AVCHD viceo with .MTS ending cannot be read by Quicktime/ final cut express

[johsch]

Hi!

I have a panasonic cam which generates AVCHD videos with an .MTS at the end. I can't watch them in Quicktime, neither in VLC and I cannot read them in Final Cut Epress (all the latest versions). I tried to encode the files with ffmpegX 0.0.9y and I did download Perian but nothing works. The only thing which works is to rename the video into a .mpeg file, then I can read it, but only with VLC and the quality is average. But even then I can't watch it in other programs or convert it. I would really like to work with these videos in Final Cut Express to be able to do anything with the material, and by the way they say that their latest version should be able to read all the formats...

So what am I doing wrong???
Please tell me!

Thank you very much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Case]

Final Cut Express 4+ should be able to import AVCHD footage, but only on Intel Macs, according to Apple statements.

[johsch]

That's so strange, because I have Final Cut Express 4.0 and an Intel Core Duo Macbook with 2GH and 1GB RAM and it doesn't work. Final Cut Express says that the file is unknown....

[Case]

There is an apparent conflict with importing AVCHD to FC and the Perian component, although this may have been fixed in recent updates of Perian.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306922

Final Cut Pro 6 / Final Cut Express 4 / iMovie '08 do not natively support AVCHD, meaning they should convert it on import to something they can work with (AIC). It also means it is not just a fast transfer, but a rather long procedure.

In FCE, did you use the Log and Transfer window to import the footage directly from the camera?

[s:0339901f7e](If you get it to work, then another tool may be a helpful addition to your toolbox: VoltaicHD ($35, free demo) lets you transfer to the Mac before importing, so you can unplug the camera sooner for other uses. It will then convert to AIC just as the editing app would.)[/s:0339901f7e]
Edit: VoltaicHD violates the ffmpeg licence, so I shouldn't endorse it.

[johsch]

No I just took the videos from my SD-card.
Do you perhaps now another cutting software which would be more likely to read this format?

Thank you for your help and suggestions, but it still doesn't work with Final Cut Express.

[Case]

You would rather NOT use your $200 app than getting a cable to read the footage directly off the camera?

[johsch]

Ah, now I understand - you mean it would work if I would buy a cable? But does that make a difference in the video format? I will try it for sure

Thanks!

[peteypete42@yahoo.com]

And if you use your camera to capture images and dont have time to connect your camera to your computer...?

What does the camera do to the data so that FCE can recognize it? How do you apply the same tech to a card reader?

[Case]

What does the camera do to the data so that FCE can recognize it?

The camera streams the data which the Mac captures and converts to AIC. This stream from the camera is not a file. When the data is on a card or stick, it is a file, one that is not recognized (yet).

[peteypete42@yahoo.com]

Okay... What is a reasonable work flow then? I can not connect the camera to the computer to dump the footage and I am not going to buy enough cards to shoot all day. I have five cards, a laptop and people to use the computer and the camera. How do you get .MTS files recognized from a card reader on to a Mac?

[macsolvers]

I use iMovie '08 as an intermediary tool between my AVCHD camcorder (a Canon VIXIA HF100) and Final Cut Pro 6. With the camcorder's flash memory attached to my Mac via my USB card reader, I open iMovie to display a dialog window that asks me to select the clips that I want to import as QuickTime (.mov) files. I select the video resolution I want and save the file(s) to my external hard drive. I then create a project in Final Cut and import the movie file.