can't import qicktime wraped HDV6 codec

[Denez McAdoo]

I recently shot some footage with a Canon XH A1. However it is not the main camera that I work with, which is a Sony EX 1, so I'm not as familiar working with the HDV format.

I captured the footage on FCP at my school. I took the files home and I can watch the quicktime files in the "capture scratch" using VLC. However, I cannot import these files into Premiere because it does not read hdv6 codec natively.

What can I do to transcode these files into something Premiere will import? Adobe Media Encoder won't accept them. No luck with MPEG Streamclip.

Any suggestions?

-denez

[Battle Vaughan]

The necessary codec isn't in the PC version of QT. I am assuming this is a .mov file made using FCP's quicktime hdv codec. I have been able to import these files made from an XHA1 on FCP7 and output as quicktime hd by adding the necessary (3rd party) codec. I have used this with success, possibly there are others;Calibrated{Q} XD Decode Overview

[Denez McAdoo]

I'm trying to avoid having to go back to the FCP7 machine that I captured the footage on. But if I have to, then can I just somehow export each clip as, lets say, quicktime h264?

This sounds like a pain in the ass since FCP doesn't have a batch export function. What about Compressor, can I do it there somehow?

[Battle Vaughan]

Sure, you can re-export from the Mac in a version that your PC will understand. H264 will work, although purists will point out that H264 is a delivery codec and not optimum for editing. If my previous answer was unclear, if you add the requisite codec to your PC you will be able to handle the Quicktime HDV output from your Mac, on the pc with no problem. You would not have to go back to the Mac.

[Denez McAdoo]

Battle, thanks for the clarification. I will search out that codec and see what works.

If I do end up going back to FCP to fix this problem, what would you suggest for a better editing codec to export as?

[Battle Vaughan]

Off the top of my head, you could go to Quicktime on the Mac, and export as an uncompressed avi file, I think this would open on the pc. Try a clip and see. You would not have to go back to FCP if you have processed your clips using the qucktime hdv codec, quicktime can do the conversion.

You would need to go into quicktime > export > movie to avi >settings to select uncompressed. They will be rather large files but would, I believe, be lossless or realatively so. FWIW, if you go back to FCP, the current pc version of Quicktime will read (but not export) files processed by ProRes. PPro will open ProRes files if you have a recent Quicktime installed.

But the easiest thing is to get the Calibrated Q codec, which works a treat on my PC with Premiere Pro processing Mac quicktime HDV files, and just use the files you have. Best wishes!