Creating Avid DNX145 clips from XDCAM EX without an Avid

Avid Media Composer

Creating Avid DNX145 clips from XDCAM EX without an Avid

Posted by Scott Davis on January 28, 2011 at 4:55 am

I have a whole bunch of XDCAM EX files I need to convert into Avid compliant DNXHD145. Is there a way to do that on another machine that does not have Media Composer Installed?

Michael Kammes replied 14 years, 11 months ago 4 Members · 6 Replies
6 Replies

Shane Ross
January 28, 2011 at 6:53 am

You can’t encode to the Avid MXF format without an Avid.

Shane

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Michael Kammes
January 28, 2011 at 2:47 pm

Sorry to disagree, Shane…

There are several applications that can handle it.

On the high end…

Content Agent, by Root6 can handle Avid DNxHD encoding into an MXF wrapper. Digital Rapids Stream Z can handle it as well. Telestream’s Flip Factory *may* do it, I don’t recall 100%.

On the lower end, I believe REDCINE-X does it, too. Video Tool Sheds Offloader does it as well.

I find the best thing to do is create a DNxHD .mov that Avid can “see” as a DNxHD file, so Avid will do a FAST IMPORT – that is, only wrap it in an MXF wrapper – instead of re-transcoding the fie and still wrapping it into an MXF wrapper. I know I’ve posed this before, but this may help: https://michaelkammes.com/encoding/avid-is-self-aware-fast-import/

I feel your pain, I’d love to have an easier way for batch Avid MXF wrapping!

EDIT: Please clarify what camera was used for XDCAM EX recording. If a JVC Camera, the XDCAM EX files are .movs. If XDCAM EX MXF, then the choices listed above are reduced…Offloader, nor RECINE-X will be able to handle it.

~Michael

.: michael kammes mpse
.: senior applications editor . post workflow consultant
.: audio specialist . act fcp . acsr
.: michaelkammes.com

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Jamie Parry
February 6, 2011 at 9:43 pm

it may be possible to do this using ffmpeg or its broadcast savvy cousin ffmbc
they will both encode to dnxhd RAW (not wrapped in .mov or .mxf)
which can then be wrapped in avid friendly MXF format by writeavidmxf from the bbc’s ingex project.
I’ve done it lots from .MTS files and other weird files from “go pro” etc at work.
I wrote front end programs to do batch lists of it.
All metadata gets added and you put the MXF files in the Avid MediaFiles/MXF/1 folder and they show up in the mediatool for you to drag into a bin.
OR… if you put the MXF files in a spare folder under the Avid MediaFiles/MXF/ (ie a folder called 23 or something) , let avid index the folder then drag the .mdb fileinto a bin- all the clips appear in the bin! cool…
If you send me/post up a SMALL 30 sec sample of the media i’ll have a go and do a screencast if it works.
I do this on os x 10.5 and 10.6 but all the above components are on windows too.
the batch scripting i leave to others on XP, i never learnt to do .bat files!
jamie
Michael Kammes
June 14, 2011 at 5:37 am

Old thread, but it came up again in Google…

Jaime, I have to thank you for the MXF trick. I posted about it awhile ago: https://michaelkammes.com/avid/play-avid-mxf-for-free/ .

Bob is a great guy, isn’t he?

~Michael

.: michael kammes mpse
.: senior applications editor . post workflow consultant
.: audio specialist . act fcp . acsr
.: michaelkammes.com
.: twitter: @michaelkammes
.: facebook: /mkammes

Hear me pontificate: Speaking Schedule .
Jamie Parry
June 14, 2011 at 12:26 pm

i never did get sent any clips of this xdcam stuff!
so I don’t reaaally know if i can do it but i’m still willing to try….
Bob Kertesz is someone whose opinions i highly value (having lurked on CML for a long time) so it was great to help him out.

you’ve recently tried Alexicc that i wrote for steve shaw (alexa LUT clip thingy) But more importantly i recentlyhad the pleasure of watching your Avid 3D webcast.
Highly informative!
I think i may be able to do better than Metafuze for macs re the 3D file prepping for media composer as it stands now.
i’ve been messing with some slo mo 3d from a phantom camera, 2 images on one sensor but all wrong for avid…so i sorted it out and learned with your help what i had to do.
cheers
jamie
Michael Kammes
June 14, 2011 at 4:23 pm

Hey Jaime….

Hold off….contact me directly if ya can…?

michael AT michaelkammes DOT com.

~Michael

.: michael kammes mpse
.: senior applications editor . post workflow consultant
.: audio specialist . act fcp . acsr
.: michaelkammes.com
.: twitter: @michaelkammes
.: facebook: /mkammes

Hear me pontificate: Speaking Schedule .

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