How to load Sony HDR 60p AVCHD .mts video files to iMovie, FCE and FCP X?


This post provides a solution for people who are having issues importing Sony HDR 60p AVCHD footage to Mac for editing through iMovie, Final Cut Express, or FCP X.

iMovie not recognizing Sony HDR 60p AVCHD video
”I recently received the Sony HDR-CX240 and am still working my way through getting it to work with iMovie’11 on my MacBook Pro. I connected the camera via the USB cable, but iMovie didn’t recognize it as connected and therefore I wouldn’t able to import the HDR-CX240 60p AVCHD .mts files to iMovie to create home video. It’s very strange, the camera icon shows up on my desktop, but there’s no way to import. When I try to load the AVCHD footage from the SD card manually, iMovie says there are no recognizable files, although the AVCHD files are definitely there. I wrote Sony and they have no idea why this occurring, claiming it’s an Apple issue. Any idea what’s going on and how I can solve it? I would really appreciate any help. Thanks a lot.”
importing Sony HDR 60p AVCHD footage to Mac
If you couldn’t figure out a workable way to make Sony HDR 60p mts files editable on Mac iMovie, FCE or FCP X, we would recommend transcoding Sony HDR 60p AVCHD footage to QuickTime MOV fitting for editing on Mac. To be clear, you are suggested to convert Sony HDR 60p AVCHD video to AIC .mov for iMovie/FCE, and rewrap Sony HDR 60p .mts files to ProRes .mov for FCP X or its former version FCP 6 and FCP 7. To perform format conversion, third party converter app is required. Considering the ease of use and good output quality, you can give HD Video Converter for Mac a shot. Being a versatile transcoder, this app is capable of converting 4K/2K/HD/1080p/1080i/720p video files in various formats to best suited formats for editing in NLEs and playing on devices.

Download a demo of HD Video Converter for Mac to have a try
iMovie not recognizing Sony HDR 60p AVCHD

Process for using HD Converter to convert Your Sony HDR AVCHD files for Mac iMovie, FCE and FCP (X)

Step 1: Open up HD Video Converter for Mac as a Sony HDR MTS Converter for Mac. When its main interface comes up, click ‘Add File’ to load your source media.
import the HDR-CX240 60p AVCHD .mts files to iMovie
Step 2: Select output format for your editing program
To convert Sony HDR AVCHD video for iMovie and FCE, from ‘Profile’ list, choose ‘Apple InterMediate Codec (AIC)(*.mov)’ as output format under ‘iMovie and Final Cut Express’ column.
make Sony HDR 60p mts files editable on Mac iMovie, FCE or FCP X,

To transcode convert Sony HDR AVCHD video files for FCP 6/7/X, select ‘Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov)’ as output format under ‘Final Cut Pro’ column. The ProRes codec is FCP’s favorite editing codec, which FCP will recognize and handle well without rendering.
convert Sony HDR 60p AVCHD video to AIC .mov for iMovie/FCE
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 (optional)
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: Begin Sony HDR MTS video Conversion on Mac
When ready, click ‘Convert’ to start format conversion. Once the conversion process is complete, you can click ‘Open Folder’ button to get the generated AIC MOV files or ProRes MOV files for editing in iMovie, FCE or FCP (X) with optimum performance.
Tips:
If you don’t want to wait for the entire conversion process, you can tick off ‘Showdown computer when conversion completed’ and go away to do other things.

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