Came upon issues importing Sony XAVC S video files into Avid Media Composer for further editing? If so, you may wish to read this tutorial. It displays a workaround to transcode Sony XAVC S to DNxHD codec for editing in Avid MC with optimum performance.
Problem importing Sony XAVCS 4K into Avid MC 8.5.2
“I just purchased a Sony a6500 and am testing it out. I don’t seem to be able to import the files, and notice earlier threads about the Sony format being incompatible with Avid. Is this still a no-go or should I be able to import without going through an extra step? Can anyone suggest on this? Thanks in advance.”
What you need is the Nablet plugin for XAVC S that will allow you to link to the media from the camera. If for whatever reason the plugin doesn’t work for you or you don’t want to use the plugin, you can consider transcoding XAVC S video to a codec that is edit-friendly for Avid MC, such as DNxHD codec. HD Video Converter is a good option for this. More than convert XAVC S video to DNxHD, it can also convert XAVC S files to whateverformat you need for playing or editing. Here’s a guide on how to use this app to process Sony XAVC S video to DNxHD Conversion.
How to transcode Sony 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.
Process for rewrapping Sony XAVC S files to Avid editable codec
Step 1: Start up HD Video Converter as a Sony 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 XAVC S 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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