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“unsupported media”
I just had a scare that turned out fine, but raised several questions for me, regarding XDCAM files.
I’m in the last days of editing (FCP7) a 20-minute video that I have been shooting and editing since July. One shot on the timeline somehow became corrupted in the last week. FCP simply stopped playback and said “General Error.”
When I went back to the camera original files (on my RAID) to re-transfer the shot, FCP Log & Transfer refused to import the folder in which that shot appeared, with the message: “{foldername} contains unsupported media or has an invalid directory structure. Please choose a folder whose directory structure matches supported media.”
This shot played perfectly on the timeline for several months!
I went back to my backups of the camera original files, which were on two separate hard drives. Results from drive 1: same as from RAID. Results from drive 2: successful transfer. The difference was that I dragged-and-dropped the copy to drive 1, and I used the Sony utility (ClipBrowser) to make the copy to drive 2.
This episode raises several questions for me:
1. If I hadn’t had the good backup, could I have done anything with the “unsupported media”?
2. I always use ShotPutPro or Sony ClipBrowser to copy from the SxS cards to hard drive(s); should I be using those programs to make my second-generation copies, i.e. from my RAID to my backup hard drives as well? It certainly seems to have been the case in this instance.
3. Another question: is there something inherently fragile or unstable about the BPAV files? I’m considering moving to Adobe Premiere Pro or some other NLE that will edit “native” files. But are formats like ProRes 422 more stable and robust than the native files? iow is it a blessing in disguise to be forced to transfer from native to ProRes?
Thanks – eager to hear what you think.
Bob C
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10 Replies
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Well Bob, quite a salutary lesson, Craig will say “I’m always telling you so”. I have to confess I only drag and drop my BPAV files but realise that Clip Browser should be used. No problem to date but sod’s law being what it is…….!
I always convert my native EX media to ProRes HQ 422 on import to my NLE (Media 100) and everyone agrees that it’s a great codec. Robust, good quality and very economic as far as drive space goes.
Michael Slowe
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[Michael Slowe] “Clip Browser should be used.”
Absolutely! It may have bailed me out in this case. But I think your practice of transferring everything to ProRes may be even more important.
The “lesson” here is: Use Clip Browser every time you copy a BPAV folder. My question is whether there is an additional lesson: don’t edit natively.
So, to summarize:
July, 2011:
SxS Card->ClipBrowser->RAID->FCP Log & Transfer->ProRes 422. All files transferred into FCP.
BPAV on RAID->ClipBrowser->Backup Drive 1.
BPAV on RAID->drag-and-drop->Backup Drive 2.August-November, 2011: editing proceeds, all clips are good.
late November, 2011:
Clip 43 suddenly becomes unplayable inside FCP.
FCP refuses to open anything on BPAV from either RAID or Backup Drive 2.
Clip Browser sees every file on RAID and Backup Drive 2, except Clip 43.
FCP successfully imports BPAV, including Clip 43, from Backup Drive 1.December, 2011: FCP imports BPAV, including Clip 43, from Backup 1 and Backup 2, and all except Clip 43 from the RAID.
I suspect that this whole situation could be due to problems I’m having with my RAID. But the question remains: does the complexity of the BPAV folder make native file editing less reliable than transferring to ProRes 422? If success in native-land relies on several different files for each clip ALL being good, doesn’t it stand to reason that a single ProRes file has a better chance of not becoming corrupted?
Thanks for any insights!
Bob C
{Interesting additional info: This morning, FCP opened the BPAV folders from Backup 1 and Backup 2, seeing every clip (INCLUDING Clip 43), and also opened the BPAV folder (EXCEPT Clip 43) from the RAID. The day before, FCP had refused to open the BPAV folders from RAID and Backup 1 at all.}
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Hi All
I have been successfully using log and transfer with FCP on my Mac Pro with Snow Leopard for a couple of years, having installed the Sony plug in.
I just bought a MacBook Pro which comes with Lion. I installed FCP and it is working well, but I need to use log and transfer to import some EX files. I installed the plug in, but I am also getting the message
“BPAV” contains unsupported media or has an invalid directory structure. Please choose a folder whose directory structure matches supported media.
I’ve installed the latest version of the plug in (which supports Lion) but it still refuses to work.
For info, I always drag and drop my BPAV folders and have never had a problem. I dragged the same folder into the Mac Pro and it worked immediately. Anyone got any ideas please?
