Final Cut Pro 5 : Capturing HDV creates new clips at scene breaks

When you capture HDV footage, Final Cut Pro can automatically create new clips and corresponding media files each time it detects a scene or timecode break. This behavior is slightly different from the way it handles DV footage.

When you capture DV, Final Cut Pro can detect scene breaks after capture if you select the clip and choose Mark > DV Start/Stop Detect.

When you capture HDV, Final Cut Pro automatically generates a new media file at the point of each scene break. The chosen option in the On timecode break pop-up menu determines how timecode breaks affect the capture; Final Cut Pro disregards the Warn After Capture option to avoid capturing media files that contain breaks in the middle of an MPEG-2 GOP (Group of Pictures).

To determine how scene and timecode breaks are handled when you capture HDV:

1. Choose Final Cut Pro > User Preferences, then click the General tab.
2. Choose one of the following options (described below) from the On timecode break pop-up menu:
   
   Make New Clip
   This is the default option. Whenever Final Cut Pro detects a scene or timecode break during capture, it finishes writing the current media file to disk and then begins capturing a new media file. It also creates a corresponding clip for each new media file in the Browser. To ensure that all new media files and clips have unique names, it appends a number to the filename of each new media file and clip generated by scene and timecode break detection.
   
   For example, let's say that you're capturing a media file named "Cafe Wide Shot," and Final Cut Pro detects a scene or timecode break. At the break detection point, Final Cut Pro begins capturing a new media file named "Cafe Wide Shot-1." If there is already a media file named "Cafe Wide Shot-1," the new media file is named "Cafe Wide Shot-2," and so on.
   
   Abort Capture
   If you choose this option, Final Cut Pro stops capture immediately when it detects a timecode break. All media captured before the timecode break has frame-accurate timecode, and is preserved. Final Cut Pro saves the resulting media files and places the corresponding clips in the Browser.
   
   Warn After Capture
   When you capture HDV, this option behaves identically to the Abort Capture option.

This document contains information from the "HD and Broadcast Formats" PDF included with Final Cut Pro.