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• Google: [avchd avisynth]
  • [http://www.hostingphpbb.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2953&mforum=philipbloom&sid=41c8ff78578b9bcaa8f5d95cf626527b]
    • My very own question, asked 15 Feb 2009, no replies since then.
    • Stated tha:
      • AviSynth via DgIndex etc. (as used by me) could read MXF files as far as their video was concerned, but not the audio.
  • [http://dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=148500]
    • Avisynth acts as a conduit for the mts files (you import as simple script into premiere).
  • [http://forum.videohelp.com/threads/273967-Editing-AVCHD-in-Premiere-without-intermediate-codec]
    • *You’ll also need an AVCHD directshow codec installed. If you don’t have one, you can use the latest QTalternative
    • * You’ll also need to install Haali Media Splitter.
    • DirectShowSource(”myclip.MTS”) #use the name of the clip
    • DirectShow needs an MTS file reader/splitter to open MTS files. That’s what Haali Media Splitter is for.
    • There’s also the option of DGavcdecNV, which (if you have an Nvidia card) will use the GPU on the video card for decoding the AVCHD file. (See also http://forum.videohelp.com/topic357041.html)
    • … links to two DirectShow AVC decoders: CoreAVC Pro, ffdshow.
    • Deeper advice
      • When using DirectShowSource() AviSynth is asking Windows’ DirectShow subsystem to do all the file parsing, stream splitting, and audio/video decompression. If you can open your M2TS (or whatever) file with Windows Media Player then you have everything necessary for DirectShowSource() to work. If WMP will not play the file then you need to find and install the appropriate file reader, file splitter, and/or codecs.
      • (If) you are getting sound but no picture you probably just need a DirectShow decoder for the video. ffdshow includes MPEG 2 and h.264 decoders.
      • If you can’t get DirectShowSource() working you should try DgMpgDec (MPEG 2) or DgAvcDec (h.264). Run DgIndex or DgAvcIndex, and then use Mpeg2Source() or AvcSource() in the Avisynth script.
        • Sadly, at this time of writing (2010-09-01), it seems that DgAvcDec has been abandoned (due to uncomfortable “ride” along the licensed software approval process, with respect to used libraries ).
  • [http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/avchd-format-discussion/87640-new-avc-h-264-filter-avisynth.html]
    • There is a freeware AviSynth filter that can handle MPEG-4 AVC streams being discussed here: http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=122598
• [http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=122598&page=96]
  • As DGAVCDec is withdrawn, this thread is now closed
    • Indeed I was unable to download it.  Also it was still in a state of development and testing, as far as I could see.   Shame.

[http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-xdcam-ex-cinealta/235167-vegas-9-imports-native-xdcam-ex-files-2.html]

• as of May 2009:
  • Technically, you “can” edit the .mp4 files right from the card. You’d need to drill down through the directories via the standard Vegas Explorer tool (not the new Device Explorer), find your .mp4 clip, and bring it into your project.
  • “We do not currently support shot markers from EX in the Vegas Pro 9 Device Explorer, but it is on our radar.”
  • Spanning clips does not work properly for everybody (could in principle be due to their circumstances as much as the app).  Recommended to join these together using ClipBrowser thenexport as MXF for NLEs.  … It is really the same concept as (FCP’s) XDCAM Transfer except instead of re-wrapping as [.mov] it re-wraps as [.mxf].
  • (In the case of FCP) … the metadata is part of the MOV after … re-wrapping the file for FCP.  (Possibly) Vegas had a problem with managing the metadata and their solution was just to (import the) native (essence/mp4) files.

My own experiences:

• A long shoot gets listed as a sequence of smaller clips, corresponding to the separate [.mp4] files recorded by the camera.  This is known as a spanned clip.  Each of the smaller clips is of size no more than around 3.5 GB.
• Device Explorer import results:
  • Clips with names like [929_1332_01_20100318_191600] i.e. having datetimes.
  • These clips consist of the following files, with main file name as per the clip:
    • XDCAM-EX:  [.mp4], [.xml]
    • AVCHD: [.mts] (but no clip info files).

http://support.apple.com/kb/TA24840