Summary: Tutorial for Beginners, this article will tell you how to Make Sony HDR-XR500 AVCHD footages compatible with Final Cut Pro 7. You can transcode Sony NR-500AVCHD to ProRes MOV via AVCHD to ProRes Converter, then import the covnerted AVCHD files to Final Cut Pro 7 for editing on Mac.
Sony HDR-XR500 provides HD recording with 120GB HDD and 6-megapixel CMOS sensor. The HD videos are stored as AVCHD .mts, which is not the preferred compression for editing on FCP. The Apple Final Cut format is Pro Res footage.
After searching solutions for MTS to ProRes, I got the workaround with Pavtube MTS/M2TS Converter for Mac and the Apple Compressor, which comes with Final Cut. I convert the MTS files from Sony HDR-XR500 to the highest quality codec at same frame rate and size as the raw footage, and then output Pro Res with Apple Compressor. If you would also like to go further with detailed explanation, just keep reading.
Even though the above methods work for AVCHD videos,you may find 1080p .mts videos are not recognized/imported to FCP 7. At present, the most efficient way to play and edit your Sony HDR-XR500 AVCHD MTS files is re-encoding them to Mac friendly video format, like MOV for further playing and editing in FCP, FCE and iMovie. While looking for solutions to import Sony HDR-XR500 MTS/M2TS to Final Cut Pro 7 on Mac, I downloaded and tried several converters and found the Sony AVCHD to FCP 7 Converter works better for me.
Guide: Transcode Sony XR500 AVCHD to ProRes 422 MOV for smoothly editing in Final Cut Pro 7 on Mac Lion 10.8?
The best way is to convert Sony XR500 MTS/M2TS to FCP 7 best supported Apple RroRes codec. Now I will start with the step-by-step guide on how to convert Sony XR500 AVCHD to MOV and then import the converted videos for editing in Final Cut Pro 7.
Step 1: Download Sony AVCHD to Prores Converter, import your Sony XR500 AVCHD file.
Step 2: Click format column and choose the output format. You are recommended to choose Final Cut Pro -> Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov)
Tips: If you want the files to be in smaller size, you can follow Final Cut Pro > Apple ProRes 422(LT) (*mov)/Apple ProRes 422(*mov) option. If your files size is at SD levels, you are advised to choose "Final Cut Pro > Apple ProRes 422(Proxy)(*mov)".
Step 3: Setting the best video profile for Final Cut Pro 7.
Click "settings" button to adjust the output video's parameters, such as bitrate, resolution, etc.
Step 4: Hit "Convert" icon, start transcoding XR500 1080p AVCHD to ProRes 422 MOV for Final Cut Pro 6/7/X editing on Mac.
After the Sony AVCHD to FCP 7 conversion, import the converted MOV files to Final Cut Pro 7, then you can edit Sony XR500 AVCHD in FCP smoothly without rendering.
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