XDCAM EX nightmare in PremCS4!?

[Eric Addison]

Not sure how to help being that I’m not a Mac user, but you’re right in that you shouldn’t need anything from FCP to use XDCAM EX footage. The footage should connect.

Can you import any XDCAM EX footage into the OSX version of PPro…can you import in the BPAV folder and see the footage?

—Eric
Owner | 100 ACRE FILMS
https://www.100acrefilms.com

[Jimmy Brunger]

Hi Eric,

Thanks for your post. No I can’t get any EX footage into PPro using my mac. Having to use a colleagues Leopard Mac which is a pain, but only option in the short term.

I’d love to know how to sort this on my Tiger Mac though…seems a bit ridiculous that I have to rely on an Apple Pro App being upto date just so that I can work properly in an Adobe one! We moved over to 100% Adobe workflow when CS4 came out, but I’ve got to admit – on the edit side its a bit flaky isn’t it! Used to love Premiere on Windows, but it’s gaping reliability holes are rapidly making me want to sack it off!

HELP!

[Jon Barrie]

I think we are all a little confused by your post details. CS4 uses the original BPAV folder structure to work with the recorded video footage as it was recorded to the cards.

FCP is only required if the XDCAM footage was transferred with FCP and the files are no longer in the original BPAV folder structure and only are Quicktime movies files with the Apple Intermediate codec for HDV. Even then there are plugins you can purchase to run them without FCP installed.

Sadly FCP and apple don’t like to play nice with other NLEs. AIC codecs are FCP only, unless you get a third party codec plugin that can read them without FCP.

If you have the original BPAV folder structures for the recordings try navigating to them via the Media Browser. It should see the video files within the structure and just show you the clip thumbnails. Drag n Drop them into the Project panel to start using them.

– Jon Barrie 🙂

Jon Barrie
aJBprods
http://www.jonbarrie.net
http://www.suiteskills.com

[Jimmy Brunger]

Hi John,

I was hoping you might reply…my BPAV is still intact and all I did to get the footage off the SxS cards was copy the whole BPAV folder (using XDCAM EX Clip Browser) onto our network RAID, then using Media Browser I imported each clip.

I think I understand the FCP codecs thing now – and as I haven’t converted any of the clips you’re right I shouldn’t need FCP. Although that still doesn’t explain why it works on one mac and not another, when the only difference is the operating system!?

[Jeff Burford]

The Difference of Operating Systems alone is a major issue/point in regards to some software working properly or not, and if it serves me right (If I remember Correctly), Tiger is not supported for CS4 Officially. Am trying to find this to be 100% certain, but am not finding any information at the moment on it.

And, trust me, Even if you had somewhat identical systems (there is no such thing as 100% identical), there are often different revisions of Motherboards or Hardware Components or Firmware on the different parts, and most certainly the systems will not have a duplicate of the OS on 2 different systems, there will be changes to one that are not on the other, updates and so on or software components installed or de-installed on one or the other and so on…

Sorry for not directly helping, will drop a line if I see something written about Tiger and CS4.

[Jimmy Brunger]

Hi Jeff/All,

THanks, Just checked one of the Production Premium CS4 boxes and it does support 10.4.11 – which is the version I am running off.

Just to complicate things even more..one of the other Macs running same OS, Quicktime version, XDCAM Transfer, CS4, etc, etc *IS* working with the EX files! Only difference I can see between that one and mine is the other one has FCP 6.0.5 installed and mine has 5.14.

Any more ideas guys?