[Daniel Wright]

The original link seems to be broken for some reason. Sony Canada still have it, but at the following location (for the moment, at least):

https://support.sonybiz.ca/esupport/eSupportHome.asp

Weird.

[Daniel Wright]

No probs, Simon. Good luck with it.

Incidentally, you probably noticed that Robert only alluded to a solution. I’ve added to it a bit so that it will work. The following script will import the clips that are currently selected in XDCAM Transfer as proxy with the ‘Disc1_C0001.MOV’ filenames. They will be imported to the location set in XDCAM Transfer’s preferences.

tell application "XDCAM Transfer"
set selected_clips to clip selection
repeat with nth_clip in selected_clips
import nth_clip to import location filename (display name of source of nth_clip) & "_" & (filename of nth_clip) as proxy
end repeat
end tell

If you make a little .app file (as previously described) and drag it into your dock, you can use it just like an ‘Import as proxy’ button.

[Daniel Wright]

Robert,

I have just completed a script to get the umid into the Log Note column in FCP. This involved digging the umid out of the .mov file and sticking it into the xml produced by XDCAM Transfer, which I was then going to drag onto FCP.

Now I find that I can simply get XDCAM Transfer to set the comment field of every clip to its umid in a few lines of Applescript and import like normal people.

Sony kept this one quiet, didn’t they? This is a powerful new feature and it wasn’t even mentioned in the readme notes.

Good spot!

[Daniel Wright]

Thanks for the tip, Andy. Actually, I’m surprised there aren’t a few more scripters about.

Here’s an Applescript that should do the renaming trick. When run a file chooser window will open, asking you to select folders. Simply select the folder(s) containing your .mov files to be renamed.

The script will only change the names of files with a .mov extension. This is to prevent damage if it is inadvertently pointed at the wrong folder.

To use it:
1. Open Script Editor (it’s in Applications>Applescript).
2. Copy and Paste the script into Script Editor
3. Click the Compile button at the top

The text should now change colour. If it doesn’t then you probably missed a bit when you copied the script or a there’s a line break half way through a line.

4. Click the Run button and choose some test folders containing some .mov files

The files should now have been renamed ‘foldername_moviename.mov’

5. Choose Save As… from Script Editor’s File menu
6. Set the File Format to Application
7. Enter a name for your script
8. Make sure the three check boxes are unchecked
9. Click Save

You should now have a little Applescript application that can be run simply by double-clicking on the icon.

The script:

set the_folders to choose folder with prompt "Choose the containing folders" with multiple selections allowed

tell application "Finder"

repeat with current_folder in the_folders

set source_name to name of current_folder

set the_proxies to (every item of current_folder whose name extension is "mov")

repeat with current_proxy in the_proxies

set new_name to source_name & "_" & name of current_proxy

set the name of current_proxy to new_name

end repeat

end repeat

end tell

[Daniel Wright]

I don’t think there are any options for the proxy filenames. The clip title may go if you select ‘Show Title’ from the view menu but that is not helpful for what you want to do.

The only thing I can think of is to export the proxies to a separate folder for each disc, the folder having the same name as the disc. Then you could use an Applescript to add the containing folder name onto the contained files.

Definitely not ideal, but it will save you having to rename every single file. If you need a script, I’ll post one.

[Daniel Wright]

Yeh, it was the ‘in Access Mode’ bit applied to the PDW-U1 that took me by surprise. Anyway, as long as its only me that’s confused 🙂

[Daniel Wright]

I’m not sure what you mean by ‘File Operations in Access Mode’. Are you refering to the FAM driver which is installed as part of XDCAM Transfer? This is for a firewire connection with optical disc cameras and decks, and is not necessary if you are using a PDW-U1. The XDCAM Drive software is what allows to write files to a PDW-U1.

The UserData folder is a good place for backing up BPAV folders. The capacity is a bit under the stated disc capacity. Presumably, some of it is reserved for the other folders which you can’t get rid of. In fact, I’m not sure that these really exist; If you connect the PDW-U1 without first installing the XDCAM Drive software you see a completely different folder structure.

Clip Browser will let you copy BPAVs to the UserData folder (there’s a preference setting that you have to change) and, as long as you remember to put each one in a separate folder inside the UserData folder, the Transfer tool will recognise them.

The draw back? That would have to be the cost of the discs.

[Daniel Wright]

You’re right; “Find” seems to ignore everything after the 255th character.

If you haven’t come up with anything better, you could export as a batch list. Then open the batch list in your favorite text editor, search for the clip title and pick a new search term from the first 255 characters to use in FCP. Not ideal but better than nothing.

[Daniel Wright]

Hi Jim,

Sounds as if CatDV might be worth checking out.

FWIW, I labouriously copy and paste the UMID in XDCAM Transfer into the comment field as this appears as the Log Note in FCP. I then save Transfer’s database with the project. That way, all the logging is preserved and if I need to return to the original clip, I can just point XDCAM Transfer at the database and the search for the UMID.

It’s not part of my workflow but you can change the datestamps Clip Browser uses for the folders to whatever you like. The folder name will appear in the Reel column in FCP. I wouldn’t change anything inside the BPAV folder for fear of breaking it.

XDCAM Transfer’s Preferences gives you some flexibility over the name given to the imported mov files, so you could enter something useful in the Clip Title field and include that in the filename.

BTW, Clint,

I think SONY might have been busy on saving metadata back to the BPAV folder since you last tested. Works for me in Version 2.10. At least, the metadata for the clip itself gets saved. The thing you do lose (one of the reasons why I keep the database) is all the markup for the subclips and any names you have given them.

[Daniel Wright]

I think your issue may be related to the FAM driver, which is part of the XDCAM Transfer package.

I have no information as to whether the FAM driver works on Snow Leopard or not. I haven’t seen any posts saying it doesn’t, so it may be OK. However, as previously mentioned, the word from Sony is that Snow Leopard is not supported yet, so I would stick with Leopard unless you have a compelling reason not to.

XDCAM Transfer version 1.1 is really old, probably from before the time of the Leopard OS. I Suggest you update XDCAM Transfer on Leopard to ver 2.10 so that you have the latest FAM driver. There is no reason to stick with such an old version when you can download a later one for free.

You should then be able to rename your discs by your preferred method (Finder or via XDCAM Transfer).

By the way, you have checked that your deck is set to the same recording format as the clips on your discs, haven’t you? If there is a mismatch, the rec-inhibit light will be on and the deck won’t let you write anything at all, not even just to rename the disc.