Does GH4's .mov and .mp4 files need to be transcoded to work in FCPX?

Elmer_Lang

Elmer_Lang

Well-known member
Hi,
I have the GH2, was thinking of getting the GH4. I was hoping the 4's .mov and.mp4 files won't need to be transcoded to work with in FCPX. True?
And are the 4K files 2x as big as 1080p files?

best
elmer
 
Can't address the FCPX part, but the 4k data rate is 100mbs while the HDR rate can be as high as 200 mbs but also can be at least as small as 50 mbs depending on what you choose. I forget whether HD can be even smaller. Lots of options.
 
elmerlang said:
Hi,
I have the GH2, was thinking of getting the GH4. I was hoping the 4's .mov and.mp4 files won't need to be transcoded to work with in FCPX. True?
And are the 4K files 2x as big as 1080p files?
Click to expand...

They don't need to be trans-coded, but depending on your computer, editing will be either a breeze or hell. I'm on a 2013 iMac and edit 4K footage fine considering the age of the computer and it's 4K footage, but I do trans-code. I'll ingest prior to having to do something else, and then go do that while the computer chugs through the process. I understand that on bigger projects that might be less than desirable, but it just makes editing that much smoother. And when it comes to archiving, I delete all the render files to make the libraries smaller.

I do find that a Thunderbolt drive makes life even easier.

As to size, if you are comparing GH2 files to 4K, then you are looking at four times the size.

One last hint, again depending on your computer specs. I disable real-time rendering while cutting and then reinstate it while coloring etc.. Also, try and have the latest OS as Apple is constantly tweaking the relationship between the two. Case in point, I really didn't want to update to Yosemite, but a particular plug-in required it. I was very pleasantly surprised to see a considerable speed boost with FCPX 10.2 and Yosemite 10.10.3.
 
Dude! Dude! Why'd you have to be so nice? You answered all my questions—that I could think of at the moment—in 4 concise paras.

And I agree, Yosemite seems much better than Mavericks. Quicker to start/close, and FCPX runs nicely. If you weren't a guy I'd—...

elmer
 
It's in the cart. Last question: Did anybody buy an extended warranty with the GH4? 2-year is $73.xx. Hmm. Haven't before, but did w/ my laptop, forgot about it till it went kerploot and the warranty saved my *ss.
 
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