ingesting SXS to macbook pro

[Michael Williams]

forgot to add. I’m running 10.4.11 with the 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo and 2 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM.

mike

[Don Greening]

Hi Michael,

You’re on the right track with the software. Minimum Mac requirements are:

Mac OS 10.4.11
Quicktime 7.3.1
Final Cut Pro 6.0.2

You’ll also need the SxS driver so that your laptop recognizes your SxS memory card as an attached device. In addition you’ll need Sony’s Clip Browser Software (which is basically a copying tool) to transfer the media from card to computer. Finally, you’ll need Sony’s XDCAM Transfer Software to transcode the native XDCAM EX MP4 files to Quicktime files for use in FCP. With the conversion FCP will not recognize the media. You can get all this free software here:

https://www.sony.ca/xdcamex/support.htm

And yes, the SxS Pro Memory cards will insert directly into the laptop’s Express 34 slot without the need for an adapter.

-Don

Don Greening
Reeltime Videoworks
http://www.reeltimevideoworks.com

[Ian Cook]

Hi Michael,

You have a few choices for ingesting the material.

1) Sony Log and Transfer plug-in. Allows for import of both SD and HD using the Log and Transfer window. When an SxS card is inserted the window will automatically populate with your clips. If the clips are stored on a drive you can browse to them and add the folders containing your clips manually.

2) Sony XDCAM Transfer plug-in. When installed, this adds an “Import Sony XDCAM” command to FCP’s FILE menu. When you execute this command a separate plug-in browser opens up. As with L+T, the files sync up automatically if they are on a card; otherwise you can add the folder sources manually. This is the better option for a number of reasons. Imports are a background process, so they do not tie up FCP; you can switch back to FCP and begin editing as the clips come in. There is also vastly better logging and sub-clipping functionality.

3) There are also various plug-ins which allow for native file import of the mp4s. MP4-EX Import from Calibrated software is one. Cinemon from Sony is another. If you go this route the Calibrated plug-in would be the better choice as the price point on the Sony plug-in reflects a number of other features (most related to XDCAM optical formats that use MXF files) you will have no use for. Either plug-in allows you to drag MP4s directly into FCP.

If you are going to use the card slot on a laptop, you need an SxS driver. If you are ingesting from a USB device like the camera or a card reader, you do not need a driver.

As far as handling the data, you can use the Sony Clip Browser app to manage the cards and perform secure copies of the files. If you find yourself copying/handling the files manually, always place the root folder of the SxS card (labeled ‘BPAV’) into a parent folder and give that folder a unique name. BPAV and its subfolders should not be renamed or modified.

SxS Driver v 1.04 (Supports 10.4-10.6, 32/64 bit): https://www.servicesplus.sel.sony.com/sony-software.aspx

Log and Transfer plug-in v 1.20:
https://www.servicesplus.sel.sony.com/sony-software-model-PDZKLT1.aspx

XDCAM Transfer v 2.12:
https://www.servicesplus.sel.sony.com/sony-software-model-PDZKP1.aspx

Clip Browser 2.6:
https://www.servicesplus.sel.sony.com/sony-software-model-PDZKP1.aspx

There are also workflow docs and other resources at https://www.sony.com/xdcamex

Cheers,

Ian

Ian Cook
Sony Broadcast and Professional Company

[Ian Cook]

Also…

Clip Browser will run on an Intel Machine running Tiger but the Log and Transfer plug-in requires Leopard or higher.

[Michael Williams]

thanks for all the great info.

one question…it looks like XDCam transfer v2.12 is only for 10.58 or later. I installed 2.10. any problems with this?

mike

Michael V. Williams
producer/editor
http://www.vernonvision.com

[Rafael Amador]

Don’t worry, the task of this software is quite simple.
I’m still on the v 2.0.8.
rafael

http://www.nagavideo.com

[Michael Williams]

thanks!

mike