it's hard to believe that the machine isn't fast enough - I was told by countless apple people that this machine would have no problem operating fcpx -

i was just at the MAC store talking to a "mac genius" & he thinks possibly it's the way the camera is recording to the card - to my knowledge, i don't believe the HMC150 gives you different options to record (as far as changing the recording compression/codec etc...?) -

When I read your reply, I first thought maybe you were on to something with the video card, then i did some googling, & saw in a forum a list of "supported cards" for fcpx - I don't know where this list was found, or how accurate it is, but interestingly I noticed on the list that my card (AMD 6970) was not on it - but i'm thinking if the new iMac's video cards aren't compatible with fcpx, then wouldn't there have been ALOT of people calling in with this problem aside from just myself?? - i would think that this would've been a MAJOR problem - no?

I'm starting to get a feeling this is an issue with my camera, so i am heading into the city tomorrow to personally walk into B&H & I am going to shoot some footage with (their hmc150) - I think this will tell a lot, because if their footage plays fine, then it has to be a problem with my camera...

but i totally hear what you are saying about how if there are no jumps in the footage after replaying, then it would sure seem like the machine just isn't able to handle the footage or something... but it's not just my machine that the footage skips on...

I also ran my footage in the Mac store's iMac, and had the same problem with the footage - and I also ran it in their Mac Pro (which had a different video card) but the machine only had 3g of ram installed, & it was a 2009 model the guy said - and basically, the footage ran even worse on the Mac Pro -

I think going to B&H will help in some way... so I will report back with my findings... I'm at my rope's end with this issue...

what type of a machine are you using? are you importing by simply putting the card into the machine? (that's how i import) - i tried directly connecting the camera with the usb, but it tells me to "disconnect usb" & fcpx doesn't seem to be able to read the camera this way...

any more thoughts? - thanks again!

 

[qazwsx]

A friend of mine experienced random jerky playback of video files in Sony Vegas 9 and Premiere Pro CS4. It boiled down to a faulty Intel Core i7 processor. He had two identical machines (same exact hardware), but only one of them had the problem. Ultimately he swapped part by part from one machine to the other and the problem followed the CPU.

 

[Fahnon]

I'm going to guess that its the PC also. I'm using a Mac mini and I don't have issues playing back avchd after its transcoded to prores.

 

[JonathanS]

Not much I can say here, other than that I'm editing HMC151 footage in FCPX on a daily basis, and have seen no issues at all.

I've shot and cut 1080p24, 1080p25, 720p50 and 720p60 with the camera, all in PH mode and recorded to a range of class 6 and 10 SD cards. I'm editing the native (FCPX-rewrapped) footage on a 2008 Mac Pro (2x2.8GHz quad Xeons, 10Gb RAM, AMD5870 graphics) and a 2011 15" MacBook Pro (2.66GHz dual-core Corei7, 8Gb RAM). I've cut AVCCAM rushes off internal and external SATA drives, FW800 externals, and even USB2 drives.

I'm also cutting AVCCAM footage from an AF101, on the same systems. Again, zero issues.

...none of which helps you at all, other than to reassure you that what you're seeing absolutely isn't normal.

 

[Vince27]

hey guys, thanks for all of the help & input thus far...

I did some further testing, and after reading what some of you just wrote, I'm now even more perplexed...

as far as it possibly being a computer problem, or a faulty i7 processor problem, I imported the footage into 3 different iMacs (including my own) & also into my macbook pro (so thats actually 4 machines) & saw the same issue in every machine...

as far as the camera, I actually went to B&H personally and recorded footage on THEIR floor model HMC150, & when I imported THAT footage, I still got the jerky playback... so once I saw this, I immediately thought "this is a software/fcpx issue" - i mean seriously, what else can it be at this point? BUT, there seems to be many of you who are saying that your playback (with this camera in fcpx) is smooth like butter with no jerkyness, stuttering, or skipping... so in a way, that kind of rules out that it can be a sofware/program issue... So, NOW...

