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P2 errors in FCP
We are producing a major comedy series for danish national broadcast “DR2”
We are using:Panasonic ajx 900 camera, FCP 5,04 and 3 system identical g4 laptops,lots of 250gb/1tb lacie hd, PCD10 memory card drive, 20 8gb cards.
Random errors are accuring in FCP ingested video material(not in camera playback). Drop outs in quite large squared pixels ?
This has resulted in double ingest (lots of gb -
12 Replies
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My bets are that you have something in FCP that is not set up properly as FCP has been rock solid in P2 SD for more than a year. Trash your preferences, start over. I have never heard of such problems in SD. The only time I have heard of block errors is when the NLE and what is on the card is not in sync and that was in HD, and was quickly corrected by matching things up.
Good Luck,
Jan
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There have been some instances of random Green Flash frames happening when ‘importing’ via the pcmia slot on Powerbooks directly into FCP. To get around this happening we are being advised to copy the p2 cards to the HDD before importing to FCP.
Best
John Chater -
Uh ? Yet more transfer time, we cant do that. Simply dont have the time/manpower.
We are shooting 40-50 gb material every day + 10 gb sound that has to be merged with the p2 shots.
We are backing up the material 3 times one for the pre editor one for the editor and one for the closet(safe). Further transfer time will kill us.And for Jan we have thrashed the prefs file and im sorry to say it didnt solve the problem. 🙁
Help! 🙂
system:
1ghz power pc g4 cpu 1,1 (powerbook5,2)
768 mb ram
osx 10.4.3Final cut 5.04
DVCPRO-PAL 48khz anamorphicCam
DVCPRO25 25p 16/9
8gb P2 cardsPCD 10 cardreader
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Double check your camera settings that you are in DVCPRO and not DVCPRO50. If it is not that, try another post over in the FCP savvy forum. I think Gary is on vacation for the next couple of weeks so I am not sure how often he is going to dial in.
Unfortunately I have virtually 0 experience in PAL.
Sorry,
Jan
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Hey Jan.
Thanks for the very fast response, yes im sure im shooting dvcpro.Please where can I get some help.
Im producing for the national danish television, DR TV, like BBC but only for 5,5 million people.(And no I dont do silly cartoons about Muhammed)But DR TV have decided to base the P2 camera system (40 cameras) on Avid, so I have no support from DR TV or Panasonic Denmark or Apple/FCP.
If you have any suggestions where to get help you are more than welcome.
Our series is a very high profile programme. We are breaking every rating/viewer amount when we are producing a new show so im very keen to get help. We are having a break in production for five weeks I hope we can solve the problems before next production period, otherwise i will have to go back to tape, but the same camera. Panasonic cameras are incredible.
Money shouldent be a problem.Thanks Jesper Jon
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Hi folks,
I’ve got a SPX800, and working with FCP, laptop G4 was never a Problem. I remember the first FCP 5, which only took DVCPo50 and not the other codecs like 25 or DV. With the first update on FCP these codecs work just fine. If you don’t have the problem in the camera or control monitor playing the clips, then you are save copying the whole cards (not through FCP) onto a firewire volume. let’s say a LaCie. Go over FW800. From this volume import the files into FCP through P2 import. Don’t use the PCMI slot in the laptop. I don’t know how the P2 drive works, because I plug in the camera, set the camera into USB modus, plug the camera in the laptop over usb and transfer the Files through final cut. This method works. You should start a test with this, because it shows you whether the files are corrupt or you’ve just a problem transfering them. Take one P2 card, record bars for let’s say 2 Minutes in DVCPro. Switch the card on save protection, put camera into usb mode, plug in USB in Laptop, open FCP, trandfer file, play file in FCP and see how it looks. Same procedure again whith DVCPro50 and DV. DV is as good as DVCPro. By the way why don’t you shoot on DVCPro 50? If these files are okay, the problem lies in the p2 card reader. If you have a problem with the files coming dirctly out of the camera, you have to check your camera software! Perhaps your camera runs on an old camera software version.
How do you transfer the files exactly and on which camera software are you?
good luck Rainer
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another thing to test: Switch off the 25p. As it’s for TV why shoot on 25 p? If you want this you could do it in the post. Try to switch it off, go step by step to locate the problem.
Rainer
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Hi Yogifilm,
just tested the different files. I’ve got a SPX 800, went straight with USB from the camera into the computer. Codec DVCPro 25/25p 16:9 8GB P2 cards. No problems.
I use FCP5.0.4, OSX 4.5
The 25p setting in the camera has two options interlace and Program. Use interlace. Check your camera software and your camera settings. I think this might be your problem. If you want you can call me, and we go through your camera settings.Rainer
+49 0177-2156086
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Hey Rainer.
Thank you
“I use FCP5.0.4, OSX 4.5
The 25p setting in the camera has two options interlace and Program(progressive). Use interlace.”Im shooting interlaced. Because its for tv.
Im shooting in 25p to keep the original resolution dont want to compress unnessererely in post.
I want to shoot in cinema2 mode because of the softness of the gamma curve, again to minimize the grading in post.The errors are random if you via FCP/PDC10 ingest the same take twise, the errors are not nessecerely in the same frames or at all.
Im not shooting in DVCPRO50 because of the amount of material we are shoting, cant handle double up of gbs. I would then be over 100gb material every day in 8 weeks thats 4 tb, times 3: one backup, two for the editors. thats 12tb. Thats very time consuming. If I have to transfer the raw cards aswell, wow!!!
Then I also have to merge the sound files with the video files it all takes time that we simply dont have.Maybe we are handelig it all wrong but if the errors werent there the workflow we are using is cool.
As it is today we are using around 2-3 hours a day to ingest/backup/merge, this again would mean doubble up in time if we shoot in DVCPRO50.I use
3x 1ghz power pc g4 cpu 1,1 (powerbook5,2)
768 mb ram
osx 10.4.3
250gb lacie disks 800 firewire
1tb lacie disks 800 firewireFinal cut 5.04
DVCPRO-PAL 48khz anamorphicCam
ajx 900
DVCPRO25 25p 16/9 interlaced.
8gb P2 cardsPCD 10 cardreader
Fostex pd50
LG DVDRAM reader.Jesper Jon
+4526805020
DRTVThank you for responding.
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You are very low on ram in your powerbooks getting more may help
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