-
G4 powerbook useless to EX-1 user?
A clarification of what one can do with a G4 powerbook and an EX-1 would be great. Otherwise it seems that built into the cost of an EX-1 is a macbook pro or alot of sxs cards.
I think that because it won’t handle final cut 6 and xdcamtransfer, you cannot really “transfer” the video onto the G4 powerbook as .mov, but only drag it on as an unusable store. This Bpav folder would need to be put back onto the camera and then recaptured on at least a G5 capable of fcp6 and xdcamextrans, true?
In short, is it true that the G4 is relatively useless to the EX-1 user?
longing for PRO CLARION CLARITY ON THIS!
Thanks, Hilary -
15 Replies
-
You can certainly import those BPAV folders once you copy to something else. It doesn’t have to be back to the SxS card at all. I’m not sure where you getting that those BPAVs can’t be imported. You’d have to hook up that G4 to another computer though so it would see the hard drive.
The G4 will have SLOW USB transfer speed from the camera though but it can work as a portable storage device. You might even be able to play back the clips with VLC but I can imagine it would stress the CPU. VLC doesn’t seem to need the EX codec installed to play back the MP4 source files.
Apparently you did read my other post to you about BPAV
https://forums.creativecow.net/readpost/142/857319 -
My darling Craig,
thank you for your help, and please forgive my inability to stitch it all together: Is this correct order of opps then for the low budget EX-1 and Powerbook G4 user:“IN THE FIELD”
1) plug EX-1 into usb of power book G4 17″ or card into usb reader into usb of power book G4 17″.
2) make a series of sequentially numbered folders on the desktop
3) once the sxs card has mounted (become visible) onto the desktop, drag the BVAP folder into its own discrete numbered folder.
4) delete the BVAP folder from the card and empty the trash.
5) insert card into camera and continue recording.
“BACK AT THE STUDIO”
6) connect powerbook G4 to G5 2.5 Quad Desktop via firewire 800, and transfer the sequentially numbered folders to the archiving disk. copy again to the working disk.
7) Open XDTransfer and click “ADD DEVICE”
8) Select the first of the sequentially numbered folders !!!??????OR THE BPAV FOLDER INSIDE????!!!.
9) Repeat steps 7) & 8) for each of the sequentially numbered folders.
10) XD transfer will automatiically “import” (ie change wrapper to .mov) from these folders in the same way that it does from an sxs card in the camera, just much faster.
Is that right? could you disambiguate 8) please?
I thank you very very much for your help,
Hilary -
XDCAM Transfer and FCP6 DO work on a G4 Powerbook. I just tried it myself. Editing is sluggish and realtime is very limited (a dissolve or color-corrector will give you the orange line), but the native SP and HQ files playback fine from the timeline. So, you can import your clips from the EX thru USB, and do simple editing.
-
Dear Chris and Craig,
I forgot to ask: what operating system and quicktime do you use
I forgot to tell: The powerbook G4 in question is 1ghz and 1 gig ramI thank you, Hilary
-
[Hilary Koob-Sassen] “3) once the sxs card has mounted (become visible) onto the desktop, drag the BVAP folder into its own discrete numbered folder.
4) delete the BVAP folder from the card and empty the trash. “
If the PowerBook has DL-DVD burner and you’re using 8GB rather than 16GB cards you can burn them to DL-DVD. I guess at the time PowerBooks only had DVD burners but I’d thought I’d mention it just in case.
[Hilary Koob-Sassen] “6) connect powerbook G4 to G5 2.5 Quad Desktop via firewire 800, and transfer the sequentially numbered folders to the archiving disk. copy again to the working disk. “
If the G4 has an ethernet port that might be faster.[Hilary Koob-Sassen] “8) Select the first of the sequentially numbered folders !!!??????OR THE BPAV FOLDER INSIDE????!!!. “
Select the sequentially numbered folders. It’ll sorta see those as the containers of the BPAV folder just like the SxS card contains the folder. This is the trick to getting the XDCAM Xfer tool to seeing the contents. If you try to add the BPAV folder directly, it won’t.
BTW you should try to install VLC on the PowerBook. You might be able to see/check/screen the clips that way even if it chugs a bit on playback.
-
Mine is a 1.5 ghz with 1gb ram. I am running OS 10.4.11
-
Hmm, the XDCAM Transfer Tool docs say G5 2GHz minimum (with 1GB RAM). It also says OS 10.4.11 or later, Quicktime 7.3.1 or later. It describes those as “required” rather than suggested. Maybe Sony is being a bit “conservative” about what people can get by with.
It’s interesting to see that it will work on a G4. I wonder if the other specs can be “stretched” a bit too.
-
-
Just a bit of a heads-up for those who want to empty their SxS Pro cards by dragging the BPAV folder to the trash when using a computer: the camera may state that the card now needs to be “restored” before use. Just choose “Execute” and all will be fine. This can be done while the camera is still recording to the other card and will take less time than reformatting in-camera.
– Don
-
Hello,
how did you got the transfer tool running on the G4? I thought the transfer tool is not running on Power PC’s did that change by v.2.7?
Thanks
Sandro
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up