Importing media from an XDCAM PDW1 Drive

[Frank Palma]

Thanks a lot Andy, hope I can help you back some day.

Kind Regards,

Frank

[Hermite]

Hello Frank,
We have been using the PDW-D1 for a while and sadly to say that it has been problematic. We use Flip4Mac that converts the files to quicktime movies that Final Cut Pro can use. The Flip4Mac is also problematic and it seems to only work some of the time. I have used the camera instead of the D1 many times if I have to get something from the disc. The final solution that I have come up with is getting rid of the D1 all together and using a Firestore portable hardrive for the camera. I still record to disc but that is back-up only. The firestore portable hard drives are awesome. They are durable, I have dropped them, and they can record up to 360min. of DV footage in QT. I can even edit right from the firestore if I need to, but I do not recommend it.
Sorry for not having the magic bullet. The DTE Firestore FS-4 is the answer.
For grins, the configuration of the PDW-D1 in our workflow was to hang it off a PC that is connected to our network. I would then on the G5 connect to the PC with the D1 attached to it and then open the XDcam file folder. I would then drag the MXF files across the network to one of my internal G5 drives. Then in FCP you import the MXF files and convert them using Flip4Mac. That’s how we used to do it when one day to the next it just stopped working and know one knows why. I have talked to the Flip4Mac support and they are not sure either. That is why I use the firestore instead. Another good thing about the firestore is that it can also record without having any discs in the camera at all.
There is another method as well and the is connect the camera using the ethernet adapter if you have one. I have only done this once and if I remeber right it was not the best solution as well. Again, you can always connect the camera and us it like a traditional deck over the firewire port. There are no tape heads to wear out so that is a good thing.
Hope this was helpful, Andy posted on the Apple discussion group and that is how I found your thread, good work Andy.
Alex

[Mark Maness]

Frank…

I’m not sure if your question was answered, or that you were throughly confused but I”l jump into this… Are you using the PDW-D1 drive? Or are you using the PDW-V1 field deck? If you are using the the D1, you can only hook it up via firewire. You’ll have to digitize as a video deck since the Mac will not understand Sony’s FAM mode, its PC based only. You’ll have to create an Easy Setup that will use your D-1 as a video deck to digitize from. The Flip4Mac plugin only uses netwrok access and I don’t believe you can access that thru firewire.

Bad thing here…. I’m sure that Sony did not tell you that the D-1 is not Mac compatitable.

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Wayne Carey
Schazam Productions

[Frank Palma]

Thanks Alex,

We have to think what we are going to do with this device.

Thanks a lot

Frank