If you are importing or linking to (in my experience Sony, but maybe other varieties of) AVCHD footage shot 29.97P and working in a 29.97P Project, Avid Media Composer interprets it as INTERLACED and defaults to Duplicated Field.

This gives it a blocky, less sharp look.  My work around (for the past 3 years or so) as been to LINK TO MEDIA and rough edit the clips into the sequence.  They appear in the timeline with the Little Green Dot indicating there is an effect applied.  Then I will highlight the clips in the timeline and hit "Remove Effect" or 'delete' key and then the unnecessary/stupid field duplication effect is removed and my sharp, progressive image appears.  If I need a responsive timeline (which is most of the time), I will then transcode that timeline and have it create DNxHD files on my media drive.

(Major bummer: if you import the files you cannot 'undo' the improper field interpolation and looking in "Source Settings" Avid doesn't even give you the option to see these AVCHD files as progressive, you are locked in to Interlaced video)

And I'm not dealing with consumer level cameras.  These AVCHD files are coming off of the FS700 (and FS100)

TWO QUESTIONS:

Is anyone else experiencing this issue?

Why hasn't Avid found a way to interpret these properly through Source Settings or on Import? (or have they?) 

(I'm sure that the AVCHD files are encoded as interlaced, much like the old HDV M2T files were, but there must be a way to correctly interpret them without having to go through all these steps)  

And remember when Media Composer had a field order selection box in the import menu?  That would have been handy for this kind of situation.

Hoh:

If you are importing or linking to (in my experience Sony, but maybe other varieties of) AVCHD footage shot 29.97P and working in a 29.97P Project, Avid Media Composer interprets it as INTERLACED and defaults to Duplicated Field.

This gives it a blocky, less sharp look.  My work around (for the past 3 years or so) as been to LINK TO MEDIA and rough edit the clips into the sequence.  They appear in the timeline with the Little Green Dot indicating there is an effect applied.  Then I will highlight the clips in the timeline and hit "Remove Effect" or 'delete' key and then the unnecessary/stupid field duplication effect is removed and my sharp, progressive image appears.  If I need a responsive timeline (which is most of the time), I will then transcode that timeline and have it create DNxHD files on my media drive.

(Major bummer: if you import the files you cannot 'undo' the improper field interpolation and looking in "Source Settings" Avid doesn't even give you the option to see these AVCHD files as progressive, you are locked in to Interlaced video)

And I'm not dealing with consumer level cameras.  These AVCHD files are coming off of the FS700 (and FS100)

 

TWO QUESTIONS:

Is anyone else experiencing this issue?

Why hasn't Avid found a way to interpret these properly through Source Settings or on Import? (or have they?) 

(I'm sure that the AVCHD files are encoded as interlaced, much like the old HDV M2T files were, but there must be a way to correctly interpret them without having to go through all these steps)  

 

 

This has always been the case with all forms of AVCHD, though I wish they adjust the plugin so it gets interpreted properly - like almost any other software that works with AVCHD.

My procedure is - enable the "Field Motion" column in the bin.  Then, select all your clips, change one to "Progressive," and they'll all change.  Edit as you normally would with progressive clips - no effect will be applied.

Thank you for the workaround!  Much better than my 7 step process.  Thanks for responding and have a great day!

usatraveler:

This has always been the case with all forms of AVCHD, though I wish they adjust the plugin so it gets interpreted properly - like almost any other software that works with AVCHD.

My procedure is - enable the "Field Motion" column in the bin.  Then, select all your clips, change one to "Progressive," and they'll all change.  Edit as you normally would with progressive clips - no effect will be applied.

Very welcome - it's a holdover from a similar process with HDV tape material.  Definitely much easier, and it does exactly what you need it to do.  I like easy.