Is there something wrong with your system. Mac could be odd with AVCHD. Can you check files with another computer or player or program.

Why are you trying to convert. Quality is not going to be better. Bigger file sizes yes and maybe easier to edit.

I dont know what you mean about 1-1-1 or 2-4-1. Converting to pro codec will not add any color information. Maybe it will smooth chroma channels but is that worth it.

I recommend some studying. These are not simple matters.

Hi Veska - I don't think theres anything wrong with my system. I'm not recording AVCHD. Obviously up-resing will not introduce any more information (either colour or data) than is recorded.

My issue is simply when you analyse the footage shot at a high bitrate, it does not register that same bitrate - at least not in FCP7 or cinema tools. Forget whether 72 or 50 is better! I can't seem to get the advertised data rate! Anyone else noticed this? Or is it just me? Has anyone else even checked to see what the computer tells them the footage is shot at, rather than just believing the camera setting?

Jules

@Wotsisname

With my PC I can check data rate in many ways and my GH3 bitrate is always correct what it must be. I can monitor with Potplayer bitrate in real time and with AVCHD it is variable about 24-32 Mbs and with MOV pretty constant 49-50 Mbs. 50Mbs is better than 72Mbs intra.

@matt_gh2

I see between 5.8 and 8.5mbps

@Wotsisname

What that video looks like. With that low bitrate it would look like crap. But if there are perfect frames I think there is no error in your camera.

Obviously you are a little lost with these codec matters. Try to use your clips natively. Stay in h.264 or AVCHD. Maybe someone Mac user can help you. With PC GH3 files works fine without any conversions.

it seems that you are confusing megabits with megabytes

Don't worry, the hack will clarify everything. Santa Claus, that fat, is coming! Will bring to you the hack after all this time and will become less fat! (yeah, less pig, i guess).

Thanks for everyones help! If any one has thoughts about the colour information I'd love to hear it.

This explains quite well what the numbers mean: http://blogs.adobe.com/VideoRoad/2010/06/color_subsampling_or_what_is_4.html

But in light of this article, I have no idea what the 1-1-1 refers to - however that is how the the information is listed - please see attached screen grab.

In the mean time, wishing everyone a happy christmas.

Hi @vesku - I've never heard of work being done that way. Certainly at post and edit facilities prores 444 is standard and everything is converted to the same. I'm sure you're right about conversions but I suppose it's to keep the codec standardised. Thanks for your thoughts though.

A lot of this advice should be taken with a big grain of salt, and it really depends on your end product and what level editor you are.

One issue here seems to be confusion between how a professional ap like FCP (and AVID) and a consumer ap like Sony Movie Studio (of iMovie). FCP using an intermediate codec for many tasks - in this case ProRes, but this is at the option of the editor. Consumer applications either make a conversion to an iFrame format internally and do not inform the end user, or assume the end user will be doing nothing serious and won't notice stair stepping in the chroma space / or increased render times.

FCP assumes that the user is a professional and can decide if they want to use an intermediate format or go native. For simple cut and throw jobs (like assemble editing in the old days) the best bet is to indeed stay native, and FCP lets you do this. So a simple job like slapping together my daughter's birthday party for friends on youtube and your best bet is editing in the native 4:2:0 camera format of the GH3, although in this case the prejudice against All-I 72mbs is misplaced because it definitely has its place. Most complaints about this come from people trying to use it in consumer programs that have to recompress it to H.264 to meet the data limits of the hardware - in essence you throw that nice juicy steak into a microwave and wonder why it does not taste all that good.

A professional has other considerations and standards. Each time an effect is applied, a transition is made, or color is tweaked, a video frame must be recompiled, causing a slow process of stair-stepping to occur in the chroma that is very noticeable in 4:2:0 color spaces especially when they are hamstrung by various i-frame based compression schemes. So here you work as close as you can to the gold standard of 4444 All-I. First, if you camera will give you an All-I output and your equipment will handle it then you roll All-I. On the GH3 you go with All-I 72mbs. If the camera could handle 200mbs All-I that is what you would use. Then you immediately take that format and run it into one of the friendly edit formats that are in no way "the old way" of doing things (confusion of the poster here is likely coming from when we used to edit online/offline). Once in ProRes (or the Avid equivalent) the degradation from effects and color correction is reduced down as far as you can make it, which will mean a lot once you time and compile your project. Again, it is better to take one hit in compiling to a better editing format than to take repeated hits each time you layer a new effect. Once your project is complete you then make a single compression to move it to the distribution format.

As for HD (1-1-1) that is reference to the full profile HD color space and not the same as saying 1:1:1 (which would just be 4:4:4). Apple has a nifty and little appreciated system in it called color sync. To work, everything has to have some definition for how it things color works. When you see this, the computer is assuming that the clip is a video file and is hooking it into color sync using this profile. Most video should show up as HD (1-1-1).