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Try Sony’s Clip Browser software – free, and it does the error checking which you may need. You should be using it, even if you’ve been fortunate with drag-and-drop.
As to why drag-and-drop works on the MacPro but not the MacBookPro, these errors are pretty random with drag-and-drop. You would have to repeat that experiment quite a few times to determine whether what you’re seeing is random or symptomatic of something wrong with the MBP.
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Roadkil’s Unstoppable Copier might be a useable program for file transfer. It does error correction and recovers bad sectors. Best of all it’s free. https://www.roadkil.net/program.php?ProgramID=29
Bob
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Thanks for that Bob. I will investigate the Sony clip browser, however, I have just done a quick test and I am certain that drag and drop is not the problem in this instance.
To clarify, when using FCP on the MacBook Pro, the file giving the problem is stored on the internal drive. It was copied with simple drag and drop from the directly inserted SDHC card.
Now, I just opened FCP on the Mac Pro and it read this file perfectly from the MacBook Pro over my domestic network. To me that means the file is okay.
On the other hand, FCP on the MacBook Pro gives the same error trying to read any other of my working EX BPAV files on my network – so I’m convinced the fault is somewhere in the MacBook Pro / Lion / FCP setup.
Recap: Brand new MBP with Lion, full FCS installed, XDCAM_Transfer_2_13_0 installed, all running well except in log and transfer, it says the (BPAV) file “contains unsupported media…” etc..
Any thoughts welcome!
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Additional info to above. I was able to read the BPAV file perfectly from XDCAM transfer and browser software on the MacBook. The file is obviously fine, so something must to be missing in FCP.
When I open XDCAM Transfer app, it says the XDCAM Drive software, S x S Driver and FAM driver were missing.
I downloaded and installed the FAM driver, but this has made no difference.
I don’t write to SxS so I don’t think this would help.
I can’t find a separate XDCAM Driver at the Sony site anyway.
Sony say it is installed with XDCAM Transfer, but this appears not to be the case.However, they also state that Mac OS 10.4.7 onwards is capable of reading the files without this driver anyway.
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Wow. Interesting problem! I’d love to know the answer.
Perhaps you don’t have the right Sony utility installed on the MBP. I’m sure someone more expert than I can weigh in on this, but the Sony software can be confusing, with similar names meaning very different functions. The most recent installation file I see on my system is
“XDCAM_EX_Log_and_Transfer_Plug_In_1_2_0.dmg”. Your version seems different. Is it correct? Or perhaps I’m just not able to find the most recent version I’ve installed.Failing that: Will the MBP read ANY BPAV folders? You say it won’t read anything over the network – what about a locally-installed BPAV folder?
SDHC cards have been the subject of many posts here – could that be part of the problem?
In my experience, FCP will bomb out before Clip Browser will. When FCP has given me the same “unsupported media” message, I’ve discovered that Clip Browser will open all but the problematic clip(s). That at least narrows it down. Then, using Clip Browser, I’m able to copy the folder, minus the bad clip, and FCP will open that copied BPAV folder. (It still won’t see the bad clips, because Clip Browser didn’t copy them.)
Also try Clip Browser on the Mac Pro, same thing. It sounds as though Clip Browser on the Mac Pro should see the entire BPAV folder. Make a clean, new copy of the entire BPAV folder on the Mac Pro, and see whether FCP on the MBP will read the copied BPAV folder.
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Thanks again Bob. I’m sure it’s not the BPAV folder itself, because XDCAM Transfer and XDCAM Browser see it fine right away on MBP.
After further reading, I realise that from inside FCP I can use File > Import > XDCAM Transfer, then browse / mark in & Out / import all EX files, which is just as easy as using Log and Transfer. This includes recognising the BPAV it didn’t like in Log and Transfer.
It’s only one command different and it works, but I’m still curious! Now I still have to figure out a way to Log and Transfer Canon video files from a 600D, where they changed the format since the 60D (no thumbnails). Still, at least I’m not having to use Final Cut X,,,
Best regards
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I’ve seen this problem discussed in previous threads and sometime the problem can be traced to the simple act of dragging and dropping inside the Finder instead of doing it in the Sony software. IIRC, the Mac OS will write some hidden files either into the card or into the destination folder to help it keep track of the files you’re moving. This might (MIGHT) be the root of your issues, but I’m not sure. Regardless, you should always use Clip Browser or XDCAM Browser with the CRC checkbox enabled.
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