Ian Cook
Forum Replies Created
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I checked this again and saw no difference in behavior between LPCM and D-Digital clips. See attached images. Each 20 minute clip in the Media Browser spans two MTS files on the FMU128 drive. I included the Finder window showing the spans on the card in the screen shots. Both clips display in PPro as single 20 min files in the Media Browser and on the timeline. Even if I file–>import 0001 (the first half of a spanned clip comprised of two files) the entire span comes in as one clip. This was in Premiere Pro 5.0.2 (075(MC:218798)).
As far as Log and Transfer and long clips I believe this has to do with memory management/allocation within FCP. FCP will often have issues with long transcodes of any format (NXCAM, HDV, XDCAM) as the ProRes output files can stretch into the hundreds of gigabytes and from all indications FCP simply runs out of available memory. Remember that transcoding to ProRes 422 HQ will increase the file size nearly 10x. If you look at the crash logs you will probably see memory allocation issues in the “crashed” thread. In my experience this is somewhat normal for FCP and will not change until FCP 10 is released with 64 bit memory addressing and access to more than 3-4 GB of RAM.
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Normally the card image you described would indicate spanned clips (clips broken down into segments because the record time was over 4 GB or because recording was switched between cards). Are seeing totally random content in ..694_2? When you look at the clips in thumbnail mode on the camera, do you see the same images you see for the questionable clips in XDCAM Transfer? What does Clip Browser or XDCAM Browser show for these files? Also how were they copied and from what kind of media?
If you want to post the mediapro.xml file located on the root of /CLPR I could probably give you a better idea of what’s going on. Otherwise try the following:
1) Use Clip Browser or XDCAM Browser to rebuild the BPAV from the raw .mp4s (assuming the actual media files are correct when viewed in either of these apps). Do this by file–>importing the .mp4s to a new folder.
2) Copy the individual .mp4s to a new folder and try adding that folder as a source in XDCAM Transfer
3) Copy the files back to an SxS card and use the camera to try and re-sync the mediapro.xml file (menu–>others–>clip–>update).
If what you’re seeing and describing is accurate the worst case scenario could be that mediapro.xml got corrupted and is pointing to the wrong clip(s) or repeating clip UMIDs (the unique digital ID for each .mp4). These are kind of way-out-there scenarios so let’s hope there’s a simple answer.
Ian Cook
Sony Broadcast and Professional Company -
If you are getting a ‘Failed to Import the Clip’ error on an EX .mp4 it usually means there is data missing (often from bad copies).
As a last resort, try downloading the Cinemon.mp4 trial. It’s a plug-in that allows direct editing of EX .mp4s without having to rewrap. The trial version has no limitations (watermarks, limits on clip length etc). See if, with Cinemon installed, the clips play in FCP and/or QuickTime. If they do, you have until the trial period ends to transcode the files or purchase the software. If you get a beach ball or error when you try to bring these into FCP with Cinemon installed, there is definitely a problem with the source clip(s).
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The clips need to be on the root of the folder. If it’s a folder you’ve already viewed as a source delete it from the list and add it again. If the clips still do not show up you’ll need to use CB to file–>import them into a new BPAV.
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Hi Jason,
You can’t change the actual file names but you can get around this by making a sub clip. Mark in/out at the beginning/end of the clip, right-click and select ‘Make New Clip…,’ and click OK when it warns you that you’re copying the whole clip. A new clip with a new name will be created. You can keep or discard the original clip.
Hope this helps. There may be other workarounds but this is probably the quickest/easiest. If you combine folders after deleting/backing up the original master clip they should combine properly now that there are no repeating file names.
Best,
Ian
Ian Cook
Sony Broadcast and Professional Company -
It sounds like the main issue is that your Mac is running Snow Leopard with an unsupported version of Transfer. The slow operation and thumbnail errors are to be expected with older versions and SL.
Also, 2.12 can read ‘orphaned’ mp4 files in a source folder. It’s always better to rebuild in CB but if you need to import from just the .mp4 files 2.12 is capable of doing this. The Log and Transfer plug-in req’s an intact BPAV.
So hopefully 2.12 will solve both issues. If I’m way off the mark here as far as what you’re doing, let me know..
Ian Cook
Sony Broadcast and Professional Company -
1. In the XDCAM Export dialog that comes up after selecting File–>Export–>Sony XDCAM there is a ‘file type’ drop-down menu that allows you to select either an .mxf or .mp4 wrapper. Select .mp4. If you don’t see this option, check your version of Transfer. I’d strongly recommend that you run the latest, v 2.12.
2. If the sequence is already keyed to an XDCAM EX codec you can select “current” in the “Using Settings” drop-down in the Export dialog. If the sequence preset is not set to an EX codec, select the appropriate EX codec from this dropdown menu. Make sure you do not select an optical XDCAM format.
3. If you point the export to the root of the SxS card the application will know to place the file in the right directory (the root of the CLPR folder). You do not need to drill down into individual folders.
4. Once this is done you have an ‘unregistered’ file on the card. XDCAM Transfer will not register the file– you need to refresh the source in Clip Browser or update from the camera menu (Others–>Clip–>Update).
Another method would be to export the .mp4 locally (to the desktop, for example, and then use Clip Browser to import/register the new file. To do this you bring up the card in Clip Browser (i.e. browse to it in one of the Explorer windows), select File–>Import and select the recently exported .mp4. You should not need this workaround, however; I mention it only as an alternative. The above method will work as long as you use an EX format, re-wrap to .mp4 and update the card properly.
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When you Media Manage a project in FCP you have the option to trim the master clips down to the lengths used in the timeline. This way you are only copying/moving material that’s actually being used. FCP limits what you can do with non-MOV files (MXF, MP4 etc). It won’t affect re-linking behavior.
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Hi Stephen,
You should have no issues using the plug-in. The only difference in behavior that you might see is that if you try to media manage the project non-MOV files cannot be truncated to the lengths used in the timeline. This is an FCP limitation on all non-MOV files. Otherwise the timeline behavior and relinking should work as they do with other supported files.
Best,
Ian Cook
Sony Broadcast and Professional Company -
It can be useful when mixing/matching with 1st gen XDCAM HD or HDV camcorders, which acquire in the 1440 codecs.