Edit Sony HX400V 60p AVCHD footage in FCP X


Run into issues working with Sony HX400V 60p AVCHD footage in FCP X? If so, you may come to the right place. This post will guide you through the process of transcoding HX400V 60p AVCHD to ProRes 422 for use in FCP X with optimum performance.

How do I use 60p AVCHD video from Sony HX400V in FCP X?
“Hi, there, I recently purchased a Sony HX400V and loved shooting shot video clips with it. Unfortunately, I’m currently having a problem editing the 60p AVCHD footage shot on the HX400V. The video loaded, but the entire editing process is not as smooth as I expected. Does FCP X not support Sony HX400V 60p AVCHD footage well? If so, what should I do to go about this? Please help. I would really appreciate any help. Thanks a lot in advance.”
working with Sony HX400V 60p AVCHD footage in FCP X

The HX400 retains the same movie modes as its predecessor with a choice of AVCHD or MP4 encoding that’s fairly consistent across the upper end of the Cyber-Shot range. In AVCHD mode you get four options, the best quality being 1080p50/60 (region dependent) at 28Mbps. This is followed by 1080i50/60 at with two quality choices of 24 and 17Mbps. The earlier HX300’s 1440 x 1080i50/60 option at 9Mbps is dropped, but is unlikely to be missed. Switch to MP4 encoding and the options become 1440×1080 and 640×480, both at 25fps (or 30fps in NTSC regions). There’s no longer a 720p25 option.

If for some reason you can not use Sony HX400V 60p AVCHD footage well in FCP X, we would recommend transcoding HX400V 60p AVCHD video to ProRes 422 before editing. The Apple ProRes is FCP X’s favorite editing codec, which FCP X will recognize and handle well. This requires third party software like HD Video Converter for Mac. Read on to find the detailed steps required to convert Sony HX400V 60p AVCHD to FCP X friendly ProRes codec.

How to rewrap Sony HX400V 60p AVCHD ProRes codec for FCP X editing?

Software requirement
HD Video Converter for Mac
transcoding HX400V 60p AVCHD to ProRes 422 for use in FCP X

Then follow these steps:
Step 1: Run HD Video Converter for Mac as a professional Sony HX400V AVCHD to ProRes Converter. When its main interface comes up, click ‘Add File’ to load source video to it.
use 60p AVCHD video from Sony HX400V in FCP X

Step 2: Select ‘Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov)’ as output format for opening with FCP X
From the Format bar, move to ‘Final Cut Pro’ catalogue, and select ‘Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov)’ as target format. Apple ProRes is the best suited editing codec for FCP X and its former version FCP 6 and 7. When loading them into FCP (X), you needn’t wait for a long time for rendering.
editing the 60p AVCHD footage shot on the HX400V
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: Adjust video and audio settings (for advanced users)
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: Click ‘Convert’ to start Sony HX400V AVCHD to ProRes MOV conversion.

Step 5: Click ‘Open Folder’ to get generated ProRes 422 QuickTime files for transferring and editing in Final Cut Pro X/7/6 with optimum performance.

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