I think some clarification may be needed.
iMovie '08 uses the Apple Intermediate Codec and the DV container as
it's native format. This is because iMovie needs frame-level access to
your material, i.e. every frame needs to be able to be accessed by the
editor independently. Almost all consumer cameras use a content-
delivery (or 'transport stream') format for their files, normally some
form of mpeg. They are designed to be shown quickly, easily and take
up as little space as possible given the quality required - ease of
editing is not in the design. It's not possible to access each frame,
most frames only store the information about how they differ from the
previous one.
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301599>
Many cameras will also mix in the audio track with the video (called a
'muxed' track) which means it has to be 'de-muxed' when you import it
to iMovie. It's therefore almost certain that whatever you plug in to
iMovie will get converted when clips are imported. The AVCHD format is
no exception. You would need to get a tape-based DV (or DVC) camera or
an equivalent HD camera or an external recorder like the FireStore to
approach recording in a 'native' file format.
<http://www.focusinfo.com/solutions/fs-5.asp>
An interesting discussion about iMovie and formats which may help to
explain formats:
<http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1092615>
Note that Sony cameras require an Intel mac (and Leopard and iMovie
'08) in order to import AVCHD clips. Apple has this to say on the
subject:
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1014>
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1793>
and here's a video showing the import process:
<http://www.vimeo.com/1271070>
Hope that helps!
---john---