All of this is making me zero in on the SD card I am using, because out of ALL of this testing, the one "constant" has been the SD card, as I've basically been using the same card for all of this testing - BUT, (and i know what you're thinking) - i DID do a test with a different card, which i will talk about in a second)...

The card I am using (& the card that i have done all of the shooting/testing with) is supposedly one of the best, & fastest cards you can buy - it's a SanDisk Extreme Pro SDHC UHS-I card - and ironically, when i just went to look it up, it is now "discontinued" on the B&H site (actually it says "discontinued by manufacturer") - so now this really has me thinking that this card can be the whole problem...

BUT, i did do a test with a Transcend Class 6 card, & ALSO saw the same skipping/jerky playback problem... and actually, the problem appeared to be worse...

SO... NOW, I am thinking that POSSIBLY, this could be a firmware issue (literally, it's the last thing i can think of) - because I have basically tried everything I can think of to trouble shoot this issue - I don't have access to my camera right now, but I just read that i can check the firmware version on the camera...

the fact that the (class 6 card) had the same problem is making me think, that possibly, the camera might have the original firmware (and i believe that when this camera came out, only a class 4 card was available at that time) - feels like I'm reaching here, but can't think of anything else...

another thing that has me thinking that this could be a firmware issue, is when i was at B&H, i bought a class 10 Transcend card (in the store) so i could do some testing with a different card, and MY camera wouldn't accept the card! (it gave me an error message that read "can't record PH & HA to this card") - which it should be able to because it's a class 10 card - but now here's another interesting find: i took that same card (in the store) & put it into the store's HMC150, & it had no problem reading the card, or recording on it... ?? - perhaps the store's camera had more upgraded firmware??

I am going to try & speak with another panasonic tech later today & ask about this & see what the deal is... I know maybe it's reaching, but again, I can NOT think of ANYTHING else at this point...


thanks again guys for the help...
I'm curious to see what you guys think of the latest thoughts...

 

[Fahnon]

hey guys, thanks for all of the help & input thus far...

I did some further testing, and after reading what some of you just wrote, I'm now even more perplexed...

as far as it possibly being a computer problem, or a faulty i7 processor problem, I imported the footage into 3 different iMacs (including my own) & also into my macbook pro (so thats actually 4 machines) & saw the same issue in every machine...

as far as the camera, I actually went to B&H personally and recorded footage on THEIR floor model HMC150, & when I imported THAT footage, I still got the jerky playback... so once I saw this, I immediately thought "this is a software/fcpx issue" - i mean seriously, what else can it be at this point? BUT, there seems to be many of you who are saying that your playback (with this camera in fcpx) is smooth like butter with no jerkyness, stuttering, or skipping... so in a way, that kind of rules out that it can be a sofware/program issue... So, NOW...

All of this is making me zero in on the SD card I am using, because out of ALL of this testing, the one "constant" has been the SD card, as I've basically been using the same card for all of this testing - BUT, (and i know what you're thinking) - i DID do a test with a different card, which i will talk about in a second)...

The card I am using (& the card that i have done all of the shooting/testing with) is supposedly one of the best, & fastest cards you can buy - it's a SanDisk Extreme Pro SDHC UHS-I card - and ironically, when i just went to look it up, it is now "discontinued" on the B&H site (actually it says "discontinued by manufacturer") - so now this really has me thinking that this card can be the whole problem...

BUT, i did do a test with a Transcend Class 6 card, & ALSO saw the same skipping/jerky playback problem... and actually, the problem appeared to be worse...

SO... NOW, I am thinking that POSSIBLY, this could be a firmware issue (literally, it's the last thing i can think of) - because I have basically tried everything I can think of to trouble shoot this issue - I don't have access to my camera right now, but I just read that i can check the firmware version on the camera...

the fact that the (class 6 card) had the same problem is making me think, that possibly, the camera might have the original firmware (and i believe that when this camera came out, only a class 4 card was available at that time) - feels like I'm reaching here, but can't think of anything else...

another thing that has me thinking that this could be a firmware issue, is when i was at B&H, i bought a class 10 Transcend card (in the store) so i could do some testing with a different card, and MY camera wouldn't accept the card! (it gave me an error message that read "can't record PH & HA to this card") - which it should be able to because it's a class 10 card - but now here's another interesting find: i took that same card (in the store) & put it into the store's HMC150, & it had no problem reading the card, or recording on it... ?? - perhaps the store's camera had more upgraded firmware??

