FCPX 10.0.6 import issue with DVC PRO HD files shot on HVX200

I am having a weird issue when importing DVCPRO HD material shot on an HVX200.
The footage is shot in 1080 24pa mode. When the footage is scrubbed in the import window
it looks great. However, after import the footage is terribly interlaced, choppy and the audio doesn't match up.
What's really weird is when you import the footage, if you grab it quickly from the event
folder and drop it on the timeline, it plays back perfectly. But once it's done it's import
procedure and the little clock/pie icon finishes, the clip gets choppy and interlaced.
It seems like the problem starts right after Final Cut wraps the .mxf file.
I've imported hundreds of hours of this exact footage into 10.0.5 with zero problems.

So what has changed?? Am I missing something? A tab or a new check box??
I've tried to import footage shot in 24p as well as 24pa both have the same issues.
I love FCPX and even this update is great, but with this problem it is unusable for
me at the moment.
Anybody else having this issue?

I made a video of the problem. If Someone could take a look
I would be grateful

FCPX import issue video

Also the footage in the video is from a short that I've already edited in the previous version of FCPX with out a single issue.

Also I have just done a clean install of Mountain Lion and a new install of 10.0.6
Same problem exists.

iMac is Mid 2011
2TB internal
Processor 3.4 GHz Intel Core i7
Memory 16 GB 1333 MHz DDR3
Graphics AMD Radeon HD 6970M 2048 MB
OSX Mountain Lion 10.8.2

Could be your running Events and Project off the system drive, which can cause that. The data streams for the OS and apps can bog down when you introduce the various video and audio streams needed for playback and editing. Move all Events and Projects to a secondary drive. Like an external FW800 7500rmp drive.

What are the project settings?

Hey Ben,

Thanks for the reply. I keep my projects and events on an external FW800 Lacie drive.
So that's not the problem. Also as I mentioned the footage in the video is from a
project I've already edited in the previous version of FCPX without an issue.
This is definitely a 10.0.6 problem.
This exact same clip imports and plays fine in 10.0.5.
Are you able to import this type of file in FCPX 10.0.6 without this issue?

The project settings are on automatic they are set based on the first clip.

My question is, why does FCPX play this clip fine when it is initially put into events, but as soon as the HUD says that the "import" is complete it turns to crap.

This never happened to this exact same clip, exact same hardware configuration in 10.0.5.

Also I can fire up FCPX 10.0.5 right now, import this exact same clip and everything looks great and runs fine.

**update**

ok so here is a video I just made importing
the exact same clip into FCPX 10.0.5

VIDEO - 10.0.5 clip Import

No interlaced video smooth playback sound is in sync.

What are your playback preference settings? Aside from that, I'm not really sure what is happening. Fill out the feedback page!

Alright, so anyone searching this forum and having this same problem. This is for you.
(I really can't believe there aren't more people complaining about this bug)
I contacted Apple and they are aware of the issue. They are working on a fix for it.
Their work around is to uncheck the remove pulldown check box.
This actually brings the footage in at the wrong frame rate, so not much of a work around.
The true work around is to wait until the next update I guess.
At least they are trying to fix it. Which is good i guess.

KenW wrote: Alright, so anyone searching this forum and having this same problem. This is for you.
(I really can't believe there aren't more people complaining about this bug)
I contacted Apple and they are aware of the issue. They are working on a fix for it.
Their work around is to uncheck the remove pulldown check box.
This actually brings the footage in at the wrong frame rate, so not much of a work around.
The true work around is to wait until the next update I guess.
At least they are trying to fix it. Which is good i guess.

I to have been having this issue with my P2 Footage coming in from my HVX200a, and i've tried on a few different computers both brand new and old and recreated the same problem on each one, tried removing the pull down and it kept doing the same thing as when I didn't remove the pull down as well, I've made apple aware of the issue as well, I hope the next update comes fast, I hate having to round trip my P2 Import through FCP7, then into X to get them to work right.

Well, you are absolutely correct about that with DVCPRO HD 1080 footage. I haven't tried all frame rates but I did just now test this with footage I had from over a year ago shot on a 200A (1080 24pa) and indeed once the transcode timer is done the clip is toast. Audio plays back about 1 to 2 seconds late. The data did correctly show the frame rate to be 23.98 both in the inspector from a timeline clip and in the event browser.

I'll need to test this further with 30p because I am supposed to shoot the next few segments of a recruitment video for a hockey team that is planned to be filmed in 1080 30p.
REPORT TO APPLE IMMEDIATELY !

Ok, so this might be the final word on this for a while.
I got an email back from someone on the Final Cut Pro development team about this issue.
Here it is...


Hello Ken,

Thanks for reaching out again and sharing the information from Noah (another FCPX tech). I have tested and got the same results you did. The issue is under investigation with Apple engineering. When and how this will be fixed is a better question for Noah, but I imagine a software update could resolve the issue.

At this point, I would experiment further with a workaround. Perhaps, converting the footage prior to import into Final Cut Pro X.

Thanks,

Shaun
Apple


So...not much help. A very time consuming work around as well. I have experimented with this work around and have not yet been able to make it work.
I have tried importing the footage into Adobe Premiere which I have on another Mac.
Premiere allows the footage to be exported back into native P2 format after the proper pulldown has been removed. I've done this before and it has worked like a charm.
So far no matter what I do to the footage before importing back into FCPX it still gets messed up.
I guess I could go from DVC PRO to Pro Res and then bring in those Pro Res files and go from there. What a waste of time though.
So stupid that something that worked perfectly fine before the update would get so messed up.

I think it is related to the ADVANCED pulldown, but you may have done more testing on this than I did.
I can confirm that 1080 30p (framerate 29.97) DVCPRO HD works just fine. Thankfully, as I will be filming in this format Friday night.