Panasonic HDC-SD9: The Trouble with Mac OS X

UPDATE (2008.04.11):
I finally get it to work with Final Cut Pro!!! just search for HDC-SD9 on this blog.

Panasonic HDC-SD9 is capable recording video in 1080p and 24 mode. This is one great feature on a compact camcorder. The quality of the video is amazing.

Unfortunately for Mac users, this camcorder is not fully compatible with iMovie ’08, Final Cut Express 4, and Final Cut Pro 6. The three applications crash during playback or import of videos recorded in non-“24p Digital Cinema” mode. When the “24p Digital Cinema” mode is turned on, iMovie ’08, Final Cut Express 4, and Final Cut Pro 6 can playback and import the recorded video. Even though the three applications can play and import the video, some problems persist.

To illustrate the problems, please check-out the following videos. Both videos were recorded at the same time, one is using Panasonic HDC-SD5 and the other is using Panasonic HDC-SD9. You’ll see how the HDC-SD9 video is playing faster than the actual recording.

Both videos are resized to 960×540 resolutions. This is done due to the sheer monstrosity of the 1920×1080 file size. QuickTime 7 is required for proper playback.

Recorded Using Panasonic HDC-SD5
Panasonic HDC-SD5 Recording (H.264 13.2MB)

Recorded using Panasonic HDC-SD9
Panasonic HDC-SD9 Recording (H.264 9.2MB)

The imported video plays faster while the audio plays at normal speed. Somehow the video and audio go out of sync during the import. By default iMovie ’08 transcoded the AVCHD video to Apple Intermediate Codec, while Final Cut Pro transcoded the AVCHD video to Apple ProRes 422. I will try importing the AVCHD video to another format using Final Cut Pro later.

——-

note: I blame Carrie for making me re-learn “Greensleeves

Panasonic HDC-SD9: Video Sample

UPDATE:
Panasonic HDC-SD9: The Trouble with Mac OS X

Another video, with audio intact. Imported using Final Cut Pro 6.0.2.
Panasonic HDC-SD9 Screen Capture

Panasonic HDC-SD9 video sample:

  • Recording Mode: HA1920
  • 24p Digital Cinema mode
  • Imported using Final Cut Pro 6.0.2
  • H.264 @ 1920 x 1080
  • 10.80 mbits/s
  • 27 seconds
  • 35.4 MB
  • Done on 15-inch MacBook Pro Core Duo 2.0GHz, Mac OS X Leopard 10.5.2

Final Cut Pro is having trouble playing/importing when the video is recorded with “24p Digital Cinema” mode turned off.

UPDATE:
For some reasons, Final Cut Pro imported the video and speed it up a little bit. The original video runs about 40 seconds, while the imported video runs about 28 seconds. It is clear that Final Cut Pro does not fully understand the recording mode from this camera.

WARNING! THIS MOVIE FILE MIGHT NOT PLAY IN YOUR BROWSER DUE TO ITS RESOLUTIONS.
Right-click, then save as. Because it is going to take a long time to buffer.

Meatloaf T. Cat in 1080/24p

South Park: Season 12 is Set To Premiere March 12th, 2008

Get ready folks. South Park Season 12 is coming on March 12th, 2008. At this point there is no details on the new episode. Stay tuned for the summary of the upcoming episode here. You can also go to SouthParkStudios.com for official info.

South Park‘s fans can not wait for the twelfth season to start, but no words on the release date for South Park: The Complete Eleventh Season DVD.

Would the DVD set make any different since all of Season Eleven Episodes are available for purchase on iTunes Store and Amazon Unbox. Of course! The DVD is higher quality than the digital download version, and it is not crippled with DRM.

Good news for those who can’t wait for the Complete Season 11 DVD, because South Park: The Imaginationland Trilogy is coming to DVD on March 11th, 2008. Dubbed as “Uncensored Director’s Cut” and “New Feature Length DVD Movie”, fans can only hope that this dvd is worth every penny. No further details have been provided yet. In any case, this “New Feature Length DVD Movie” should make the wait a little bit easier.