So I am having to give up the borrowed HD7 HDD HD camcorder. I am looking at the JVC GZ-HD6, Canon HF100, HF10 and HG20. My current workflow is:

1. shoot video
2. transfer files from camera to MBP
3. open up mpegstreamclip and convert .tod files to apple DVCPRO format
4. import clips into FCP and edit

what file format does the HF/HG camera's use. At this point I am only assuming that the HD6 is still using .tod format files.

thank you,

Mark

I'm sorry I don't have an answer to your question, but I am really curious why you are using the DVCPro codec. That seems like a REALLY odd choice.

well, for the web, that is what I convert it to. I actually have used 1080 Apple DVC format I think that is what it is to do HD. In any case, I am having to do step 3. Will this workflow change for me with these camera's?

On the Canon camera's you might be able to get away with using the "Log and Transfer" function in Final Cut Pro 6. Apple has great support for Canon not so much for the JVC. That was a big downfall for me a few months back when I was looking at a JVC is that it had no Apple support. The Canon's AVCHD codec should have support and transfer without using Stream-Clip. In Final Cut Pro 6 use Log and Transfer in the menu options.

Awesome... I guess that sells me. Do you think that a 15" MBP 2.33ghz Core 2 with 4GB of ram process this fine or do I need to upgrade my laptop?

Mark

ok, so I had the opportunity to log and transfer from a Canon HG20. It seems that the workflow is a step up from Mini DV, but not quite as simple as the GZ-HD7. On the HD7 I just mount it like a HD and copy the files over and then run MPEGStreamclip to convert... simple enough for a PC geek guy like myself.

on the HG20, we mount up the camera, then log and transfer via FCE HD. I guess what's nice is that the HG20 show's the scenes that were recorded and you select what you want.

Does anyone know if the .mts files can be converted?

I edit on a MacBookPro, 17", 2.6ghz duo, 23" Cinema Display. My work camera is an XH A1, but recently I got a little Sony TG1 AVCHD camera just for fun stuff.

I plug in the camera and open Log and Transfer in FCP. All the clips appear in that window almost immediately. Then I drag and drop the ones I want to the Queue window and they automatically convert to ProRes422, the setting I use. They appear in your browser, just like clips from loading tape. Simple and easy. However, ProRes takes up a lot of space. Just for home movie stuff and kid videos, I'm going to use the Apple Intermediate Codec. It takes up a lot less space and is good enough.

The ProRes conversion seems a little faster than real time, but it's not immediate.

If you don't want to convert your files but just need to clear out your camera's cards, you can plug in the camera (or card reader) and drag all the folders to a folder on your desktop. Make sure you drag everything. On my little Sony there are 4 different folders, I think. Then later you open up Log and Transfer and simply drag all the same folders there, and FCP acts just as if it's talking to the camera. Works the same. But you have to be careful and not skip any of the folders--it wants them all.