Our client offlined a half hour (24 min) show in PAL 16:9 using maybe 30% HD mts files from a Panasonic MC1P camera. They pulled all these files in at 10:1 on their MC. I now have to online this show.  It will be finished on DS, but this question isn't DS related.

Hi Tony,

Based on what I've read on here, your experience is typical.  If you do a search for "AVCHD" you'll find some suggestions for conversion workflows, but nothing that looks like a miracle for cutting down the import time.  Sorry I don't have better news.

ciao,
Carl 

I've kind of given up with the current MC and AVCHD. I took advantage of the Videoguys Vegas $299 crossgrade Vegas10pro special with the idea of doing roughcut AVDHD in Vegas. Imports take seconds..

Thanks Carl,

That's more or less what I expected.

So.... how about if I imported them all in as HD, say DNxHD185, then did a consolidate, then did a transcode to SD MXF 2:1 ??

Does that sound a possibly faster workflow?  Space isn't a problem; speed is.

Thanks,
Tony

TVJohn:

I've kind of given up with the current MC and AVCHD.

Not a solution when I have to online an MC series.

Tony

Do you not have any external encoder software to convert the avchd to and avid qt? Anything like procoder or squeeze.

That might import quicker.

That is what I'm doing right now, because the 'normal' route simply wasn't going to fly. I'm using ClipWrap to create ProRes422 files which although slow, does at least work, and is MUCH faster than Avid import.

However, this workflow means that every clip will have to be manually cut in on the timeline to replace the original mts-imported clips with the new mov-imported clips.

Tony

Ive done a test here with a avchd clip. I've encoded it to and avid qt, then in my bin, linked it as an ama clip. The whole clip comes in, but thats how it trying to do it anyway. Then in my sequence my two separate 10sec clips (original was 1min long) appear no probs.

Is your system quick enough to cope with ama clips?

UPDATE - Sorry I think the sequence I was looking at contained an imported clip not the ama.

AntCaladine:

Is your system quick enough to cope with ama clips?

Undoubtedly, but I can't see MC automatically replacing an imported mts-sourced clip with an AMA-linked QT-sourced clip even if the files do have the same name. There again, I know DS an awful lot better than I know MC.

Tony

one thing you might check: MCs problems with avchd clips is primarily in dealing with spanned clips, when the camera creates multiple files for a single take because of file size limits of the codec or card recorded to. Shorter clips (under 5 min? 10min? not sure exactly where the camera used would crate more than one file under the same master clip) usually import no problem. Might try importing shorter clips first, then progressively longer until you get one that sets the duration bar into overdirve - suddenly jumping up exorbitantly (a sure sign of a spanned clip) these you could transcode/import/recut into the timeline.

For spanned files, you might want to try this. You have to take he hit somewhere and I believe you can run multiple instances of FFMBC. Don't be put off by it - it's a lot easier than it looks.

Non-spanned clips seemed to be ok if they are very small. I tend to import clips that are a maximum of a few minutes but mostly seconds long. However, if you drag a whole set of clips from Windows Explorer and drop them into the Bin in MC, you may find that MC will get stuck on a single clip and just hang there. You can cancel that clip import and then it will continue with the rest. Obviously, the advantage is that you do them all overnight - as long as it doesn't get stuck somehwere . I had this problem a few days ago and the clip that it got stuck at imported fine on it's own. I have no idea why it got stuck on it.

So, that's my workflow really: FFMBC with spanned clips and direct import with non-spanned small clips. The other way is to use Squeeze if you have it and convert them into some flavour of DNxHD. This will work also. But in all cases, somewhere along the line, a lot of time will be spent in either converting or importing.

Regards

Mohammed

tonyjover:

Those files which had been imported appeared to be full length, rather than consolidated, meaning that many of them were 30 minutes or more, for a 1 sec clip.

Tony,

We had a simliar situation a while ago.   We were given long AVCHD source clips, but only needed a few seconds from each.   We purchased a simple AVCHD editing program as a download for around 35 bucks.   We cut down the clips and saved as new files.   We imported only the parts of the shots we needed into Avid.   We had to do some manual shot replacement, but it saved many hours of transcoding time.  We were working with NTSC, but I'm sure there are equivalent products for PAL.   

Thanks Terry.

Tony

Using ffmpeg, I convert the AVCHD files into .MOV files without transcoding:

ffmpeg.exe -i YOURFILE.MTS -threads 0 -vcodec copy -acodec copy YOURFILE.MOV

This is much faster than real time, and doesn't create a huge file -- just a copy of the incoming AVCHD file rewrapped as a QuickTime file, with no transcoding. Then, I mark the portion of the QuickTime file that's needed using MPEGStreamClip.exe, and save between the in-point and out-point as an Avid DNxHD file. This is the only transcoding that needs to take place.

This DNxHD file, containing only the portion of the AVCHD file that's needed, can then be fast imported (if your file creation settings were right) or AMA-linked straight into Avid.

Spanned AVCHD files need more care, however.