How to import XDCAM footage.

[Rafael Amador]

If you are getting the footage as QTmovies, just drop it in a 10b Unc or Proress sequence.
Set “Render all YUV material in High precission YUV’ and “Motion Rendering: Best”.
Same CC and the Nattress “Chroma Smooth/Sharpening 420” and at export will look as original DigiBeta.
Cheers,
rafael

http://www.nagavideo.com

[Paul Campbell]

If the files are inside a BPAV folder, you might need to use the XDCAM transfer software to convert them before opening them in FCP. (Or can FCP open these natively?)

[Tom Daigon]

I believe that I read that the newest FCP importer released on the reduser.com site supports Native as well as 2 flavors of Prores.

[Paul Campbell]

Sweet. So long XDCAM transfer if that’s true…

[Ben Scott]

the XDCAM log and transfer plugin is separate to the red log and transfer plugin

both presuppose new intel mac and upgrade to new fcp 6.0.5 (at least the red one anyway)

the xdcam only does ex

xdcam 422 (using the sony transfer horror) is now supported in Apple color

XDCAM still cannot be transcoded on ingest to Prores and is long GOP, making it a real pain if you ask me

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[Tom Daigon]

Sure it can. I just hook the HDSDI output from a playback deck (PDW-F70) to the HDSDI of my Kona 3 and transcode to Prores as I digitize.
I realize this is not “Injesting” files, but it brings in the XDCAM as clips in a format I like to use.

[Ben Scott]

and not get the advantages of a tapeless system? e.g. its tapeless

its just seems odd that XDCAM is MPEG2 instead of AVC (h264 advanced) based codec and that it is long GOP and is a low data rate and needs to be played in like a tape

yes you can play it in, so can every tapeless format you just need the expensive player (and which of these formats will be around in 5 years time)

sorry for the rant just seems bit strange that XDCAM needs to be such a pain to get into a system

– – – – – – – – –
Check my podcast at https://cowcast.creativecow.net/final_cut_pro/index.html
or my site at
https://www.benscottarts.co.uk/ – – – – – – – – –

[Tom Daigon]

After working on projects using the file injest and the digitize work flows, its clear to me that either way, I need to take the time to review the content to I can intelligently utilize it in edit.
Instead of injesting the huge file, then transcoding it to Prores, then viewing for content (3 Steps), I prefer to digitze, convert and view content simultaneously (1 step). Much more efficient use of my time.

[Andy Mees]

Hi Zee

You don’t mention the flavour of XDCAM you’re expecting nor the format it will be delivered on, nor any of the hardware specs of your setup … make’s answering your question effectively a little tricky. You’ve got a lot of answes already but all culd b right or all could be wrong depending on the missing info.

Are these rushes coming to you XDCAM disc, on an SxS card, or on a hard disc, or…? Is the footage DVCAM, IMX, MPEG HD / HDV / EX or MPEG HD 422?
If you’re receiving the rushes pre-imported to a hard disc will they already have been rewrapped to Quicktime files or just as raw MXF?
If receiving on XDCAM disc, can we assume you have the necessary hardware for ingest, ie an XDCAM camera, deck or drive unit?
What hardware do you have on your FCP system for output back to DigiBeta … or are you mastering a quicktime movie to be dumped to tape elsewhere?

Cheers
Andy

[Andrew Kimery]

[Ben Scott] “sorry for the rant just seems bit strange that XDCAM needs to be such a pain to get into a system”
Personally I like that the XDCAM xfer software can be used stand alone from FCP. I can bring in a days worth of files in the background and not have to stop editing.

-A