Getting AVCHD video off Sony HDR-SR1 Camera

Not smartest purchase I ever made.... teach me to do some reading before... OK, it was an impulse buy... it was so cute and it needed me..... ;-)

Has anyone figured out how to get the HD footage off a Sony HDR-SR1 to iMac?

I have the new iMac, 24" screen, Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB Ram, 250GB HD.
Final Cut Pro Studio 5.2.1
DVD Pro 4

If I record in SD HQ, I can attach the camera via USB and copy the MPEG2 clips directly to the iMac and use the footage in FCP. I get excellent quality video.

If I go to a PC and use the software that came with the camera, it converts the ADVC footage to MPG2 format.

I'm not sure which of the AVCHD files I should copy from the camera (or, even if I should). There are several folders and I'm not quite sure what is what.

The camera came with a component and A/V cables. It also has a HDMI Out port.

Seems a sad waste that I can't get the HD video off the camera and be able to edit it. Seems Sony only wants me to "play it back" on my TV.

Any info anyone has on this would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Cyrus
The Happy Curmudgeon of WLA

Too bad you have an iMac. Blackmagic Design just released a $250.00 "Intensity" capture card that is perfect for this camera. Other than than that I don't know of a way to get that footage into FCP.

[www.decklink.com]

Michael Horton
-------------------

I had to buy it.... I drooled and licked the screen..... ;-)

I'm waiting for the new MacPro (?) (replacement for the G5?) to be released; my Mac store person tells me it will have 4 processors and should fly like hot "you know what"...... and I figure 8GB of ram would be nice.....

At that point, I'll start inquiry about what configuration I should get. The iMac will become a gift to a young person who really wants a Mac, but can't afford one.

Plus, I'm looking for another camera to get serious with. The Sony HDR-SR1 as just an experiment (albeit, rather expensive).

Thanks for your reply.

Cyrus

Well, with a Macpro and an Intensity card you are set to capture uncompressed with the AVCHD.

Michael Horton
-------------------

If you just want to be able the footage into the iMac & FCP for editing use the freeware program Mpeg Streamclip & you'll be a happy camper.

vers. 1.8 came out yesterday with some nice new features. One of the best pieces of freeware around for video editors.

Dave

Thanks for the heads-up on the new release of MPEG Streamclip. It has some terrific enhancements. However.......

My problem still exists. When I shoot in HD on the camera, I get folders and files that (I suspect) are really designed for the Windows platform. In the "Stream" folder is the first file named 00000.MTS (which is suspect is the HD video), but has a small "exec" in the upper left corner.

Streamclip does not recognize this format. Oy! This is not a truly life shattering experience for me as shooting in SD HQ 4:3 (maybe 16:9) covers all my current needs. I'd just like to experiment with HD footage. I suspect that soon someone (maybe even Sony... yea!) will come out with a software package that will work on the Mac like the Sony software does on the PC.

I can copy the SD HQ footage directly off the camera and it works just fine. I should think I could do the same for HD footage, but apparently this AVCHD format is still too new..... ;-)
I've tried to convert any/all the files in the AVCHD folder, but nothing seems to recognize it. If I go to a PC, the Sony software converts the HD to MPEG2.... !! That seems a waste...??!!!
Oh, well, I'm very patient. Sooner or later someone will figure this out. In the meantime, I'm looking at some other HD cameras in case I decide I have any real need to film in HD.

Thanks for you help.

Cyrus

Strange they should be Mpeg4 H264 files which Mpeg Streamclip handles with ease. I saw a posting from an SR1 user who claimed he was doing this. If I can locate the posting again I'll let you know.

Dave

Interestingly, each of the files in the AVCHD folder (on the camera), when I "get info" on the Mac, it tells me they are Unix Executable Files. They have names like:
00000.CPI
INDEX.BDM
MOVIEOBJ.BDM
00000.MPL
00000.MTS

There are 2 top level folders: AVHD and AVF_INFO

Again, thanks for you help. I just think this rather odd marketing strategy for Sony to use. What's the use of being able to film in "HD" if I can't get it off the camera and edit it? If I try to "burn" directly from the camera, it doesn't "find" the DVD burner on the Mac. May be the entire camera has been designed strictly for the Windows world? I'm going to take the camera to the office and see what I get when I "burn" directly to a DVD, then 'rip' with Handbrake. I'll let you know the results.

Cyrus

I have no problems when I film in SD HQ 16:9 or 4:3; they are simply MPEG2 files that I can copy from the camera and use directly in FCP (albeit, I need to strip out the audio with Streamclip or convert to MP4). It this pesk AVCHD codec/format (?) that I can't seem to translate.

Cyrus

This is from the wiki on AVCHD

"For advanced users, however, digital video-footage is rarely edited in-camera. Instead, it is transferred entirely to PC, where the operator uses a video editor application (such as Sony Vegas, Adobe Premiere or Apple's Final Cut Pro - none of which can currently edit the format) to edit the footage, and burn the output to DVD

. . .

The recently released Canopus AVCHD Converter allows you to convert the AVCHD clips into an editable format as long as you use Canopus' Edius 3/4. You can also apparently use Canopus ProCoder 2 to convert it to an output that other Video Editing Suites can utilize. So while the convenience is welcome, AVCHD's random access offers limited practical utility to the advanced operator."

Some good info on the format in general there too - AVCHD Wiki

Went to the Canopus website and it apperas their software if Windows based and doesn't run on Max platform. The system requirements listed only WindowsXP operating systems. I no longer have any Windows systems here and also removed the Parallels Desktop from the Mac (where I was also running WindowsXP) as it simply caused conflicts that were not worth the bother.

If I ever have need for this in my office environment (which is exclusively Windows), I'll review their product line again and may try it.

It is starting to look more and more like I'll just need to wait for period of time. With luck, MPEG StreamClip may figure out a way to conver AVCHD.

Thanks for your input.

Cyrus

There's this H264 AVC Decoder but its only Windows XP.

Dave

Dave Hardy wrote:

"Strange they should be Mpeg4 H264 files which Mpeg Streamclip handles with ease. I saw a posting from an SR1 user who claimed he was doing this. If I can locate the posting again I'll let you know."
=========
Dave: Did you ever locate this posting?
Thanks,
Cyrus

Regards, Cyrus
iMac 27" Intel i7 Quad-Core; 16GB RAM; 2TB HD
Final Cut Studio, FCP X, Photoshop CS5, After Effects, etc.