Originally Posted by sinclair

I have had the experience of going from a MAC to a PC and being confused by the work flow and the OS so I know all to well the frustration of getting used to a new OS. I am still baffled by how many mouse clicks it takes to get a task done in Windows based OS compared to MAC's, but eventually I got the hang of it.



Mac is set up to rely on creating an ALIAS, which does as suspected creates an alias of your file in question which conserves storage space. Once you get used to the work flow it makes sense to have the original file and ALIAS' that link to that file.




If you are using anything other than Final Cut 6 or below this is true. With FC6 you do not need another app, you need to "ingest" the AVCHD footage using the LOG and Transfer window. This effectively translates the AVCHD to a MAC codec, typically Apple Intermediate Codec (AIC) or Apple Pro Res. Both of these are less processor intensive and allow for editing AVCHD footage in real time. Rumor is you will be able to edit AVCHD in real time starting with Final Cut 7.

If you would like to view AVCHD footage on your MAC you can use VLC Media PLayer (which is a free download)



You can change this in your system preferences

Sinclair