P2 workflow

[Shane Ross]

What’s your question?

Shane Ross
Alokut Productions
http://www.lfhd.net

[Yogifilm]

Well im going into production with a panasonic AJ-SPX900E, I also have A AJ-PCD10 card reader.
I have two platforms, one G4 powerbook with FCP 5,0 and a G5 with FPC 5,0.
15 p2 4gb cards

I have several problems, when I import via the PCMCIA on my G4 I am able to import into fcp 5,0 but in a wrong ? resolution?

When I connect my PCD10 to my g5 it dosent seem to recognice it? It is not popping up in the P2 import browser in fcp. Do I need a driver, if so Panasonic dosent seem to provide it ?

As i said im starting production very soon (second of jan 06) and so far I have no clue what to do.:-)

All good ideas are more than welcome.

Jesper Jon

[Shane Ross]

[Yogifilm] “I have several problems, when I import via the PCMCIA on my G4 I am able to import into fcp 5,0 but in a wrong ? resolution? “

How are you doing this? As far as I understand, Mac support for the P2 card working with PCMCIA won’t happen until the camera is released, and that it will come as a firmware update from Panasonic. Then it is as simple as pluging it in an dusing FCP to import and convert it to DVCPRO HD MOVs.

I have done this.

Shane Ross
Alokut Productions
http://www.lfhd.net

[Yogifilm]

Hi Shane,

Im from Denmark, working as a freelance lighting photographer on the national television station.
We have already got these cameras, but because of “politics” the setup and workflow is based on Avid news cutter…. I am not religious (well a little) about platforms, I started editing on Avid, but I much prefer FCP these days.

So we got all these AJ-Spx900E, but no one in the organisation wants to know about FCP, in there minds it not broadcast equipment…. That was what they said about Avid when that came around 🙂

Im not that interested in HD just for now, we wont be broadcasting HD before 2008.I would like to shoot normal PAL 720×567 16:9 25p in DVCPRO25 (to little storage space for DVCPRO50) only 15x 4gb P2, cards
I chose the camera because I like the Panasonic ccd chip, very nice gamma curve(cine gamma) and a lot of nice features.We are doing a series supposed to be “documentary” but producing it like fiction.

So you think Ill have to wait for the firmware upgrade from panasonic?
I got the P2 driver for PCMCIA from Panasonic.

https://eww.pavc.panasonic.co.jp/pro-av/support/cs/csregistp2m/p2indexe.html

Right now im in the dark, I think I have googled all the internet for P2:-)

Thank you for your interrest
Jesper Jon

[Shane Ross]

[Yogifilm] “So you think Ill have to wait for the firmware upgrade from panasonic?
I got the P2 driver for PCMCIA from Panasonic.”

That is the same thing…driver, firmware update…same thing.

Well, my arguement is that if the company you are working at is using an editing platform, you need to use that platform. If you try to use a different one, and things don’t work out, then you are hosed and in hot water. That happened once at a company I worked at, and now they are VERY VERY anti-FCP, because they had a big disaster trying to get fcp 4.0 to online on an Avid, and of course NONE of the plugins transferred.
Huge mess.

SO stick with what they got, until they change edit systems.

Shane

Shane Ross
Alokut Productions
http://www.lfhd.net

[Gary Adcock]

[Shane Ross] “Mac support for the P2 card working with PCMCIA won’t happen until the camera is released, and that it will come as a firmware update from Panasonic. Then it is as simple as pluging it in an dusing FCP to import and convert it to DVCPRO HD MOVs.”

This all actually came in the FCP 5.04 update, and is required for the P2’s HD functions. The import from P2 actually just strips off the metadata and leaves the DVCPROHD behind in your capture scratch folder.

Gary Adcock
Studio37
HD and Film Consultation
Chicago, IL USA

[Gary Adcock]

[Yogifilm] “So you think Ill have to wait for the firmware upgrade from panasonic?
I got the P2 driver for PCMCIA from Panasonic.”

you say one is a laptop and one is a desktop – are you positive that the hardware and software versions are the same?
does the card reader work when attached to the laptop?
is there anything else between the P2 reader and the G5 plug direct into the machine
be sure the cable works.

FCP 4.5 and later have supported P2 in standard def. I am assuming that you are working in PAL but that should not be an issue.

Gary Adcock
Studio37
HD and Film Consultation
Chicago, IL USA

[Yogifilm]

Thank you all.

I dont really care that much about my company and there choise of platform, well it annoys me.We are an independant group, workng freelance. Our choise is fcp.

My point is does it work? Im used to plug and play. Im making pictures, im not a developer/engineer:-)

Does it only require an upgrade to FCP 5.0.4
Firmware/driver for card reader non existant for G5 ? G4 can read via pcmcia, driver installed.

[Yogifilm]

Im working on G5 desktop and a G4 powerbook.
The systems are identical osx 10.4.3 FCP 5.0, the cable has been checked.
The systems both accept the P2 drive in the “about this mac” the card reader AJ-PCD10 is flashing LED

[Gary Adcock]

[Yogifilm] “The systems are identical osx 10.4.3 FCP 5.0, the cable has been checked.
The systems both accept the P2 drive in the “about this mac” the card reader AJ-PCD10 is flashing LED