Working with Sony a6500 XAVC S 4K footage in Avid MC


How can I import Sony a6500 XAVC S 4K footage into Avid Media Composer for editing? If you couldn’t figure out a smooth workflow between a6500 4K footage and Avid MC, you may have interest in this post. It guides you through the process of converting a6500 XAVC S files to DNxHD for use in Avid with optimum performance.
editing a6500 4k in avid
The a6500 offers the same UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) capabilities as the a6300. It can shoot 4K/25p and 24p from the full width of its sensor, meaning 1.56x oversampling in each dimension. This gives very highly detailed footage, compared to taking a ‘native’ crop from the sensor. 30p 4K is taken from a slightly smaller crop, and as a result suffers from less rolling shutter.

Up till now, Avid system doesn’t handle XAVC-S footage well. If you still want to edit a6500 XAVC S 4K files in Avid system, we would recommend converting the footage to DNxHD codec for a smooth workflow. Here’s how.

How to transcode a6500 4K XAVC S to Avid preferred DNxHD?

Here’s what you need
HD Video Converter
You can download a demo version (for both, PC and Mac) to have a try. They are not free but it is totally worth it.
transcode a6500 XAVC S 4K MP4 video to DNxHD for Avidrewrap a6500 XAVC S to DNxHD for use in Avid

Process for rewrapping Sony a6500 XAVC S 4K files to Avid editable codec

Step 1: Start up HD Video Converter as a Sony a6500 XAVC S Converter for Avid. When its main interface pops up, click ‘Add File’ to input your source media.
Sony a6500 XAVC S Converter for Avid

Step 2: Choose output format for Avid MC
From ‘Profile’ list, select ‘Avid DNxHD (*.mov)’ as output format under ‘Avid Media Composer’ column.
Sony a6500 XAVC S Converter for Avid
Important: If you’ve loaded a number of video clips to do batch conversion, please do remember ticking off ‘Apply to All’ option before you start.

Step 3: Custom video and audio settings
If necessary, you can click ‘Settings’ button and go to ‘Profiles Settings’ panel to modify video and audio settings like video encoder, resolution, video bit rate, frame rate, aspect ratio, audio encoder, sample rate, audio bit rate, and audio channels. 3D settings are also available.

Step 4: Start Sony a6500 XAVC S 4K to DNxHD MOV Conversion
When ready, click ‘Convert’ to start format conversion. As soon as the conversion is complete, you can click ‘Open Folder’ button to get the exported DNxHD MOV files for use in Avid apps with optimum performance.

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