[Ian Cook]

Don is correct. The camera will prompt you when the card begins to near the end of its lifespan.

[Ian Cook]

Hi Bob,

The only functional difference is the shorter lifespan on the -1A cards.

Best,

Ian Cook
Sony Broadcast and Professional Company

[Ian Cook]

Yes, the EX30 can be used for both the file-based ingest and the dub to DVCPRO HD or HDCAM SR or whatever you choose. Just make sure that your DVCPRO HD deck can take time code from the SDI stream. There is no dedicated TC out on the EX30 but as long as you can set the recorder to look for SDI time code you’ll have TC-accurate dubs. This is standard on most higher end Sony decks but I can’t say for sure with the DVCPRO machine.

[Ian Cook]

The optical machine would be a PDW-HD1500.

The portable HDCAM deck would be an HDW-S280. The SR equiv would be the SRW-1.

It’s always difficult and time consuming to do this on set. You could conceivably back up the cards and then copy them back to SxS later so that you could make the dubs. If you bring it into Avid printing each individual clip back with the original TC will be a major headache. It’s really best to dub from the original card or from a card backup copied back to SxS. For playback you could use any EX camera or the (also portable) EX30 deck.

[Ian Cook]

If you needed to you could make TC-accurate sub masters to an HDCAM or HDCAM SR deck. Just select SDI as the TC source on any of these and you only need to connect one cable from HD-SDI out to HD-SDI in. HBO Films, for example, wants everything archived on tape so EX and other file based footage usually ends up getting dubbed like this. LTOs are usually not accepted as deliverables.

If they’ll accept an XDCAM optical disc you can dub it over to 50 Mbps 422 in either 720 or 1080, P or I. Pro Discs are widely accepted as deliverables and the decks are cheaper to rent than SR machines.

Hope this helps..

Cheers,

Ian

Ian Cook
Sony Broadcast and Professional Company

[Ian Cook]

You do not have to transcode. The files need to be re-wrapped as QuickTimes (this moves the file contents from one file container to another; video and audio are not converted) which can be done using XDCAM Transfer, XDCAM Browser or the Log and Transfer extension from Sony. These work as FCP plugins and will do the re-wrapping on import. They are all available as free downloads.

All of these applications do more or less the same thing but each has a slightly different feature set. XDCAM Transfer is probably the best choice as it imports in the background and has the best sub-clipping and logging features.

There are also plugin QuickTime decoders that allow you to drag MP4s directly into FCP without needing to re-wrap. Sony’s plugin is called ‘Cinemon.mp4.’ There is also a plugin from Calibrated Software called MP4-EX Import. Both offer free trials..

XDCAM Transfer FCP plugin v 2.12 (rewraps to .mov as a background task; no SD-AVI support): https://www.servicesplus.sel.sony.com/sony-software-model-PDZKP1.aspx

XDCAM Browser (similar to XDCAM Transfer, supports SD and MXF on SxS, imports are a foreground process): https://www.servicesplus.sel.sony.com/sony-software-model-XDB1.aspx

Log and Transfer Extension v 1.2 (works within FCP, supports all SD/HD formats): https://www.servicesplus.sel.sony.com/sony-software-model-PDZKLT1.aspx

Cinemon.mp4 (for native mp4 editing; free 60 day full featured trial)
https://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/cat-datastorage/resource.latest.bbsccms-assets-cat-datastorage-solutions-cinemonmp4.shtml

EX MP4-Import (for native mp4 import):
https://www.calibratedsoftware.com/MP4EXImport_Mac.asp

Ian Cook
Sony Broadcast and Professional Company

[Ian Cook]

Are they attempting to export from XDCAM Browser to MXF or are they trying to import via Avid AMA? Do you know the Media Composer version? Also, are these .mp4 files or MXF files shot on SxS using an optical XDCAM codec (50 Mb 422 etc)? How is the export failing/not working?

Without knowing any of the above it’s difficult to guess the problem.

If they are not .mp4 files the export options in XDCAM Browser are limited, but non-mp4 file types do not require conversion and can be brought directly into Media Composer. If it’s MC 5 the AMA window can be used for all XDCAM file types.

Media Composer 5.0.3 requires an updated AMA plugin for full support, particularly if the files are MXF shot on SXS.

https://www.servicesplus.sel.sony.com/sony-software-model-PDZKMA2.aspx

[Ian Cook]

When you look at the drive in Windows Explorer / Mac Finder does the used vs remaining capacity gel with the amount of footage shown on the card? What to you see in the /Stream folder?

Does the camera show Xs over any thumbnails or are the clips in question simply not there?

[Ian Cook]

Not sure which piece of software you are referring to but they are all on the US download site.

XDCAM Transfer:

https://www.servicesplus.sel.sony.com/sony-software-model-PDZKP1.aspx

Log and Transfer v 1.2:

https://www.servicesplus.sel.sony.com/sony-software-model-PDZKLT1.aspx

Clip Browser 2.6:

https://www.servicesplus.sel.sony.com/sony-software-model-XDZP1.aspx

[Ian Cook]

Glad it’s working. Can you upload a copy of your original template?