New XDCAM Browser?

[Craig Seeman]

It’s true. Sony has said the end of this month (a few days) although there did some some hesitancy when I heard that date. I heard this directly from Sony reps at Entertainment Technology Expo NYC last week during their XDCAM Intensive workshop.

[Ron Pestes]

Thanks Craig, I will keep my eyes glued to this forum for updates!

Apple Certified Master Pro FCS 2
Sony EX-3
MacBook Pro

[Ian Cook]

XDCAM Browser 1.0 should be posted this week or next. There will be a free base version with 2 options– a codec pack from Main Concept (as with Clip Browser) and a chargeable bundle of added features. Many of the key features in the add-on pack will be XDCAM optical features such as Live Logging and support for Clip List EDLs.

The GUI and workflow will be familiar to anyone who’s used Clip Browser. FCP users will see an Export for Final Cut Pro (or, specifically, “Register for Final Cut Pro”) option in the Right Click and FILE menus. This re-wraps the .mp4s or .mxfs for FCP. One thing of note for FCP users is that XDCAM Browser imports are a foreground process. This may change in a future release.

[Craig Seeman]

No word on Cinemon for us humans as opposed to the $900 version?

https://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/cat-datastorage/resource.solutions.bbsccms-assets-cat-datastorage-solutions-cinemon.shtml

[Ian Cook]

Yes, the ‘lite’ (i.e. MP4 import-only) version of Cinemon will be available within the next month or two. The initial release was delayed. There should be a trial version up soon, prior to the release version. I’m told it will be a 30 or 60 day trial.

[Andy Mees]

Oh good lord that looks horrible Ian 🙂

Ian, in your opinion looking at it from the inside as it were, is there any reason for those who currently use the Sony XDCAM Transfer app to import/export from/to XDCAM HD optical media (into FCP) to want to prefer this upcoming XDCAM Browser software for Import/Export operations over the older XDCAM Transfer software? Certainly, with foreground processing, it would seem to be a step back in this initial release.

On a side note, can I enquire as to whether any update for the FCP Log and Transfer plugin (PDZK-LT) is planned to allow access to XDCAM optical media, again, for users working with XDCAM HD rather than XDCAM EX formats?

Appreciate your time and wisdom
Thanks
Andy

[Scott Sniffen]

I just installed this browser. New to this altogether.I use Xdcam-HD optical media. Seems that there are a few methods to get footage into FCP. Is there a preferred method of breaking up a clip, renaming each sub-clip and then importing into FCP? It looks like we still can’t import into a specific bin within FCP as well.

Thanks,
Scott Sniffen

Scott Sniffen
Sniffen Digital Cinema
http://www.sniffen.com

[David Mcwhinney]

Hey Andy

Been playing around with this new XDCAM browser…finding one part very useful for field work…the generating of clip lists, where the reporter using their laptop ,be it a Mac or PC , creates a new clip list and chooses say a PTC, some SOTS and some B roll.
This info is written back onto the disc and the clip loaded from either the camera or a deck at the feed point and played out…hence no need for spooling back and forwards on the disc wasting valuable feed time and also giving the editor back at the studio a clean feed and thus a faster edit.
This is of course is used when there is no time to edit and the team in the field can send back more quickly from the feed point.
I have tried “registering” the same clip list, and individual clips into FCP and it works…with the clip list option I can rename the clips….BUT both methods are very very slow compared to the tried, tested and trusty transfer tool….it takes longer than real time.
Have you experienced the same slowness? I have tried using 2 different laptops and its slow.
All the best
David

[Andy Mees]

Hey David

I use XDCAM Browser in the Canopus suites to facilitate tapeless import to our programmes projects but other than that I still just use XDCAM Transfer for FCP. Unless or until XDB allows to import/send in the background then its a step in the wrong direction for me … but it’s still early days for this new’ish Clip Browser / XDCAM Transfer hybrid incarnation tho so I’m quite hopeful it will eventually be the tool of choice for all the right reasons. Using Clip Lists is perfect to create simple feed point assemblies, good thinking … re the slowness with import of those lists, are you noticing this specifically and only with Clip List edits or with any and all import in XDB? And are you working with version 1.0 or version 1.1? Any difference in performance? Does the speed improve if you create the Clip List in XDB (or Clip Browser) but then bring it into FCP using XDCAM Transfer?

Cheers
Andy

[David Mcwhinney]

Hi Andy
Good to hear from you…Iam using XDB version 1.1 and all imports are slow for me into FCP, whether I register an individual clip or clip list.
For example to import a 1 minute clip into FCP via XDB took 1’40, but using the transfer tool (version 2.12) took 30 seconds! which is what I would have expected.
How do I use a clip list generated by XDB but use the transfer tool to import? The clip list generates 2 files a .smi and an xml which are written back to the XDCAM disc and can be found in the EDIT folder as a part of the disc folder structure..not sure how else to use those files.
All the best

David