AVCHD formats through FCE4

I am considering purchasing a JVC GZ-HD10 High Definition Camcorder which records all its file on the camera to AVCHD format. I read on the Apple website that Final Cut Express 4 (the $200 version) can fully work with the AVCHD format just like a normal .mov extension file.

I have been using Apple computers for about 2.5 years, I have a Power Mac G5 (right before they switched to Intel chips, the dual 2.0Ghz processors) at home 3 hours away and also a MacBook Pro (2.4Ghz, 2GB RAM) here at school. I have plenty of confidence in my processor on my laptop to be capable of working with the FCE4 program and AVCHD files but my question is will the quality of video be as high as if I were to edit the video on my G5?

Also, are there any other video editing programs for Mac that allow me to edit AVCHD that are actually worth researching? I hear Sony Vegas can work with it and maybe Adobe Premier Pro (??) but Sony runs on PC and APP is $700, way out of my price range.

Any help is appreciated, thanks.

I'm having some trouble with iMovie actually using the settings I want in my output files, but I was thinking about FCE for my Canon HG-10 (also ACVHD). It seems like it is one of the top choices for Mac + ACVHD according to online reviews. I've been using a newish macbook for my Imovie processing and it seems to do just fine. I'm interested in what people think of FCE as well.

you can work with AVCHD on iMovie HD?

if thats the case, i like iMovie a lot already.

I'm using iMovie 08 with my AVCHD files. Seems to work nicely so far.

AVCHD is converted when iMovie or Final Cut fetches the content from the camera. They do not edit it in it's native format.

The FCE specs say that an Intel Mac is required to handle AVCHD files. To get AVCHD to work with your G5, you need VoltaicHD.

The G5 will be fine for editing, but the better the video card, the better the performance for some things. See the specs.

Hi all,

First post on here so please go easy on me. On the same thread.... (I hope?)
I am looking to buying an iMac for the following.

I have a Sony HDR SR1 which uses the AVCHD format. I want to make home movies/snowboarding movies in this format. My question is this... I know that FCE 4 supports this format but will I be able to burn to a Blue ray disc and then play on a Blue ray player?

kind regards jonyfoz

Not with FCE, although you can likely edit the content.

Toast 9 is suppose to have some Blue-Ray burning capability, as does Adobe Premier.

You may be interested in the Bruce Nazarian article.

hey thanks

for your help xstep