How to import Sony PXW-FS7 XAVC footage to Avid Media Composer

The Sony PXW-FS7 is a highly versatile camera that will appeal to a wide spectrum of independent videographers. It uses the same sensor as the Sony PMW-F5 and a lot of the camera is. It can record 4K internally on XQD cards using Sony's XAVC codec. However, you may face a problem when trying to import Sony PXW-FS7 XAVC to Avid Media Composer. In this page, we will explore an easy way to fix the Sony PXW-FS7 XAVC to Avid MC issues.

There is no doubt that the XAVC codec options with Sony PXW-FS7 are great. You can choose between I frame for easy editing or long GoP which gives a smaller file size but needs more processing power to decode. Whereas, the point is, Avid Media Composer still can't deal XAVC files. As it claims, Avid Media Composer 7 via the Sony PDZK-MA2 plugin can support XAVC, but the other versions(Avid MC 4/5/5.5/6) without the luck. If you haven't decided on a new version of Avid MC, a workaround we've figured out is to transcode XAVC clips from Sony PXW-FS7 to Avid Media Composer fully compatible format- DNxHD.

First all of, you can get Brorsoft Video Converter for Mac, which is an easy-to-use yet professional XAVC converter in Mac OS X. With it, you can effortlessly transcode Sony's new XAVC codec to DNxHD encoded MOV files, which will create an Avid MC friendly file format keeping the original quality. Besides Avid, this software can also export MPEG-2 for Adobe Premiere Pro, ProRes for Final Cut Pro, Apple InterMediate Codec for iMovie and more NLE systems for native editing. If you meet the XAVC issues on Windows, please get Video Converter. Download it and follow the guide to convert Sony PXW-FS7 footage to DNxHD.

Download the Sony XAVC Converter:

Guide: Trancoding Sony PXW-FS7 XAVC files to Avid Media Composer

Step 1: Load XAVC media

Install and launch the XAVC to Avid MC converter. Click Add button to load individual videos for converting.

Step 2: Decide output format

You just need to go to "Avid Media Composer -> DNxHD (*.mov)" as the best video format for editing Sony XAVC in Avid as well as good video quality.

Tip: You can also click Settings to fix the frame rate, bitrate, audio and video quality to your needs. And as far as we know, 4K XAVC footage is not currently supported well in Avid, downsize the video size to 1080p is a wise choice. Of course, you can stick with your 4K footage if you want.

Step 3: Start XAVC to DNxHD conversion

Hit "Convert" button to start converting Sony PXW-FS7 XAVC to DNxHD .mov. You can follow the conversion process from the pop-up windows.

After the conversion, you can import the converted Sony PXW-FS7 files to Avid Media Composer (5.5/6.0/6.5/7) for smooth playback and editing. No more worries about the Sony PXW-FS7 incompatibility with Avid Media Composer.

Related Guides:

How to Import Sony PXW-FS7 XAVC to Final Cut Pro
Sony PXW-FS7 Workflow within Adobe Premiere Pro
How to Edit Sony FDR-AX1 4K XAVC S in iMovie