Hi guys,

I'm about to purchase an H1 50i version and wanted to clear up a few points.

I want to either invest in a deck or a hard drive solution. I know the Sony HDV decks will not handle 24f or 30f, but is the same the case for 25f or am I lucky to be living in Pal land?

Also, the Hard Drive solutions (Firestore/Citidisk) record HDV footage as mt2 files. I've been searching the net to try and establish what this means, but I'm still a little confused. I'm running FCP5.1. If I connect a Hard Drive with mt2 files recorded from the H1, can I import them directly into an HDV timeline, or do I first have to put them through a lossy conversion process?

Any help much appreciated!

Sorry, currently no Sony HDV deck can read Canon Frame mode, regardless of frame rate.

Sorry, currently no Sony HDV deck can read Canon Frame mode, regardless of frame rate.

Thanks Chris, does the same apply for 25F in SD mode - ie: incompatible with all decks - or is it just in HDV?

Also, the Hard Drive solutions (Firestore/Citidisk) record HDV footage as mt2 files. I've been searching the net to try and establish what this means, but I'm still a little confused. I'm running FCP5.1. If I connect a Hard Drive with mt2 files recorded from the H1, can I import them directly into an HDV timeline, or do I first have to put them through a lossy conversion process?

Not sure about FCP, but in case of Premiere Pro, at will you can import the m2t directly to the timeline without any conversion. This applies both to FS and Citidisk.

Thanks Lauri,

After more research I've discovered that for FCP you must use a conversion program called MPEG Streamclip which is a real pain in the neck:

http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/video/mpegstreamclip.html

Thanks Chris, does the same apply for 25F in SD mode - ie: incompatible with all decks - or is it just in HDV?

25F PAL (sd) is just plain simple DV so yes, every DV(cam) deck like the new Sony's work with this format.