I am going to try & speak with another panasonic tech later today & ask about this & see what the deal is... I know maybe it's reaching, but again, I can NOT think of ANYTHING else at this point...


thanks again guys for the help...
I'm curious to see what you guys think of the latest thoughts...

Can you throw up the raw AVCHD file so we can look on our machines? I'm curious to see the results...

I also notice you are archiving to the internal drive and it sounds like you are working off of a FW800 external drive. Have you already tried working from a file on your internal drive? If so any difference?

 

[hendosan]

I already PM'd the guy and sent him some of my raw AVCHD files via disk image a couple weeks ago but he never downloaded the image and seemed confused about the whle idea, he's basically not very tech savvy so I wouldn't count on his ability to correctly diagnose the problems that are happening with his system.

 

[Vince27]

As a test, try transcoding to something really easy for your computer to play. Like an h.264 with a bit rate of under 3500kbps.

how do you adjust/ transcode the bit rate? with compressor? -> also, when fcpx brings the files in natively, it transcodes them to the H.264 i noticed - so I'm guessing the bit rate is much greater than 3500?

 

[Vince27]

I already PM'd the guy and sent him some of my raw AVCHD files via disk image a couple weeks ago but he never downloaded the image and seemed confused about the whle idea, he's basically not very tech savvy so I wouldn't count on his ability to correctly diagnose the problems that are happening with his system.

hendosan, i totally appreciate your efforts in trying to help... but I don't really appreciate this post, as I feel it's an unfair & unjust dig at my intelligence & character (on a public thread no less) - you're right, I'm not "tech savvy" - I joined this forum to learn... as far as "not being able to correctly diagnose the problem" - has anyone been able to correctly diagnose this problem up to this point? I've talked to 7 different FCPX techs, 3 Panasonic techs, 3 B&H camera reps, 2 editors, 2 people who build computers, & one very smart Apple "genius" at the genius bar (plus many others who have tried to help in this forum, & in a few other forums as well) on top of endless trouble shooting & testing - all of which has helped (a lot) but i still have the issue in front of me - and again, this is why I've been on here myself for weeks now asking questions - so I can learn & possibly see if I can figure this out... and as far as "not counting on my ability" - to diagnose the problem" - that's pretty condescending don't you think? - I understand that I'm not Steve Jobs, but I'm not completely incompetent either - and apparently I'm not the only one dumbfounded by this issue...

believe me, the last thing I expected, or wanted to do, was fall into a technological abyss trying to trouble shoot an issue like this when I'm in pre-production with my film - everyday i sit here trying to figure this out, is another day lost with getting my film off the ground (plus, this is preventing me from putting myself out there for some freelance work because I don't know if this issue is going to get in the way of producing acceptable work for a client) - so at this point it's basically just maddening... because I have people telling me that they are using the same camera, on less powerful machines, & having ZERO issues - (no jerky footage, perfectly smooth playback, & clean exports) -

as far as the raw AVCHD files you sent, honestly, I didn't know what that email was until last night when i read your post - I'm not familiar with how people send files etc... i remember you telling me that you were looking for some old footage, but I thought you just wanted to observe the camera's panning on your own footage - i didn't realize you were going to send it to me, & I like i said, I didn't know what the download was - I also responded to you in that thread explaining that I wasn't familiar with some of the stuff you were talking about, because a lot of it was over my head - again, I think it's obvious that I'm not on the same level as some of you (actually many of you) so sometimes when I read these replies, I'm like "what?" - but I will say this... I have learned ALOT trying to trouble shoot this issue!

