xdcam to .mov so I can edit with iMovie????

[boriega]

I am desperately trying to edit xdcam files with iMovie but nothing seems to work. I downloaded XDCAM transfer which is supposed to "rewrap" the files into .mov (by the way will rewrapping allow me to edit them in iMovie?) but its telling me I dont have the right codecs and I dont know where to find those.
Please help I am about to cry for the first time in years.

[edDV]

Hmm, iMovie doesn't directly support XDCAM. Nor does Final Cut Express.

You need to describe the resolution, container and bit rate of your XDCAM file. There is SD XDCAM, XDCAM-HD (Blu-Ray) and XDCAM-EX (MXF wrapper)

XDCAM is very similar to HDV but allows higher bit rates and resolutions. Unlike HDV which usually transfers as an m2t transport stream, XDCAM-EX is in an MXF pro container.

Final Cut Pro has utilities to convert XDCAM-EX to AIC or ProRes422.

Best editors for native XDCAM-EX editing are Sony Vegas Pro or Premiere Pro on a Windows PC. I'm not sure of Premiere Pro on the Mac.

[boriega]

Thanks so much for the detailed reply, ed.

The computer I'm using at work to edit with only has iMovie on it so does that mean I'm pretty much screwed? I tried the demo version of Calibrated{Q} XD Decode in combination with Calibrated{Q} MP4-EX Import but it leaves an unsightly watermark unless I cough up $170 to get the full version. The company I'm working for is not going to pitch in that much money for one measly video that's going to end up being 5 minutes long on their youtube channel. Is there any way I could convert the files for free or at least cheap? Thanks again for your help

[edDV]

Thanks so much for the detailed reply, ed.

The computer I'm using at work to edit with only has iMovie on it so does that mean I'm pretty much screwed? I tried the demo version of Calibrated{Q} XD Decode in combination with Calibrated{Q} MP4-EX Import but it leaves an unsightly watermark unless I cough up $170 to get the full version. The company I'm working for is not going to pitch in that much money for one measly video that's going to end up being 5 minutes long on their youtube channel. Is there any way I could convert the files for free or at least cheap? Thanks again for your help

You could have the original shooter or an external service bureau (dub house) do a conversion to HDV (HD) or DV (SD) that i Movie can handle. What is the extension on the current file?