In the current issue of Avid In Focus ezine, there is a link to a free AVCHD to P2 converter that should work with Liquid. If you have an AVCHD camera or files could you download and test this converter with Liquid. This could be the answer to using these new format cameras with Liquid without the need for Studio and until nexgen comes along. If you would like, I can post a link but all of you should get the ezine in your email. Note that the link to download is mostly in japanese but the dropdown menus are in english.

Ah, Scott is a step ahead of me and posted it in the freeware thread above.

I'm glad you started this thread so discussions about it can go here.  I didn't have anything to say except basically "Here it is."

I'll guess that only people who subscribed to the newsletter will get it, so here's the link I posted in the freeware section:  Free converter

Yep, it works perfectly with Liquid. I took a sample AVCHD file I found on the web, transcoded it with this converter and X-Received it into Liquid and put it on a 1080i HD timeline. It came in as native HD (grey slice) and played perfectly. Looks like this is a good workflow if you want to consider an AVCHD camcorder to use with Liquid.

lew,

this scenario seems perfect as far as video is concerned. however, what is the status with audio?  when i tried, the audio files found in the respective folder were not recognized.

Worked for me. The audio came in with the video when I X-Received the XML file in the clip folder.

o.k. you're right, lew.

it works using x-receive!  before, i was trying to import video and audio separately.  just testing anyway!

thanks.

XReceive is the only way to import P2 material into Liquid.

This is really good news. Thanks.

export,why render error???

Sorry, I haven't bothered to try this yet but I'm just curious..

How is the audio importing? I ask merely because AVCHD is most often AC3 which does not import to Liquid. Does the converter break the AC3 into separate wav files?

When I tested it, the audio worked fine.

Yes, but did it import as 6 separate wav files or was it a stereo downmix? This seems to be the sticking point with avchd. Even with Pinnacle studio the AC3 is downmixed. Finding free converters for the avchd itself seems easy enough but dealing with the AC3 is where it gets a little tougher. There are only a few other products that I know of that will import and work with the AC3, and they are not free

It was stereo as I remember, but I don't know what the originating source was, it was off the web. I have no idea what the P2 converter does with surround sound audio.

You might want to check out Vasst's new AVCHD Upshift progam, supposed to work with any NLE. Here's the link http://vasst.com/product.aspx?id=bf3e2d5a-7c2e-4969-a8dd-7cee2cefba30

Yeah, that's a brand new one that Douglas Spotted Eagle and crew just put together. Not sure if it handles ac3 though. I went through the PDF manual and it didn't say anything about ac3. I'll have to ask next time he's online.

bigrock:

You might want to check out Vasst's new AVCHD Upshift progam, supposed to work with any NLE. Here's the link http://vasst.com/product.aspx?id=bf3e2d5a-7c2e-4969-a8dd-7cee2cefba30

$50.00 ouch! 

Scott Myers:

I'm glad you started this thread so discussions about it can go here.  I didn't have anything to say except basically "Here it is."

I'll guess that only people who subscribed to the newsletter will get it, so here's the link I posted in the freeware section:  Free converter

Scott it gives me a 404 not found response, did they pull it?......Edd 

I also get the 404 error.

By the way, what are the other 403 errors?  I have only ever seen a 404, never any of the others!

Give this link a shot. Scroll down toward the bottom of the page.

Thanks Lew!..........Edd

from the Panasonic download page: "This application software transforms AVCHD clips recorded by Panasonic camera only"

I guess this is a kind of disclaimer, but the software will work with *most* AVCHD camcorders or...?

Just had a customer in the office with a Sony AVCHD camera - HDR-SR12.  This films in both 1920 x 1080 and 1440 x 1080.  With both the panasonic program did not work.  The converted files were just plain green. 

The Sony program that came with the camera converts footage to more AVCHD or to SD MPEG2 no HD MPEG2. 

I have used the panasonic program successfully with clips created on a Panasonic AVCHD camera only. 

This customer ended up buying Studio, loading the clips into the timeline and converting them to MPEG 1080i and then loading them into liquid.   

Sounds like we need both then. Any ideas where one can download the Sony software? Is Vasst's progam agnositic?

I have downloaded and installed "AVCHD transcoder v1.2 release"

 When I launch it & browse to process a single .m2ts file shot with a SONY SR11, the output section of the utility remains greyed out (and I can't process the file): am I doing something stupid or is this utility checking for genuine Panasonic clips ????

You have to be careful. Sony avchd is not the same as Panasonic avchd. There are different types and Panasonic headed off in their own direction with it. (Canon is using Panasonic's avchd BTW)