HD Video on Mac

Hi

Trying to find people's guidance on getting hd video on my mac. I am basically trying to sort everything out before I get some underwater footage.

I currently have a hd camcorder with full hd and a mac with iMovie 09 I think.

I want to know how I can get it onto a disc to play on my blu ray player?

Cheers

You can play your footage as a standard DVD but you will need a separate blu ray burner to create a blu ray disc. More info may be helpful. What model Mac, what OS, what camcorder and format etc.

Steve

You can play your footage as a standard DVD but you will need a separate blu ray burner to create a blu ray disc. More info may be helpful. What model Mac, what OS, what camcorder and format etc.

Steve

Mac is a 2010 model, 21 inch, basic version, running lion. The camcorder is a Sony one with avchd format.

I thought that you could burn avchd to a DVD and play it in a ps3, maybe I was mistaken

Cheers for the help so far

First, look at your Sony HD video camera (or it's manual).

Search for an iLink connection (that's what Sony calls FireWire/1394).

If you camera has iLink, you could buy a FireWire 800 to 4-pin FireWire cable to connect your camera and iMac. ($10 to $15)

I don't know what formats iMovie supports for import from cameras.

You can always try connecting the camera via FireWire, launching iMovie, and seeing if your iMac sees the video camera and can import footage.

Take Care,

ChrisS

Since it is AVCHD, though I don't know what files it produces since you don't say what model of cam you are using. I think a good way to go is to copy your files to a separate folder, name the folder. At this point you may need to download the free MPEG Streamclip application, or if it produces MTS files, download ClipWrapper. These apps will then transcode your footage files into whatever codec your iMovie works with. I don't use iMovie but if memory serves me correctly it works primarily with the Animation codec. You would then import your transcoded files to your iMovie project. Do not reformat your card until you have double checked that your files have been successfully copied over.

Steve

I think AVCHD is transcoded to AIC when imported into iMovie isn't it? (or does iMovie support ProRes?) Don't know what the equivalent of Log and Transfer is in iMovie, but it should be a fairly simple workflow. If not then like Steve says you may need ClipWrapper and/or MPEG Streamclip to transcode the files before editing.

Apple = Transcode = Mega huge extra files on top of the originals... lol

Native AVCHD is very easy to edit, but you have to get out of that restrictive Apple world.

Yes you can burn the 1920/1080 AVCHD files straight onto a DVD and play in a Blu_Ray player but AVCHD it a highly compressed codec to play so there could be some skipping if you go too high in the MBPS. (18 Mega Bytes Per Second Max) Also you are not going to get very much footage on a normal DVD disk.

AVCHD footage on a normal DVD may not play in all Blu_Ray players.

You can however just make normal 720/576 DVD's but it will not be 1920/1080.

Its best to edit the AVCHD, then render out a 1920/1080 H.264 or the easier but takes up more room 25 MBPS MPEG2, author the Blu_Ray, compile it, check it.... then burn away.

You can get 90 minutes of 1920/1080 @ 25MBPS MPEG2 on a 25 GIG Blu_Ray disk easy.

Hey Simon,

I don't believe iMovie works with Pro Res. It is Apple Intermediate, QT and Animation tho I am sure it has others, except for Pro Res. Longimanus wasn't sure what version of iMovie he had, he suggested 09 and '11 is the current version.

Happy New Year,

Steve

Hi all thanks for the comments

My camcorder that I am using at the moment is a HDR-cx130, it is a memory card camcorder. It is actually my wife's camcorder, all I am trying to do is get familiar with hd footage as I am thinking of getting a nex 5n to go diving with soon. I would hope that the 2 cameras/camcorders would use the same format.

I have already imported to iMovie on my mac, I was trying to find out how to export it really.

I don't think I will be getting a blu ray burner so that is not an option.

I was hoping to do the DVD thing, if that doesn't work, then maybe via Vimeo and watch via apple tv?

I am sorry for the confusion

You can still create very good DVDs using iDVD if you have it and even tho Apple has dropped it. You just won't be creating Blu Ray discs. Keep in mind, and this goes especially for theatrical releases, Blu ray doesn't guarantee better quality viewing. Blu Ray has the Potential for better images but there are a great many Blu Ray DVDs on the market whose video quality is no better than standard DVDs. It all depends upon the transfer and remastering that goes on.

Steve

there is a special program that can convert a file to blu ray

Both FCP 7 and. FCP X will burn hybrid Blu Ray DVDs on a Mac that will play on all but the oldest Blu Ray players.

But Eric, have you seen much of a qualitative difference?

Steve

Blu Ray has the Potential for better images but there are a great many Blu Ray DVDs on the market whose video quality is no better than standard DVDs. It all depends upon the transfer and remastering that goes on.

Steve

Very true, I just watched the Blu Ray and the DVD of the snowboard movie 'The Art of Flight' and there really wasn't that much difference, if you really looked hard you could tell but you would have to be pretty picky