Premiere Pro CS6 and AVCHD - Should I upgrade or wait?

[Keith Moreau]

Hi All

I currently use Premiere Pro 5.5.2 on a Mac Pro and OS 10.7.3. Most of my footage now is AVCHD, from various camcorders, including Sony FS100 as well as several Panasonic and Canon at 24P, 30P and 60P at 17mb/s to 28mp/s bitrates and LPCM and AVCHD audio. I also do use XDCAM EX and Canon DSLR H.264 footage.

I'm really wanting to upgrade to CS6, it looks fantastic, however I have heard reports of various bugs that make it work less efficiently or not at all with AVCHD footage. Maybe the latest upgrades fix these issues, but I'd like to get some input from people who have actually used CS6 with Mac OS 10.7 and AVCHD files. I don't want to transcode first, this was my primary reason to switch from FCP to Premiere Pro a couple of years ago, don't want to go back!

Thanks much for any and all advice you can give me.

-Keith

[BlueScarecrow-VQhbmI]

Dear Kevin,

Over 4 months has passed since my post on Adobe AVCHD issues. You wrote that Adobe has a fix regarding AVCHD files. Please tell me where it is.

Thanks!

Mike

[excited_Genie16B8]

The fix has been implemented for the new Premiere Pro CC version due out June 17th.

It may or may not get back-ported into CS6.

[BlueScarecrow-VQhbmI]

Thank you.

[rmartin215]

Where do you get your info?

[tfi_productions_44]

hello @ John T Smith

i use 5.03 currently on a win 7 machine

with canon vixia hfs20 camaeras

i have only shot a few times with spanned clips

and didn't edit them, so i don't know if i have the avchd problem or not

have you updated to cs6 PPRO?  what are your thoughts please?

i don't think it is fair when adobe staff say earlier in this post in january that there is a fix

for cs6, yet it will only be released via the new PPRO version (and the problem originated

in cs6)

i love PPRO 5.03, but want to use Encore64 bit, and x264pro...

would love to hear from you

cheers, j

[Kevin-Monahan]

tfi productions 44 wrote:

i don't think it is fair when adobe staff say earlier in this post in january that there is a fix

for cs6, yet it will only be released via the new PPRO version (and the problem originated

in cs6)

Hi tfi productions 44,

The fix is in Premiere Pro CC, it's not in Premiere Pro CS6. As I've explained in another post, there was a major architectural change that had to take place to get the fix in, so a fix for CS6 is not trivial, it's extremely complex. That said, please create a feature request to add your voice to those wanting a fix in a Premiere Pro CS6 update: http://www.adobe.com/go/wish

Thanks,

Kevin

[tfi_productions_44]

hello,

et tu, brute? et tu, adobe?

j

[Kevin-Monahan]

tfi productions 44,

Only the messenger here: Just trying to get you the latest info is all. The few Adobe employees that are in these forums are in support, quality engineering, etc. We have no control or influence over pricing or subscription models.

Thanks,

Kevin

[tfi_productions_44]

hello,

i am on my best behavior but wanted to say something...

by definition:  a fix is for when something is that was not broken breaks

how the adobe godhead sleeps at night is beyond me

hopefully all will be well in the state of denmark...

is there a list of cameras that have/have not issues with the avchd spanned clips?

i use canon hfs20 vixias

thanks, j

ps the serenity prayer comes in handy a lot now

[BlueScarecrow-VQhbmI]

The Adobe GodHead (CEO) sleeps very well at night. takes home a wonderful

salary. and takes many a vacation thanks to all of us suckers that buy into

Adobe's buggy software.

A forum is a place to let it out not hold it in. This doesn't mean foul

language, but it does mean telling it like it is.

I've heard that the AVCHD fix is due 17 June of this year; only in the CC

version.

This means that there will be a constant fire under your but to make that

monthly payment; if not. you're out; and if you had any files in the cloud,

you'll have to re-up to get em out. Ouch!

I went through all of this with Avid for a decade and in the end I was the

loser and the CEO was the winner.

Don't buy anything until you see it work.

Mike

[tfi_productions_44]

hello,

if i download the trial cs6 PPRO

and load up 'spanned' clips will i see the bug?

i've heard some cameras aren't susceptible

but then again, it's the principle of the matter really

how can you break something and not fix it

or charge people money to fix it?

that's like a dentist hitting you really hard

in the face with a baseball bat and then

handing you his business card, working hours,

and a coupon while offering to give you a lift...

cheers, j

[jgperez]

No, the trial version won't handle AVCHD clips AT ALL, you have to transcode.

[tfi_productions_44]

hello @ jgperez:  thank you a ton from saving me such a huge headache

thanks for the headsup

i wish there was a 'database' of good avchd cameras and 'bad' avchd cameras

but then again i think you explained the situation very well in the above post re:

what happens when you break things

cheers, j

sometimes i do think other bigger companies pay/buyout other companies to not have

fully working versions of products because it would put too much power in the hands

of the people...

[thomasjv]

I'm confused. I'm trying Premiere Pro CS6 trial (version 6.0.3) and trying to decide, whether to buy CS6 Master Collection or Creative Cloud (student licence). I'm creating a video out of clips from the camera Sony HDR-SR12E, which as far as I know are AVCHD files, but see no problem. Can anybody explain what is the problem with AVCHD files, so I can see whether it might become a problem for me or not? Thanks!

[excited_Genie16B8]

The problem is with longer clips, over 20 minutes, where the clip is broken down into several files on the SD card.  PP will have difficulty scrubbing and playing such files created with certain cameras.

[jgperez]

Kevin, you say the fix is not trivial, but it was not broken in CS 5.5. Adobe broke it in degrading upgrading the product to version 6. You make it sound like Adobe would have been making some heroic above-and-beyond the call of duty effort to merely preserve the proper handling of AVCHD spanned clips. Moreover, Adobe now has a fixed version of premiere but refuses to make it available for free to the victims of the blunders it made in its haste to push CS6 out the door.

Let me ask a question: is Avid paying you guys, or are you doing this freely?

[Kevin-Monahan]

rmartin215 wrote:

Where do you get your info?

Hi martin215,

We announced it in another thread.

Thanks,

Kevin

[John T Smith]

>AVCHD files will never be supported by Adobe

I use PPro 5.0.3 to edit AVCHD from a Canon Vixia HFS100 with zero problems... of course, I am a home hobbyist shooting short family clips that I combine on the timeline, so I currently have no experience with >4Gig "spanned" clips

A program bug is not the same thing as "will never be supported"

I do not work for Adobe so I have NO idea what source code changes were made between CS5-CS5.5-CS6 but my understanding is that CS6 added new features, and new codec support, so finding a bug is very likely going to take time