Need help with HF200 and Avid

[Jim01]

Just order my new HF200 and am excited to start shooting. I have a brand new computer I just built with an AMD Quad Core 3.2 processor and 4 GB of DDR3 Ram I am using to learn Avid Media Composer. I have the Academic version installed.

Can anyone point me in the right direction to get the AVCHD video into Avid for editing?

So far I've been pointed to http://community.avid.com/forums/t/6...px?PageIndex=1 but most those posts are from last year so I was hoping there was something better now.

Avid full version comes with Sorenson Squeeze which people have recommended but the academic version doesn't and it appears to be hella expensive. Also TMPGEnc Xpress 4.0 has been recommended.

Lastly I understand the 1.1 version of the Panasonic AVCHD to P2 actually works and is free. I am going to give that a shot first.

Anyone with expierance care to lend a hand?

[ejolson]

Can anyone point me in the right direction to get the AVCHD video into Avid for editing?

Try something like

ffmpeg -i 00012.mts -r 30000/1001 -vcodec dnxhd -b 185Mb \
    -flags +ildct -acodec pcm_s16le -y 00012.mov

[Jim01]

Thanks for the tips. That kind of worked. It definately transcoded the video into a .mov and then I could import that easily into Avid.

The problem is that the video it transcoded it 2x longer than the original. The test clip is 20 seconds but the resulting .MOV is 40 seconds.

The test clip I used was from my HF 200 shot in PF24 mode @ 24mbps.

I guess I have some reading to do to figure out all the flags for my needs but I was wondering if you could get me started in the right direction. I would like to eventually have workflows for all three shooting modes (60i, PF30, PF24) but for now lets concentrate on PF24.

What I want is to shoot in PF24 @ 24mbps and then use ffmpeg to trancode that, removing pull down, so that I end up with footage in my 1080p / 24 fps Avid project.

Can you tell me what parameters would accomplish that? I will be reading to try and figure it out myself but thought you might be able to help.

Thanks

[Jim01]

Also, I am using the ffmpeg I got grom http://ffmpeg.arrozcru.org/builds/

[ejolson]

The test clip is 20 seconds but the resulting .MOV is 40 seconds.

Did you use the flag -r 30000/1001 in your command?

[ejolson]

What I want is to shoot in PF24 @ 24mbps and then use ffmpeg to trancode that, removing pull down, so that I end up with footage in my 1080p / 24 fps Avid project.

Ffmpeg can't remove pull down; however, mencoder can. Khaver recently wrote a windows application based on mencoder and ffmpeg that can also remove pull down and transcode AVCHD to DNxHD.

http://hv20.com/showthread.php?t=25044

[Jim01]

Awesome. Thanks. I was using the trial of TMPGEnc 4.0 to get it done but if this freeware version works that would be great.

[BobbyMurcerFan]

BTW, the Avid online store sells a complete set of third-party software for MC for $195. It includes Squeeze, Boris Continuum Complete, Avid FX, Avid DVD and some others.