AMA Plugin Woes (take 2)

[James Beattie]

Inside the Avid go under tools – > console

at the little command prompt type in:
list ama_plugins

all plugins should be listed if they are linking properly.

If they are not, confirm plugins are in the Libaray->Application support->Avid ->AVX2_Plugins ->AMA and make sure there are AMA plugins there.

If they are there, but not listed, then reinstall Media Composer and try again. It may be a permissions issue.

James Beattie
ACSR Elite/Avid ACI, Apple Certified Technician

Consulting for Workflow and Digital Technologies at Comprehensive Technical Group

[Daniel Schultz]

Thanks, James.
Here’s what I get in my console:

After hand-placing the plugins in the AMA folder (since the installers aren’t working), I did the console check. And the complete list of plugins showed up in the console:
AVCHD
MSP_MXF
MSP_SONY
Sphere
AVCHD MVP
MVP_CanonXF64
MVP_MSP_ARRI_MXF
AS-02 Plug-in
Ikegami
PanasonicPW
Quicktime Plug-in
RED R3D
MVP_Sony
SonyXDCAM_64bit

But when I try to connect via ama to the C300 camera files, I get the same issue.
I can only link to individual MXF files when I drill down into the folders.

My AVID was just installed about a week ago.
You think re-installing would help?

Thanks for your time and help!

Dan S.

[James Beattie]

All of the variables seem happy. Not sure what the next logical step is.

Resinstalling may help. It is clearly seeing the Canon plugin.

James Beattie
ACSR Elite/Avid ACI, Apple Certified Technician

Consulting for Workflow and Digital Technologies at Comprehensive Technical Group

[Daniel Schultz]

Okay, here’s an odd thing.

My AVID was able to read the C300 files fine when they were on the CF card.
Which is how I originally transcoded the footage (link to AMA, then transcode).

After returning the Rental camera and cards, I copied all the files from the (all folder structures totally intact) to my external HD. And since then, my AVID has not wanted to link properly to the C300 files.

So here’s the odd thing.
I plugged in an SD card with some AVCHD raw footage (Panasonic AF-100), and AMA worked perfectly fine.

Perhaps it’s something to do with needing to view the files on a card that was formatted in-camera (as both the panasonic and canon cards were), and has trouble with linking to the same files and folder structure on the external HD?

If so, I’m not sure what to do, since I do want to have access to those files after I’ve returned my rental CF cards.

Thanks!

Dan S.

[James Beattie]

Sometimes problems make no sense.

Try putting your C300 files inside another folder, then point to that root with Avid ama?

Can you use the XF utility to open the files?

https://usa.canon.com/cusa/professional/products/professional_cameras/cinema_eos_cameras/eos_c300#DriversAndSoftware

James Beattie
ACSR Elite/Avid ACI, Apple Certified Technician

Consulting for Workflow and Digital Technologies at Comprehensive Technical Group

[Daniel Schultz]

Hi James.

Thanks again for taking the time.

Okay, I tried installing the XF utility, and I get the same weird thing that happens when I try to install the XF AMA plugin: I open the installer application, a quick screen appears that says “Extracting Files…” then it goes away, and there’s no evidence that any software has been installed. There’s not screen that comes up that asks me to “agree” and install. I check applications, utilities, no XF utility in site.

Also, I tried putting my C300 files/folder structure inside a new folder and no-go.
Tried quitting, restarting, etc. Still a “no.”

Thoughts?

Again, I’m on a new MacBookPro Retina with 16gb ram.

Dan S.

[James Beattie]

Everything points to permissions.

Can you create a new Mac user with admin permissions, then log out and login as that user. Then try installing it. Or enable the root user and install it. The root would definitely do it, but that is dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing.

James Beattie
ACSR Elite/Avid ACI, Apple Certified Technician

Consulting for Workflow and Digital Technologies at Comprehensive Technical Group

[Glenn Sakatch]

I think you have two issues here.
1st, yes you have permission issues. There isn’t anything wrong with the installers, there is a setting on your computer that is not allowing them to instal.

2nd, everytime someone walks into my suite and says the c300 stuff won’t ama, i go have them show me how they are doing it. They navigate to the contents folder, click on it, then try the link. I tell them to try that again, but don’t click on the contents folder…navigate to where you see it, but are not in it.

Most times it magically works.

I find canon clips can be quite infuriating with AMA. Most times you don’t want to be in the contents folder, you want to be on the outside looking at the folder, but not activating it. Having said that, if an ama doesn’t work, the first thing i always try is different levels of folder structure. Sometimes you have to jump out one level to get it to work. (sometimes you have to jump in one level to get it to work)

Glenn

[Daniel Schultz]

Hi Glen.

So here’s what I’ve tried, and I’m still stumped.

1. Created a new user and installed the Canon XF utility as well as the AMA plugin (thinking that it would install in a root folder that AVID would recognize in my regular user).
2. Went back to my regular user, opened AVID and —argh!— no dice on Canon AMA. I tried all the things you said, backing out, going in, not clicking on the actual folder, putting the contents folder in a new folder, trying it again.

Any brave souls want to suggest a next step?

Thanks to all!

Dan S.

[David Hover]

I came across this thread earlier today when looking for an answer to the problem (MC7, Canon Ama plugin installed, no response when trying to ama link to rushes). The discussion has long gone cold, but for anyone coming up against the same problem, the solution I found was this :

When the rushes were copied to hard disk, they were placed in a folder with a date added to the name using “/” characters. Replace the / with something else like “-” and the ama link works fine.