Having issues editing Sony HDR-CX900 XAVC S MP4 files in Avid system? Looking for a solution to make Sony HDR-CX900 XAVC S footage editable in Avid? You are in the right place. This post demonstrates a workaround to convert HDR-CX900 XAVC S video to DNxHD .mov for use in Avid directly and fluidly.
Where is the XAVC-S support in Avid?
“Hi, there, I shot with a Sony HDR-CX900 camera using XAVC-S mode in MP4 format. I’m planning on editing the XAVC-S files in Avid MC 8 but couldn’t find an AMA plug-in for this format. I wish I could work with my XAVC-S footage in Avid, but without support I can not do this. Is there a way to make Avid accept HDR-CX900 XVAC-S files? Any suggestions? I would really appreciate any help. Thanks.”
Currently, most major NLE systems have support for Sony XAVC-S codec, including Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro X, Grass Valley Edius Pro, Autodesk Smoke, Sony Vegas Pro and Blackmagic Resolve. It’s a pity that only Avid MC can’t import XAVC-S file format. To be able to make Avid MC recognize HDR-CX900 XVAC-S files, you will have to transcode them to a format that is suitable for editing in Avid, such as DNxHD encoded MOV format. HD Video Converter will do the trick.
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.
Process for rewrapping Sony HDR-CX900 XAVC S MP4 files to Avid editable codec
Step 1: Start up HD Video Converter as a Sony HDR-CX900 XAVC S Converter for Avid. When its main interface pops up, click ‘Add File’ to input your source media.
Step 2: Choose output format for Avid MC
From ‘Profile’ list, select ‘Avid DNxHD (*.mov)’ as output format under ‘Avid Media Composer’ column.
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 HDR-CX900 XAVC S MP4 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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