[Dan Warvi]

No, I think Squeeze works on a limited number of formats, and sucks like a black hole on others.

Last year I exchanged tons of email with tech support trying to explain to them that there crap application was not deinterlacing footage on export. They had the project, the Avid systems specs, samples, screen snapshots and EVERY SINGLE SETTING I tried to use to get the media out properly. NO GO.

I switched to use Adobe Media Exporter, since about 90% of my work at that gig was destined for Flash. At my home studio I’m a rabid fan of Telestream Episode.

Dan Warvi
After Effects, Avid, Motion, Broadcast Systems & PC as nec

[Dan Warvi]

After a week with Avid Tech Support, this is now an official “Bug” with MC5. AAF export and import do NOT work at all as compared to MC4.

Here’s the workaround we were given:

“Not sure if this is the best workaround so far, but here goes: I chose (instead of Embedded in AAF), the FOLDER option. So this consolidates all media to an Avid MediaFiles/MXF/1 folder. You can choose where this folder is created, either on thumb drive or Desktop, etc.

I export from MC 4.0.5.9, using this folder option, to 1 workspace. AAF is also saved to that workspace

Go back to Win 7 / MC 5 machine, login to IP, and import the AAF from workspace. And everything’s online (even the 2:1 material I tested, which wasn’t online before).

There still should be a bug on this; I will have to work on that tomorrow”

Dan Warvi
After Effects, Avid, Motion, Broadcast Systems & PC as nec

[Dan Warvi]

The idea is to keep all of the metadata intact. While the producer has ID the clips she wants (they’re greenscreen talking heads) the client almost always comes back with “There MUST be a shot of him talking about Chimpanzees and Tricycles. What’s on the rest of the tape?”

If we import them as QT clips, using Batch Import will only “look” at those clips, not the XDCAM media. When we use the PC Software, MC gets the right metadata to figure out they’re subclips from the XDCAM disk, and makes it easy to go back for more media.

Dan Warvi
After Effects, Avid, Motion, Broadcast Systems & PC as nec

[Dan Warvi]

“I know we told you the functionality between the Mac & PC versions of the software was the same. We didn’t mean EXACTLY the same.”

After a series of exchanges with a Sony rep, the only thing the two apps share cross-platform is the ability to watch the clips. The PDZ-1 PC software lets you export subclips and build a butt-ugly sequence that exports as an AAF. The Mac XDCAM Transfer software lets you log and make subclips, but it ONLY sends the full-rez media to Final Cut Pro.

Our workaround was to have the producer email us the database file located in the Users/Library/Application Support/Sony XDCAM Transfer/database , and put it into the same place on a Mac that has the same XDCAM media loaded. From there, we exported out the subclips to FCP, and built an ugly sequence. Then export out a XML of the project, imported into Premiere Pro CS4, and then exported again as an AAF. Then THAT gets imported into Avid.

We’re already making plans to buy Automatic Duck.

Dan Warvi
After Effects, Avid, Motion, Broadcast Systems & PC as nec

[Dan Warvi]

I want to try this again, and have Vegas versus Adobe Premiere Pro. I’ve already checked with the two Vegas editors I know, but they both can’t make it.

I take back my statement about blocking sales weenies – I want my UG to see the other apps out there, and if that’s the only way to do it, I’ll do it.

Can you shoot me the contact info?

Thanks!

Dan Warvi
After Effects, Avid, Motion, Broadcast Systems & PC as nec

[Dan Warvi]

….the Sony-Badged & Paid mouthpiece that goes to tradeshows and says his app is perfect, without flaw, and will cure Swine Flu. That’s a “sales weenie.”

The guy who makes a living doing editing and production with an app, but also will go on the road promoting it when invited, is a “user.”

In any event, all the Vegas guys/gals I know can’t make it, and I want this app to get some stage time. That isn’t quite desperation on my part, but it’s close.

So, if you could, I’ll take your guy.

Please.

Dan Warvi
After Effects, Avid, Motion, Broadcast Systems & PC as nec

[Dan Warvi]

Well, it’s called something else now…Digital Film Tools had the awesome 55mm plugins for Avid (which had a both a skin smoother and a selective soft focus) but Tiffin bought those plugins and turned them into Dfx:

https://www.tiffen.com/dfx_filter_effects_ig.html

Dan Warvi
After Effects, Avid, Motion, Broadcast Systems & PC as nec

[Dan Warvi]

The solution is this – despite what Avid says, there’s only ONE FireWire card you can use from ADS:

ADS Tech Pyro PCI 64R2

After going thru a box of various ADS FireWire cards, this one made the XDCAM work exactly as advertised.

In the narrow odd world of Avid troubleshooting, this solution works for a PC Media Composer Adrenaline (v2.7.7.)running on an HP xw8400 with Windows SP2 with a 230GB SCSI Array on a ATTO Ultra320 SCSI Card…..your mileage may vary.

[Dan Warvi]

So, we pulled the NEW CPU from the edit bay, and put the old xw8000 CPU back on the Adrenaline box. Rolled back the dongle and firmware on the box, put ball all the old FireWire cards, and went back to work in SD.

Meanwhile, our Tech guys put it on the bench to start my software test. On a whim, he connected the PDW-F70 to the CPU on the on-board FireWire, and it worked. Perfectly.

Then we put in another ADS Firewire card (Identical to the one we had) in Slot 5, plugged in the XDCAM deck, and it worked. Perfectly.

I just pulled our dongle out of the working Avid, and we’re going to put it back at v2.7, and fire up the MC app without hooking up to an Adrenaline.

More updates as they become available…

[Dan Warvi]

What is the resolution of the source file? Are they editing in SV25 or Avid 2-1 (or higher?)

There’s a nasty issue with rendering DV25 files in After Effects, and then sending them back in the same codec…(this started with MC 2.5)