transcoding AVCHD to DVCPRO HD

I'm researching a workflow using the AG-HMC150 and PP CS4. I understand that CS4 has native support for AVCHD but I also understand that editing this way isn't ideal.

Panasonic provides a free utility to convert my AVCHD footage to the DVCPRO format. My question is this:

Does the transcoding process downconvert my footage from 1920x1080 to 1280x1080? The guide to the utility does not specify the horizontal resolution of the transcoded file and I don't know if the 1280x1080 resolution is a characteristic of DVCPRO HD hardware or the format itself.

Assuming this process reduces the resolution of my file, what would be another good intermediate codec that does not? I'm using Windows.

Thanks!

Thanks for the response, Noah. I've been assuming that ProRes is a Mac-only codec unavailable to Windows users with CS4. Am I incorrect on this?

Hello Noah

My current workflow often involves capturing media to DVCPRO'HD format so I can edit successfully on a G4 1.5Ghz PowerBook w/ 2 Gbs RAM (with media on external drives).

With the current, updated version of FCP 6, will I be able to import HMC150 files into the "Log and Transfer" dialog and batch transcode to DVCPRO'HD without issue on the system profiled above?

Thanks for taking the time to read this post

Max

Max Federman

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