[Gareth Sylvester-bradley]

You might want to try downloading XDCAM Transfer Version 1.1 from the http://www.sonybiz.net/xdcam site. XDCAM Transfer allows you to browse the proxies, and also export them as QuickTime movies that you can then view in QT Player anywhere. You don’t need FCP installed to work with the proxies, just to import the full quality.

[Gareth Sylvester-bradley]

PDZ-1 isn’t available for the Mac, that’s true, but XDCAM Transfer does allow you to browse proxies on your discs and you can mark In/Out points for import, etc. The new Version 1.1 supports ShotMarks from the camera too.

You can install XDCAM Transfer on a Mac without FCP too, and browse proxies from any XDCAM or XDCAM HD disc. You can import DV clips too. You can’t import MPEG IMX or HD clips until you install FCP (even though you can see their proxies) because those codecs come with FCP.

[Gareth Sylvester-bradley]

Photomikey’s main bug (with lots of imports) is definitely fixed in FCP 5.1.2, even using XDCAM Transfer V1.0.

But XDT V1.1 does include other bug fixes and it can be quite a lot faster too, as well as having new features. Definitely worth upgrading to latest versions of FCP *and* XDCAM Transfer!

[Gareth Sylvester-bradley]

Hi Wayne,

I tried this with Version 1.1 and it works for me. The most likely explanation for your problem that FCP/Export is getting confused about which item you were trying to export.

Make sure you’ve only got one FCP Browser window open and that only the sequence you want to export is selected. Use the context (Control- or right-click) menu on the sequence (not the FCP File menu) to choose Export > Sony XDCAM.

XDCAM Transfer Version 1.1 can export some clips as well as sequences now, and I’m guessing FCP thought you wanted to export one of your clips which had 2 channels rather than your 8ch sequence.

Unfortunately which item FCP tries to export seems to depend on which of FCP’s Browser, Viewer or Canvas windows have focus, whether you’ve got any Bins open in separate Browser windows, and whether you’ve got more than one clip or sequence selected – particularly if you use the File menu > Export rather than the context menu. (File menu > Export > QuickTime Movie… seems to have some of the same issues.)

If that still doesn’t work, try reporting the problem with your sequence to Sony support.

[Gareth Sylvester-bradley]

Wayne,

I just tried creating a sequence with the old “Sony XDCAM IMX – NTSC (50 Mb/s)” preset and setting audio as 8 channels dual mono and adding a clip.

Exporting that by using the context menu > Export > Sony XDCAM… on the sequence in the browser works OK for me. Up pops the export window with “MPEG IMX 8-bit NTSC – 50 Mb/s – 48 kHz” selected. The info area shows “Video: IMX50 525 / 60i. Audio: 8 ch x 16 bit”.

I wonder why it doesn’t work for you? Any more info?

[Gareth Sylvester-bradley]

I have no clue why it’s taking so long to appear via a less tortuous route.

Someone must have been reading creativecow. The main http://www.sonybiz.net/xdcam page now does link straight to V1.1.

[Gareth Sylvester-bradley]

Nate’s right. There was a bug in FCP that causes transfers to fail or produce duplicate clips in the Browser. Apple originally reported this as “Final Cut Pro 5: Unexpectedly quits after importing XDCAM Clips” https://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304033, and fixed it in FCP 5.1.2.

[Gareth Sylvester-bradley]

XDCAM Transfer 1.0 does not put the disc name into FCP. I believe that the next version of the software (to be released shortly) will put it into the Reel column in the FCP Browser. It will also allow you to rename discs from within the Transfer app.

[Gareth Sylvester-bradley]

FCP doesn’t support HDV 30p so that’s why the XDCAM Transfer software says NO CODEC for 25 CBR / 30p. The Sony software checks which Apple codecs are installed depending on your version of FCP. With FCP 5.1.2, 25 CBR / 30p is the only one missing. See this post on the CineAlta HD forum and ask Apple to please add 30p support!

[Gareth Sylvester-bradley]

Jay, I guess you’re shooting in 30p?

You’ve run across the one and only XDCAM codec that Apple don’t support yet, 25 Mb/s CBR @ 30p. XDCAM HD 25 Mb/s is basically the same as HDV and you can see in FCP 5.1.2 there are codecs and presets for HDV at 50i, 60i, 24p and 25p, just not 30p. As a result, the Sony software shows 30p is supported at 18 and 35 Mb/s VBR as you’ve found, but not at 25 Mb/s CBR.

I expect Apple just need to hear from people like you who want 30p at 25 Mb/s CBR!