Sony a7 iii 4k Video Editing - XAVC Codec

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I'm sure someone must have come across this, it seems the only 4k file format/codec option when videoing 4k on the Sony a7 iii is to use the XAVC format, however this seems to be a proprietary Sony format (trying to bring the footage into After Effects)

Reading this document https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/support/articles/00252089 (and associated links) it seems you need to have a Sony Catalyst Prepare subscription to be able to do anything with this format?? I have tried Handbrake hoping that there was support to be able to convert it, but that doesn't work either.

Anyone able to give any advice? thanks
 
Have you tried the free catalyst version? (Browse maybe?)

Are you a Mac user, Final Cut supports it apparently.
 
Also have you tried FFMPEG (if you know it)? Quick search and I see XAVC mentioned in patches.

I can give it a go tomorrow maybe. Curious too as I have video from my A7Cii I’ve not looked at yet.
 
the_accidental said:
Also have you tried FFMPEG (if you know it)? Quick search and I see XAVC mentioned in patches.

I can give it a go tomorrow maybe. Curious too as I have video from my A7Cii I’ve not looked at yet.
Click to expand...
Thanks

If FFMPEG supports it then Handbrake should work (I’m not sure how old the version I have, but it uses FFMPEG)

Not looked at Browse, maybe that may do it (it’s implied that Browse is view only though)

The Sony Catalyst website implies there is also a free version of Prepare, however it doesn’t appear to exist.
 
Have you tried Davinci Resolve with the files? It looks like it should be able to transcode the video into something suitable you can use elsewhere, opinions seem mixed on whether the free version of Resolve will work with the files on Windows but apparently should work on the Apple operating system.

I've used Resolve with my A9 in the past and looking at the settings it also appears to be limited to XAVC
 
So a quick look on my Cii and it's set on XAVC HS but just seems to produce MP4 container HEVC files which aren't that unusual, easily handled nearly everywhere (including QuickTime)

But looking here: https://helpguide.sony.net/ilc/1720/v1/en/contents/TP0001653153.html

Seems like the A7ii is just 4k h264 in MP4?

What is XAVC S?​

Records movies in high definition such as 4K by converting them into MP4 movies using the MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 codec.


XAVC S 4K:Bit-rate: Approx. 100 Mbps or approx. 60 Mbps
Records movies in 4K resolution (3840×2160).
Click to expand...

That's nothing unusual.

Which setting do you have it on? Presumably XAVC S for 4k?

What errors is After Effects giving you?

Do you have a sample very short clip you could share to test with?

(I don't have specific A7M3 experience, but I had a company that made specialist machine vision cameras so I'm more familiar than most with video encoding etc).
 
A quick google shows previous AE bugs with h264 on some machines:

community.adobe.com

Unable to import MP4 (H.264) files after updating to After Effects 17.0.5

After updating to After Effects 17.0.5, some users have reported that After Effects is unable to import H.264 and H.265 files. It looks like there is some confusion around this issue and I'd like to provide more clarification: H.264 and H.265 import support haven't been removed. This is a bug...
community.adobe.com community.adobe.com

Old thread, but suggestions in there about updating versions of AE, issues with other system codecs and setting cache directories correctly.
 
Ah, there are sample 4k 100Mbs XAVC S here:

Sony A7 III Review | Photography Blog

Expert review of the Sony A7 III mirrorless camera with full-size sample images, movies and more...
www.photographyblog.com www.photographyblog.com

I tried the first file - everything I have opens it fine, it's just h264 in an MP4 container. Does AE behave the same for you with that sample?
 
Disclaimer.. I’m a long time user at TP, however the A73 video question is for my sons camera (yes he did take 4k video)

I’m not sure what version of AE he was using, however the error was something like unsupported video format. I then tried Handbrake on his laptop (that I installed for him about a year ago) and that complained about a codec issue.

I then googled and googled some more, went down a few rabbit holes, and thought, it’s a pretty popular camera, someone on Talk will know!!

Thanks for the replies, really useful information and when I can pin down my son again I’ll give the above a try.
 
Update on this, he has managed to convert the format to something he can edit, however complained that the 4k high bit rate files take ages to render on his laptop (actually they were pretty fast considering)

The good news is that although I’d previously told him to use 1080p as the files are smaller and easier to work with due to the amount of processing needed, which being 18 he quickly dismissed as nonsense, he has now come to realize that while he’s playing around with the camera, 1080p is more that adequate for his current needs
 
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