In any event, I tried downloading that link you sent (last night) on my macbook pro while i was at work, & was unable to open the file (dmg) i think it was... i tried double clicking it, & also tried opening it up in disk utilities, but it kept saying that it "wasn't recognized" - i clicked the blue download (button) like you said - (there wasn't a blue "link" to click)

also, after reading your other post, where you listed your specs to see if our iMacs were the same, you listed the following:

iMac 12,2
i7 2600
16gb RAM (Patriot brand, 4x4gb 1333mhz)
256gb SSD (applications are stored here)
2gb Radeon 6970m
1tb 7200 RPM/32mb internal drive (this is my primary scratch disk)
2x2tb 7200 RPM/64mb external drives connected via FW800 (footage archives)

- 12,2 ? - my iMac is mid 2011 - 27"
- i7 (2600?) - my i7 just says 3.4Ghz, not sure what the 2600 means...
- i have 16g 1333 RAM as well - the extra 8 i added is Centon
- we have the same graphics card
- i don't believe my externals are 64mb - (i get the same results when i edit internally as well)
- i believe we have the same internal drive


for what its worth - I feel this issue has come down to 2 things...

1. my iMac isn't powerful enough/fast enough to run this footage (which is very hard to believe since the specs on it are maxed out) - or possibly a faulty processor? - as qazwsx mentioned...
2. it's a firmware issue, & i need to upgrade the firmware on my camera... which could be a possibility when you think about it because it seems to be the only "constant" in all of the variables

**faulty i7 processor: I would lean towards this, but what about the other 2 iMacs I ran the footage through (plus my macbook pro (i5) - thats 4 machines producing the same "stuttering/jerky" footage -
**TWO HMC150 cameras used - same results - which points to the card, or the firmware (on both cameras)... but I did a test with a different card which yielded the same results...

so as soon as I get some time & feel more assured that it's ok to upgrade the firmware using the camera's battery as the power source, I will upgrade the firmware & see what happens...

- i think i read somewhere that one of the firmware upgrades improved the camera's ability to record/encode - so maybe there (was) an issue like this (at some point) in the camera's history... ?

 

[Vince27]

Can you throw up the raw AVCHD file so we can look on our machines? I'm curious to see the results...

I also notice you are archiving to the internal drive and it sounds like you are working off of a FW800 external drive. Have you already tried working from a file on your internal drive? If so any difference?

Hi Fahnon -

yes, I have tried just working from the internal drive - same results...

I am still new to a lot of this, so I need to learn how you "throw up the raw AVCHD file" - any suggestions?
I'm assuming it's like the program that hendosan sent me that link in where you upload the file... ? - but i was unable to open the file (not recognized)


some other interesting things I found:

- FCPX transcoding doesn't seem to work (or work well) - because when i transcoded with clip wrap, it was a much cleaner playback (outside of fcpx - the .mov was very clean, almost glitch free)
- i also noticed that the clips that i transcoded with fcpx didn't register in the info window as 422 (after optimizing/transcoding) - they still read as H.264... ? - but the transcoded clip wrap files (when imported) registered as 422
- also, adobe cs5.5 seemed to play the footage back much cleaner (but still had glitches in playback) - i also noticed that adobe played the files (i believe) as .mts files, whereas fcpx plays them back as H.264 - and there is definitely a difference in playback -


thanks!

 

[Vince27]

A friend of mine experienced random jerky playback of video files in Sony Vegas 9 and Premiere Pro CS4. It boiled down to a faulty Intel Core i7 processor. He had two identical machines (same exact hardware), but only one of them had the problem. Ultimately he swapped part by part from one machine to the other and the problem followed the CPU.

hey qazwsx - thanks for the input -

i would definitely lean towards this as a possibility, but i ran this footage on 3 different iMacs, plus a macbook pro - and all 4 machines had the same problem playing the footage back smoothly...

 

[Vince27]

I'm also cutting AVCCAM footage from an AF101, on the same systems. Again, zero issues.

...none of which helps you at all, other than to reassure you that what you're seeing absolutely isn't normal.

