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ATTN NATE & XDCAM-GUY
Thanks for your help on the previous posts. I’m hitting a brick wall with some things, maybe one of you has some pointers or something I’m obviously missing.
Let me give you a quick breakdown of our facility’s work flow:
-Field and studio cameramen all shoot to XDCAM.
-When they return from the field, we put the proxies on portable USB drives for our producers. We don’t use the PDZ software to create the proxies for this as the producers don’t need metadata…we just simply drag and drop the “SUB” folder from a mounted XDCAM disc onto the corresponding producer’s portable USB drive and label the folder TAPE 1 PROXIES (for example). The producer takes his/her hard drive back to their PC, plugs it in and simply uses Sony’s “VIEWER” software to watch the footage. This way they have accurate TC and can transcribe/log the footage in Word.
This has been a flawless and smooth process so far, but now we have a problem:
Some producers, especially our freelancers, use Mac.
We are trying to come up with a Mac friendly means of viewing proxies, but we cannot.
-We have tried CatDV (which is an AMAZING program by the way), but once you lift the hood on that program, it’s engine requires a VERY pricy FLIP 4 MAC XDCAM codec. So CATDV ain’t happening. (Or we are at least afraid to plunk down thousands on CATDV and F4M licenses as we don’t know if Sony will come out with a free MAC viewer sometime soon.)
-We got the idea in our head to try XDCAM Transfer as a standalone install on the producer’s computers: it has TC, easy controls and all the info they’d need. We installed the software on a FCP-less Mac, dropped in the HD FCP codec that Nate recommended into the /library/quicktime folder, attached our portable USB and imported the proxies-nothing. We got metadata (tc, duration, aspect ratio etc), but no audio or picture. I’m assuming that while XDCAM Transfer doesn’t need FCP (as long as you have FCP’s codec) to function, it DOES need to see both the hi-res and sub clips to function. With that said, our whole PROXIES-folder-on-the-portable-USB-drive won’t be seen by XDCAM TRANSER.
-I think one of you suggested making QT’s out of the proxies in XDCAM TRANSFER. I was REALLY hoping this would work, but no luck. The QT’s exported fine and played back fine, but upon opening the MOVIE INFO window, while it DID display a running TC, it was completley different than the actual QC. It wasn’t off a few frames, it wasn’t even the same hour.
So, I’m absolutely baffled at what to try next. Maybe you guys have an idea I haven’t thought of yet?
Thanks in advance for any ideas you may have!
-T
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10 Replies
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[Proper Modulation] ” We installed the software on a FCP-less Mac, dropped in the HD FCP codec that Nate recommended into the /library/quicktime folder, attached our portable USB and imported the proxies-nothing. We got metadata (tc, duration, aspect ratio etc), but no audio or picture. I’m assuming that while XDCAM Transfer doesn’t need FCP (as long as you have FCP’s codec) to function, it DOES need to see both the hi-res and sub clips to function.
I’ve had the Transfer software see individual proxy MXFs before. I think the problem is the Mac you chose probably didn’t have it’s Quicktime up to date and was missing the MPEG4 codec. Proxies are MPEG4.
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Standing to attention 😉
So… if you ask XDCAM Transfer to add a lonely Sub folder, it shows placeholders for all the clips but doesn’t show the proxies or thumbnails. Doh!
It does let you import those “clips” and as you discovered you get proxy movies you can play in QT player. Unfortunately, as was said in a previous thread, even though the movie contains a correct timecode track, QT player always shows time running from 00:00:00.00 (and that also seems to be hundredths of a second rather than frames).
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Thanks Nate-
I’m stil baffled. I have QT Pro V7.1.3 installed and I cannot see a standalone .MXF/Proxy.
This MPEG4 codec….what is it called? It should be installed as a result of having QTPro7, but I don’t see anyything that resembles it in the library folder..
-T
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I’m actively following this thread as doing exactly this on a Mac is now top of my wish list.
Alan
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What are you using to view the clips via PC? The “Proxy Viewer” software works for me for the method you descrive, but you have to open clips one by one. Tedious, when you have several hundred, especially if you just want to shuttle through the good parts.
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I’m using the same viewer software you mentioned…..I’m seeking Mac software however.
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It appears my post didn’t come across as intended. 🙂
I’m using the Proxy software you mentioned. I like it, but I can only do one clip at a time, and I want to be able to… at the end of c0007, go to c0008 without having to File->Open->C0008. Is there a way to do that?
As for your PC problem… I have no solution. Videotechnics.com may have a PC solution next year, but for $495 a pop. Yowza.
Also, I talked to their sales guy today, who said “January ’07” like I say to my wife “yeah, I’ll paint the bathroom, this weekend for sure”. Also, he didn’t seem convinved there was even a need for such a thing.
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Using the PDZ-1 software to view clips should make for a faster experience. You can just click on the clips instead of having to do a whole drop down menu procedure.
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PDZ-1 seems to want me to connect to a deck, which I do not have on this box. Just the thumbdrive with the SUB folder, as you describe.
How do you work around this?
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In order for the PDX to work the way it was intended, you will need a deck or camera to export it’s material thru the PDZ software onto the drive. You can’t just drag and drop the sub folder and use the PDZ that way.
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