Looks like you don't have "Create Optimized Media" turned on in the transcoding section of FCPX preferences, because your options are ghosted.

I think the 256MB VRAM is one source of the bottleneck. Try deleting ALL project and event render files and see if that helps when you reopen the project. If not, trash the prefs, reset them and try again.

BUMP....I was typing as was Dave. But HDV transcodes to prores 422 just fine.

It is also greyed out if the optimising has already been down, or if it isn't necessary, such as when the original footage is ProRes.

I assumed it would, it has t be that you don't have the "Create Optimized Media" turned on right enough, or that you have a big problem.

Hopefully the first, as it will be an easy fix to your problem.

dgwvideo wrote:
yeah we i had it selected on import and it didn't do it...and i try to after the fact and it won't let me...

it allowed me to make proxy files of the HDV stuff but thats it. Im looking in the finder folder of optimized media and its all DSLR clips and GoPro and thats it. No HDV anywhere to be found.

when i hit spacebar to preview the HDV clips in the finder window it plays back only the audio...that normal?

No...except for there is an issue with quicktime .mov files created under certain Mac OSX (Tiger for sure) not displaying the video when opened in an Intel Mac with Lion. I have a whole thread here posted about that.

Heres a screen shot of what happens when i import the HDV. I made a new Event and dragged a single clip in. I double check the "Optimize Media" was selected.

Can't see the right side specs...does it say Prores?

dgwvideo wrote:
Oh well that could very well be the case...the guy who captured this footage for me has an older Mac Pro...hmm...id think it has at least Leopard or Snow Leopard...but then again he's sort of got his system set up where he know where everything is and doesn't wanna change it...hmm...

Easy fix...open the file in Quicktime 7 on your Intel Mac and then re-save it under the Intel Mac environment. From here it will open in QT10 with audio and video.

dgwvideo wrote:
yeha i mean its not that big a deal because I'm just importing in FCPX where it works fine, just thought it was weird.

dgwvideo wrote:
yes it says ProRes Proxy when i right click the clip in the proxy folder and click "Get Info". This looks quite a bit worse than the HDV footage in FCPX, which in comparison to the DSLR footage looks absolutely awful with no detail and lots of grain..but i guess thats just Tapes vs modern cameras.

it doesn't make an actual ProRes 422 optimized version though...just the proxy.

It doesn't really matter much what the proxy footage looks like, it's just for playback, you switch back for export.

If you want to create optimised footage and get everything running normal again then it kind of is and it looks like Dan's QT 7 trick is your best option.

I'm also wondering if importing from the "file, import" menu rather than dragging would make a difference, I don't think so though.

shane82388 wrote: Not so much tape as the fact that you are capturing HDV at 3.6mbps vs 20, 50 or 100mbps typically with real HD footage from a higher end camera. I just converted to prores some HDV goose hunting footage for another production company and, while I prefer recoding 1080 at 100mbps, this stuff still looked fairly good.

NocoDave wrote:
I know the proxy is just to make it run better and not about looks but it gets so ugly you can't really tell if the shots in focus or what. The DSLR footage looks ok in proxy though...

Ok so your saying to just open all the clips the guy gave me in QT7 just so i can play them back on my desktop before importing? I mean that would be nice if they worked fully, but once i put them in FCPX they play back fine...whats your reasoning to do this if i don't need to see them before they are in FCPX anyway really? Are you saying it will correctly optimize the media on import of they are run through QT7 first?

Ok so heres a weird one now again...i just tried putting everything in proxy mode again to show you guys a screen shot of just how bad it looks and this happened...and it won't go away now...

none of the settings were changed as far as i can tell...any idea what the hell this is all about? lol

No...if you can import them into fcpx and they show up with audio and video, the QT 7 workaround may do nothing else for you. The clip you showed with audio only is typical of a problem. When that occurs, FCPX will import audio only also...so it seems you do not have that specific problem.

I think Dave was suggesting, and it couldn't hurt to try, to take those clips, and using QT7 on your intel Mac open them and immediately save them again. Then try importing the saved (QT10 compatible version) into FCPX.

shane82388 wrote:
When it rains, it pours
Is it still rendering?

dgwvideo wrote:
yep, renders as if nothing is wrong. Then it overlaps in the next clip...this is truly baffling..