Panasonic GH2 Log and Transfer Pixelated? at DVinfo.net

Dave Eaton · February 27th, 2011, 12:02 PM

Running some tests with a Panasonic GH2 and FCP 6 and getting nasty pixelated results. Video was shot in Manual Movie Mode, AVCHD(1080i), and FSH. SD card plugged into computer, looks fine when played in the Log and Transfer preview window. Selected Log and Transfer AVCHD Plugin and I tried both Apple Intermediate Codec and Apple ProRes 422. Results were identical.

Same tests at 720p and 24p Cinema come out just fine. Loaded the 1080i clip into iMovie and it looks fine — except it stair-steps when I panned.

I am definitely missing something. Suggestions?

Thanks.

William Hohauser · February 28th, 2011, 04:15 AM

That's interlaced video on a progressive computer monitor.

Dave Eaton · February 28th, 2011, 07:39 AM

Hmm. Not any interlacing I've ever seen. You can see it starting in the first frame (top) and the worse of it in the last (bottom):

http://members.cox.net/monika_a2/gh2fcp6.jpg

William Hohauser · February 28th, 2011, 01:55 PM

That's strange. Have no idea except that your computer can't handle the data flow, which model do you have?

Dave Eaton · February 28th, 2011, 02:39 PM

It's quite odd and why I'm wondering what I have set wrong in FCP 6.0.6. It's only a 44MB file but I had the same weird results in another test I did prior to it. The same files open just fine in iMovie and Premiere Pro. Machine is a Dual core 2.8GHz iMac with 4GB RAM and OS 10.6.6.

Dave Eaton · February 28th, 2011, 04:38 PM

Just did a quick test at 1920x1080 at 24H which has a higher bitrate than the 60i test. Worked just fine. This is strange.

Adrian Frearson · March 1st, 2011, 02:45 AM

So is this happening when playing back on the timeline or the from the bin? Are the quicktime files that you've captured playing back like this in finder/quicktime? VLC does this to MTS files from the GH1, when the files themselves are perfectly fine.
If the problem is just in FCP, then perhaps you could try trashing preference files creating a new project with fresh sequence settings and starting again?

Dave Eaton · March 1st, 2011, 09:56 AM

Happens in the bin and the timeline. Trashed Prefs and started fresh as soon as I saw it -- associate suggested that I find a way to capitalized on the new found art form. :-)

Only happens with the 1080 60i files, 1080 24P, 720 60P, etc. play fine. I've come to the conclusion it's FCP 6.0.6. as the files play fine in the camera and in iMovie '11 and Premiere Pro CS5 -- iMovie stair steps on one with a pan though. I can use Toast to convert them to ProRes and they're fine. I was hoping it was just a setting I wasn't using correctly. Oh well.

Dave Eaton · March 5th, 2011, 08:03 PM

Stopped off at an Apple store (wanted to pre-order a iPad2) and took a SD card and reader. Log and Transferred the clips into FCP 7, no problems. So, it's a CP6.0.6 issue. Darn it. At least I know now.

February 27th, 2011, 12:02 PM	#1
Dave Eaton Major Player Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 234	Panasonic GH2 Log and Transfer Pixelated? Running some tests with a Panasonic GH2 and FCP 6 and getting nasty pixelated results. Video was shot in Manual Movie Mode, AVCHD(1080i), and FSH. SD card plugged into computer, looks fine when played in the Log and Transfer preview window. Selected Log and Transfer AVCHD Plugin and I tried both Apple Intermediate Codec and Apple ProRes 422. Results were identical. Same tests at 720p and 24p Cinema come out just fine. Loaded the 1080i clip into iMovie and it looks fine — except it stair-steps when I panned. I am definitely missing something. Suggestions? Thanks.

February 28th, 2011, 04:15 AM	#2
William Hohauser Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: New York City Posts: 2,650	Re: Panasonic GH2 Log and Transfer Pixelated? That's interlaced video on a progressive computer monitor. __________________ William Hohauser - New York City Producer/Edit/Camera/Animation

February 28th, 2011, 07:39 AM	#3
Dave Eaton Major Player Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 234	Re: Panasonic GH2 Log and Transfer Pixelated? Hmm. Not any interlacing I've ever seen. You can see it starting in the first frame (top) and the worse of it in the last (bottom): http://members.cox.net/monika_a2/gh2fcp6.jpg

February 28th, 2011, 01:55 PM	#4
William Hohauser Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: New York City Posts: 2,650	Re: Panasonic GH2 Log and Transfer Pixelated? That's strange. Have no idea except that your computer can't handle the data flow, which model do you have? __________________ William Hohauser - New York City Producer/Edit/Camera/Animation

February 28th, 2011, 02:39 PM	#5
Dave Eaton Major Player Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 234	Re: Panasonic GH2 Log and Transfer Pixelated? It's quite odd and why I'm wondering what I have set wrong in FCP 6.0.6. It's only a 44MB file but I had the same weird results in another test I did prior to it. The same files open just fine in iMovie and Premiere Pro. Machine is a Dual core 2.8GHz iMac with 4GB RAM and OS 10.6.6.

February 28th, 2011, 04:38 PM	#6
Dave Eaton Major Player Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 234	Re: Panasonic GH2 Log and Transfer Pixelated? Just did a quick test at 1920x1080 at 24H which has a higher bitrate than the 60i test. Worked just fine. This is strange.

March 1st, 2011, 02:45 AM	#7
Adrian Frearson Regular Crew Join Date: May 2008 Location: U.K Posts: 154	Re: Panasonic GH2 Log and Transfer Pixelated? So is this happening when playing back on the timeline or the from the bin? Are the quicktime files that you've captured playing back like this in finder/quicktime? VLC does this to MTS files from the GH1, when the files themselves are perfectly fine. If the problem is just in FCP, then perhaps you could try trashing preference files creating a new project with fresh sequence settings and starting again? __________________ Adrian http://chillfactorfilms.com

March 1st, 2011, 09:56 AM	#8
Dave Eaton Major Player Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 234	Re: Panasonic GH2 Log and Transfer Pixelated? Happens in the bin and the timeline. Trashed Prefs and started fresh as soon as I saw it -- associate suggested that I find a way to capitalized on the new found art form. :-) Only happens with the 1080 60i files, 1080 24P, 720 60P, etc. play fine. I've come to the conclusion it's FCP 6.0.6. as the files play fine in the camera and in iMovie '11 and Premiere Pro CS5 -- iMovie stair steps on one with a pan though. I can use Toast to convert them to ProRes and they're fine. I was hoping it was just a setting I wasn't using correctly. Oh well.

March 5th, 2011, 08:03 PM	#9
Dave Eaton Major Player Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 234	Re: Panasonic GH2 Log and Transfer Pixelated? Stopped off at an Apple store (wanted to pre-order a iPad2) and took a SD card and reader. Log and Transferred the clips into FCP 7, no problems. So, it's a CP6.0.6 issue. Darn it. At least I know now.