Getting ‘spanned’ files for no apparent reason (tearing my hair out)

[Roli Rivelino]

Hi Shane,

I understand why P2 spans files across cards (I think) but I don’t get why it’s doing it with my FS-100, any ideas? And how do I resolve?

aka Newbie Wan Kenewbie. “I will get over my manualaphobia, one day at a time.”

System
Mac Pro 2.8Gb quad core
1x 320Gb 7200 hardrive
1x 1Tb 7200 hardrive
Nvidia Geforce 8800 512mb Graphics card
1x 1Tb external Seagate FreeAgent eSata

Equipment
Panasonic AG-HVX 200
Firestore FS-100

[Roli Rivelino]

You’re probably right Christopher and I think I will do this from now on, I just like to be able to use a bit of kit in all ways possible.

Also could you tell me does shooting in QT compromise quality?

aka Newbie Wan Kenewbie. “I will get over my manualaphobia, one day at a time.”

System
Mac Pro 2.8Gb quad core
1x 320Gb 7200 hardrive
1x 1Tb 7200 hardrive
Nvidia Geforce 8800 512mb Graphics card
1x 1Tb external Seagate FreeAgent eSata

Equipment
Panasonic AG-HVX 200
Firestore FS-100

[Steven Gonzales]

Quicktime is a wrapper or container. It doesn’t change the quality.

Here’s some info from Focus Enhancements’ site:

The FS-100 uses the FAT32 disk format, allowing up to 2GB of recorded video per clip. While recording, the FS-100 automatically creates a new clip when the 2GB limit is reached, ensuring that no frames are dropped. Depending on the length of your recording, you may have multiple 2GB clips.

After your recording is complete, you can go to the FS-100 Utilities menu and create a *QuickTime reference movie. This movie acts as a pointer, referencing your multiple clips to form one movie. This feature makes clip management more efficient, especially when editing—your NLE will import the reference movie as one clip.
*Because the QuickTime reference movie points to your original 2GB clips, the clips and the reference movie should always be archived together.

[Jeremy Garchow]

[Roli Rivelino] “Hi Jeremy, the Seagate is my capture scratch drive and I’ve formatted it as FAT32”

Yeah, that’s your problem. You need to be formatted Mac OS Extended.

While the P2 cards are formatted FAT32, your scratch drive should not be as you will not be able to have a file size over 4GBs. With Panasonic’s OP-Atom MXF format, the video and audio are recorded separately. In the log and transfer process, the video and audio are married together. So if you have a video file that is 4GBs and then add audio to it, it will push the file size over the 4GB barrier that is inherent to FAT32. That’s why you can’t log and transfer your longer clips.

*edit* I would recommend backing up and then reformatting your scratch drive to Mac OS Extended. You will lose all info on that drive when reformatting.

[Roli Rivelino]

Thanks for the info Steven,

I now set up the FS so it shoots in QT instead of P2 and just drag over and that seems to work fine.

As per the info from the FS site, that seemed to be describing a different technique, I was wondering what the advantages of making your P2 into QT references (I assume that’s what they mean) instead of just shooting it in QT in the first place?
Or am I still misunderstanding the process?

aka Newbie Wan Kenewbie. “I will get over my manualaphobia, one day at a time.”

System
Mac Pro 2.8Gb quad core
1x 320Gb 7200 hardrive
1x 1Tb 7200 hardrive
Nvidia Geforce 8800 512mb Graphics card
1x 1Tb external Seagate FreeAgent eSata

Equipment
Panasonic AG-HVX 200
Firestore FS-100

[Jeremy Garchow]

[Roli Rivelino] “As per the info from the FS site, that seemed to be describing a different technique, I was wondering what the advantages of making your P2 into QT references (I assume that’s what they mean) instead of just shooting it in QT in the first place? “

A QT reference is simply a pointer to the original MXF media. In my opinion, it is best to use the native MXF structure in case you need to take that MXF media to another machine that does not know what to do with a DVCPro HD Quicktime movie. The MXF file structure is pretty much understood by all modern NLE systems. If the firestore allows you to make QT reference movie from the MXF media, then go that route. If you don’t want to log and transfer at all and just shoot MXF, check this out:

https://library.creativecow.net/articles/garchow_jeremy/dvc_pro_hd.php

Jeremy

[Roli Rivelino]

Excellent thanks a million guys. Jeremy I will re-format my external, the reason I did FAT32 is because I was asking a friend what to do when I first plugged in the external, he told me MacOS journaled which didn’t work.

Also was told that if I wanted to swap between my PC laptop in the field and my Mac at home that FAT32 was the way to go, is that true?

And thanks for the tutorial this is just the sort of show and do advice I need.

cheers
rr.

aka Newbie Wan Kenewbie. “I will get over my manualaphobia, one day at a time.”

System
Mac Pro 2.8Gb quad core
1x 320Gb 7200 hardrive
1x 1Tb 7200 hardrive
Nvidia Geforce 8800 512mb Graphics card
1x 1Tb external Seagate FreeAgent eSata

Equipment
Panasonic AG-HVX 200
Firestore FS-100

[Roli Rivelino]

Sorry Jeremy, just a quick one, my external Seagate refuses to be formatted with any of the Mac OS options, the only one that will work is FAT32.

I’m going to disk utilities>partition> number of partitions 1> Mac OS extended (journaled) > verify

An error message comes up saying it can’t perform the required task. So I repeat the above and the only one that accepts is FAT32.

Am I doing it wrong or is that just a Seagate foible? and Should I then use my second internal as a scratch disk?

Many thanks.

aka Newbie Wan Kenewbie. “I will get over my manualaphobia, one day at a time.”

System
Mac Pro 2.8Gb quad core
1x 320Gb 7200 hardrive
1x 1Tb 7200 hardrive
Nvidia Geforce 8800 512mb Graphics card
1x 1Tb external Seagate FreeAgent eSata

Equipment
Panasonic AG-HVX 200
Firestore FS-100

[Jeremy Garchow]

Use the Erase tab in Disk Utlities.

Jeremy

[Roli Rivelino]

Thanks will try this when I get back.

aka Newbie Wan Kenewbie. “I will get over my manualaphobia, one day at a time.”

System
Mac Pro 2.8Gb quad core
1x 320Gb 7200 hardrive
1x 1Tb 7200 hardrive
Nvidia Geforce 8800 512mb Graphics card
1x 1Tb external Seagate FreeAgent eSata

Equipment
Panasonic AG-HVX 200
Firestore FS-100