How to Import Sony PXW-X70 Video Files into FCP X or iMovie?

Summary: XAVC codec has already become the mainstream codec now. But most edit software such as FCP X/iMovie can't handle such video codec. How to tackle this problem?

For many camera and video guys, this XAVC is very familiar with them. XAVC is a recording format that was introduced by Sony on October 30, 2012. And XAVC used level 5.2 of H.264/MPEG-4 AVC which is the highest level supported by that video standard. XAVC can support 4K resolution (4096*2160 and 3840*2160) at up to 60frames per second. That would be a big progress for promoting the 4K movie spread. This format has already become the foundation of the modern digital devices. And Material Exchange Format (MXF) may be used as its digital container format.

Now, here comes the problem. With this wide spread codec, more and more companies just develop their products based on this codec. Sony, which the initiator of this digital revolution, has made many customers encountered their “Waterloo”. Although Sony claimed that FCP X can support this XAVC naturally, the truth is just on its opposite. For some users who wants to do some following edits in FCP X or iMovie , this work just can’t be done. Enjoy these high definition videos on their Table, phone or TV just can’t be realized. How frustrating it is! You owned a bunch of fabulous videos, but you just can’t enjoy them.

How to import your high definition XAVC videos into your edit software or enjoy them freely on your mobile devices? Here are two ways to get you free from this dilemma.

Method 1: Using Sony XAVC/XDCAM Plug-in for Apple (PDZK-LT2) for FCP or XAVC/XDCAM Plug-in for Avid (PDZK-MA2) for Avid
In order to solve this problem, Sony itself has released two plug-in proxies for users. These are Sony XAVC/XDCAM Plug-in for Apple (PDZK-LT2) for FCP and XAVC/XDCAM Plug-in for Avid (PDZK-MA2) for Avid. Those tow plug-in are developed by Sony, they are free and in most of the circumstance, they can solve users’ can’t import XAVC problem.

But these free apps will work well if your video file structure is very intact. Users can directly import their video folder into this free plug-in from their camera. Or copy the whole file structure into their hard drivers then load them info these MXF plug-in apps. Those are the premises to use these free proxies. But if you just get some “Orphan” MXF files from your clients? If you just download it from somewhere that the files never will have a complete structure? Or if you just messed up your videos with other files? How to solve it?

Method 2: Applying for some third-party XAVC Converter software to solve XAVC unavailable problem.
There are so many converter apps in the market for users to choose, but which one is the best one for XAVC codec converting? Here, I would like to recommend this Pavtube iMixMXF for you guys. As you can tell from the name, this app is professional for handling MXF format. And one more features I would like to mention about is “Multi-track Video” option. Think about it, there must be a inner mic in your camera and sometimes you just want to install an external mic for a better audio effects. Then there will be two audio tracks in your recorded video. Some normal MXF converters can only keep one of them and lose another one or simply messed them up. But to this Pavtube iMixMXF , you don’t have to worry about this will happen. For win users, Pavtube MXF Multimixer can run on win 8 smoothly.

                         

Other Download: 
- Pavtube old official address: http://www.pavtube.com/imixmxf-mac/
- Amazon Download: http://www.amazon.com/Pavtube-Studio-iMixMXF-Download/dp/B00QI7MY4Y
- Cnet Download: http://download.cnet.com/Pavtube-iMixMXF/3000-2194_4-76171460.html

The detailed workflow of using iMixMXF to convert XAVC (*.mxf ) files:

Step 1: First, go to the Pavtube official website to download this iMixMXF then install it step by step. Second, load your XAVC (*.MXF) files. You can load them by click the “Add Video” or “Add from folder” icon on this program’s main UI. Directly drag your video into this software is also very convenient if they are on your desktop, especially for your “Orphan” .mxf files.



Step 2: Click the “Format” bar to choose the output format you want. In this case, the iMovie is our target format, which you can find iMovie on this software’s format bar list. Choose “iMovie and Final Cut Express>>Apple InterMediate Codec (AIC) (*.mov)” as output format.



Tips: For FCP X output, choose “Final Cut Pro>>Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov)”.

Step 3: If you want to stream your video clip to your Table or your phone so that you can enjoy them whenever and wherever you want, just choose the correct format your devices support. Or select brand name your device on the format list, such as Samsung, iPhone. Then you can enjoy the video without any quality drop or lagging.

Step 4: After all have been settled, choose the output folder with enough storage space then hit “Convert” button to start your conversion.

Conclusion: After the conversion, you can click the “Open output folder” to check your converted video. Then with these high quality and compatible format videos, just load them into FCP X/iMovie for editing or enjoy them on your mobile devices.

Source: http://digisns.com/2014/12/convert-xavc-mxf-into-fcpx-or-imovie/

Further Reading:

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