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LASTCLIP.txt not behaing well across multiple cards.
Ok, I have a confusing problem.
I have 2 P2 cards in my HD camera. When the first fills up, it starts recording onto the second. But the problem is, the naming convention on the second card starts over at 0001xx.MXF! I could be recording clip number 0467A4, and still it will start over at 0001 when it goes to the second card. If “0467A4” is a spanned clip that starts on the first card and finishes on the second, it will finish the clip by naming it correctly, but the very next clip is still 0001xx!
I have checked the LASTCLIP.txt on the second card to make sure it’s not the problem… but the document is blank when freshly formatted. This is not to say that the LASTCLIP.txt on the second card is useless. Once clips start getting recorded onto the second card, the LASTCLIP.txt fills with its usual data and functions normally, just with the wrong numbers. :/ It should continue right on with 0468xx, but it does not.
Any thoughts? I have looked online but cannot find my specific problem. Any hints, suggestioins, or links would be appreciated!
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8 Replies
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Tim, I don’t think you have anything to worry about and this is perfectly normal.
The clips won’t always go in perfect order, even if the clip aren’t spanned.
For instance.
You can have a clips named
0001XZ
00027G
0003GHIf sorting by name, your computer is going to think that 0003 comes before 00027, but in reality, 00027 was the second clip that was shot.
No worries, the spanned clips are controlled through metadata in the Xml file. Don’t worry too much about the numbering system, and certainly don’t change things to match!
Jeremy
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Thanks for your response, and I get what you are saying, but that’s not what it’s doing. It’s recording clip number 0576xx and then restarting at 0001xx. it’s a total reset. even the data in the LASTCLIP on the second card shows 0001xx as the last clip and 2 as the next. This can’t be normal.
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Why not?
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Because it increases the odds of repeat file names, and that makes no sense whatsoever. Panasonic knew that shooting would fill multiple cards, and they designed P2 to be as versatile and powerful as possible. It just makes sense to continue the sequential naming system.
Tell you what: I can’t seem to find much online that talks about the lastclip.txt in any detail whatsoever, much less its behavior when jumping to new cards. Show me where it says it is normal to start over at 0001.
Until then, I can’t believe that such a simple and undeniable beneficial function was left out of such a powerful system.
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[Tim Parsons] “Because it increases the odds of repeat file names, and that makes no sense whatsoever. “
Tim-
Yes, repeats can happen, but it is rare. The actual MXF file name are not the only thing that defines the file. Each file has a Unique ID that will help to discern separate files, even though the MXF files are the same name.
P2 is actually pretty decent and not repeating file name, and is much better than AVCHD (for example) which simply starts over with 0000.mts on every card.
The last clip.txt, in my experience, really has no bearing on anything. It is the XML files that do the lion’s share of the control P2 MXF files. When using P2CMS (Panasonic’s MXF manager) and you copy cards to another location, the last clip.txt file isn’t even written. It is an ancillary file that is used by the camera only. NLEs and DAMs will use the XML file. This allows you to combine and mesh p2 cards into larger data sets that aren’t restricted to the P2 card size.
Here’s a screen grab from a shoot on one card on the XML files. These files, listed by name in the Finder seem to be out of order:
But they are not out of order in the XML or by timecode, and each one has a Unique ID that makes tracking easier.
The next card from that series looks like this:
Even those those clips are 0001-0004, they look like 16, 32, 40, and 27.
The real tracking number for the clip that is named “27” is: 060A2B340101010501010D4313000000813ECF9C375205FE0080458230D5C007
It is this number that won’t get repeated, and it’s the Global Clip ID number that is stored in the XML for that shot.
I have had files that have the same MXF name in the Finder (2 different cameras, same shoot), but have not caused me any trouble. The NLE is smart enough to know what to look for, but this was FCP7.
Are you having trouble with something or is something not working for you?
What exactly are you trying to do that gives you pause?
Jeremy
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Thanks for the explanation. I appreciate the time (and patience) put into your responses.
The biggest thing I am concerned about is in searching for clips, such as when a clip is offline (using Premiere CS5.5 on a PC, btw). If I re-link the wrong clip (same name as the right one or a handful of other incorrect clips) things get messed up.
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[Tim Parsons] “The biggest thing I am concerned about is in searching for clips, such as when a clip is offline (using Premiere CS5.5 on a PC, btw). If I re-link the wrong clip (same name as the right one or a handful of other incorrect clips) things get messed up.”
And that is the fault of Premiere as it is going strictly by clip name. Premiere needs a bit of help in the media management department as the information is there in the P2 files themselves, it’s just that Premiere doesn’t use it.
Jeremy
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By the way, have you tried skipping reconnect on launch, then using the “metadata” view? If you’re’ lucky, you can sometimes get a cached file path.
Jeremy
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