Hi Jonathan -

thanks for the input, it actually kept me from giving in & accepting the situation for what it is....

 

[Fahnon]

Hi Fahnon -

yes, I have tried just working from the internal drive - same results...

I am still new to a lot of this, so I need to learn how you "throw up the raw AVCHD file" - any suggestions?
I'm assuming it's like the program that hendosan sent me that link in where you upload the file... ? - but i was unable to open the file (not recognized)


some other interesting things I found:

- FCPX transcoding doesn't seem to work (or work well) - because when i transcoded with clip wrap, it was a much cleaner playback (outside of fcpx - the .mov was very clean, almost glitch free)
- i also noticed that the clips that i transcoded with fcpx didn't register in the info window as 422 (after optimizing/transcoding) - they still read as H.264... ? - but the transcoded clip wrap files (when imported) registered as 422
- also, adobe cs5.5 seemed to play the footage back much cleaner (but still had glitches in playback) - i also noticed that adobe played the files (i believe) as .mts files, whereas fcpx plays them back as H.264 - and there is definitely a difference in playback -


thanks!

To share the file you could use something like dropbox. They give you 2gb free and you can share the file out and give people a link. You could also use yousendit.com.

I should point out that FCPX does not run as smooth for me as Premiere does or FCP7 did. The issue could actually be you expecting more out of the software than it provides.

Having said that, I'd be glad to tell you if your footage plays the same way that my footage plays for me if you send a file my way.

 

[Vince27]

To share the file you could use something like dropbox. They give you 2gb free and you can share the file out and give people a link. You could also use yousendit.com.

I should point out that FCPX does not run as smooth for me as Premiere does or FCP7 did. The issue could actually be you expecting more out of the software than it provides.

Having said that, I'd be glad to tell you if your footage plays the same way that my footage plays for me if you send a file my way.

Thanks for the info - I will check out those sites... as far as expecting too much from the software, I can see that if others were also experiencing jerky playback with this camera & fcpx, etc... but I've read many posts where people are claiming that their footage is running very smoothly without any issues (using this camera, fcpx, & a less powerful machine), which is why I feel something isn't right... I am going to upgrade the firmware on my camera (basically as my last hope) to see if this could be the issue (at this point I have no idea what else it could possibly be, unless my iMac just isn't fast enough/powerful enough - which again, is just very hard to believe) - but if the issue still exists after the firmware update, I will definitely try to get one of my files up for viewing... I plan to do the upgrade over the weekend when i have some time - thanks again!

 

[bbalser]

"...told by Countless Apple people" I assume means in an Apple retails store, where they are pretty clueless. Minimum specs means minimum performance. FW800 needs a transcode to ProRes, and is not the "best" for editing HD. More importantly, the graphics cards in iMac's and MBP's are "adequate" but not robust.

 

[Vince27]

"...told by Countless Apple people" I assume means in an Apple retails store, where they are pretty clueless. Minimum specs means minimum performance. FW800 needs a transcode to ProRes, and is not the "best" for editing HD. More importantly, the graphics cards in iMac's and MBP's are "adequate" but not robust.

they ARE clueless in Mac retail stores... unless you talk to a Genius who has some type of clue... but also included in "countless apple people" were fcpx techs over the phone who should have a better idea, but they don't seem to have any idea, including a "senior tech" who they personally assigned me, which of whom never responds back to me... my machine has maxed out specs - i ordered straight from Apple with the best possible performing parts... I've had many people tell me that they are using machines with less power & having smooth playback & performance... so its a mystery to me at this point... the only thing i can think of at this point is that the firmware needs to be updated in my camera, its 1.19 which i believe is pretty old, & i did read somewhere where it said one of the firmware updates had something to do with Mac, so I'm thinking maybe there were was a compatibility issue with this camera & macs at some point - i've tried transcoding to prores, and it seems to clean up the issue, but not completely - I'd gladly use thunderbolt, but there are hardly any externals out there that offer it - unless you have the money to buy the rare expensive ones, which i think are just too expensive at this point...