My 2010, 8 core, 19 GB RAM Mac Pro (10.8.2) is choking on my Gh3 50 .mov files.

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darwinandpaine

Well-known member
I've copied the files onto a 2TB 7200 RPM drive that is hooked up via eSata, and FCPX (and the finder with Quick View) is choking on the files. Does anyone have any suggestions? Is this common? Is everyone just transcoding to ProRes? I'd rather just copy the .mov files and edit. Thanks in advance for the advice.
 
diegocervo, can you tell us which transcoder you use? Any that I use is slow and creates very large files (50mb IPB to ProRes 422). I'v tried Mpeg Streamclip and 5DtoRGB lite. Thanks.
 
Why is that? Strange.

I just import the original .mov clips in Premiere CS6 (Windows 7) and smooth playback in every situation... And this is with a i5 2500 (quad core) and only 8 GB of RAM. FCPX and Premiere CS6 are both 64 bit so your computer should be able to play them smoothly...

Should be something with the software / decoders / etc.
 
For the Mac, I'd get a RocketRaid, then get some SSDs, really speeds it up, a cheap RAID card won't do BTW.
 
Thanks all. I'm running FCP 7, so I think that's part of the problem as far as not being able to play the footage straight away. It imports, but chugs then stops, reporting a dropped frames error. I realize I have to transcode, and that it's going to be larger files (such is the nature of ProRes 422), but I just wish it wasn't so darned slow. I have a 2009 8-core MacPro with 10gigs RAM and a 2TB internal RAID, and it still seems like a 2x or 3x conversion time.

I guess I'm just venting my frustration of having gone from Log and Capture, to Log and Transfer to now having to transcode first before importing. It seems like for every step forward in cameras/recorders/formats/codecs, there's a step back--or at least some steps added--to the editing workflow. Very frustrating.
 
I thought the idea of .mov with the GH3 was so you didn't need to transcode?
 
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My understanding is that some systems handle the footage directly (FCPX, Premiere, some others) while others (FCP7) do not. I think it may be a 64-bit vs 32-bit thing as Stab hinted at in his post above. But I wonder if it is a processing power issue or an incompatibility with the codec? I shot at 1080 30p IPB, which Panasonic's GH3 website says sensor output is 30p. In any case, it needs to be transcoded. Incidentally, when I imported the footage into FCP7 and dropped it into the timeline (letting it change settings to match the footage) it show up as realtime footage, meaning that it doesn't show the red line at top of timeline that indicates it needs rendering. But it simply can't play the footage in realtime.

Still, I cannot get myself to switch to FCPX, and don't care to spend the money on Premiere just yet. So for now, I transcode...
 
Zim said:
I thought the idea of .mov with the GH3 was so you didn't need to transcode?
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IPB you need to transcode, i frame you do not. Regardless it has been proven countless times that Pro Res works best for FCP 7. All you need to do is batch all of your files and transcode them. Go get something to eat or rest in the meantime, it's honestly not that serious and is part of the workflow.
 
It's definitely FCP7 which is the 'bottleneck' here, as it is only 32-bit. It is therefore not using your (very powerful) computer optimally. I would absolutely change over to a 64-bit editing software. You have spend a lot of money to get a machine that fast and powerful, but then during editing only a small percentage of that power can be used due to 32-bit... As a result, a much slower quadcore with 8GB RAM outperforms your 'beast' because of 64-bit software.

Transcoding is an option, but it was the main reason I changed to Premiere. When I'm just done shooting and full of enthousiasm, I want to import the files and start! Those 1-2 hours of transcoding were such a bummer everytime.
Keep in mind this is not the only 'obstacle', because rendering in FCP7 is 32-bit, exporting is 32-bit, applying effects is in 32-bit, etc.

FCP7's interface and workflow is brilliant, but it puts a huge bottleneck on modern computers.
 
Thanks. The GH3 is on my short list to buy moving from SD, so one of my concerns is wil my Mac be able to handle it. I'm going to replace my FCP 6 with X.

J.F.R. said:
IPB you need to transcode, i frame you do not. Regardless it has been proven countless times that Pro Res works best for FCP 7. All you need to do is batch all of your files and transcode them. Go get something to eat or rest in the meantime, it's honestly not that serious and is part of the workflow.
Click to expand...
 
Martti Ekstrand said:
On my MacBook Pro 2012 with 16 GB ram I happily edit the 50 .mov files in Premiere Pro CS6 from the internal 5200 rpm drive without any transcode.
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My 8 core 2008 Mac Pro struggles with both iFrame or ipb files from the GH3. The image stutters quite a bit. I always transcode to Prores or some flavor of MXF or smoothest trouble free experience.
 
I'm currently using a Panny TM900 shooting AVCHD 1080 60p. I rewrap with clipwrap and transcode to AIC. I'm using a Macbook Pro with 8GB RAM and a Samsung SSD. I edit using iMovie '11. The process is slow, but I dońt have any problems with stuttering. If I purchase the GH3 and shoot 24fps at 72 mbps will my computer choke on the files? I intend to continue using Apple Intermediate Codec.
 
2009 iMac w/16gb of ram, Intel Core 2 Duo, FCPX, both iframe and IPB MOV plays with no problem. I only have to transcode to ProRes with 1080 60p.

but i have enjoyed not transcoding.
 
I've just built a Hackintosh with Intel i5 3.4Ghz quad core processor, 16GB RAM and GTX660Ti 2GB graphics card. It's playing back the 50p MOV files from the GH3 perfectly in Premiere CS6 and in QuickTime player. Many effects in Premiere dont even need to be rendered for smooth playback. My 2008 iMac C2Duo in the other hand chokes on the GH3 MOV footage.
 
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