[Neil Rubino]

Yes I have downloaded the Clip browser software, version 2, as well as the Transfer software. Also the SxS driver for the laptop. I did read the PDF about the clip browser software. Also various Sony PDF brochures about the XDCAM HD and XDCAM EX workflows.

I am only using the XDCAM EX-1 with Final Cut Pro 6.03.

Here is what I have been doing. I am shooting with an 8GB or 16GB SxS card on the XDCAM EX-1. Back at the office on the Mac system I use the transfer software to turn the clips into QuickTime files and place them on the video media drive. I close the transfer software when I am done. Then, using the Mac OS Finder, I copy the BPAV folder from the SxS card and place it in another folder I have labeled with my shoot name and date. I then burn this folder to a single or double layer DVD, depending on how much data I need to burn. That’s one backup. I copy the same folder to a firewire drive for a second backup. So I have forms of the footage in three places now. I then put the SxS card back in the camera and delete all clips using the camera options before I do the next shoot.

What I see from re-reading the manuals is that the clip browser offers conversion options if you are using Avid or Vegas or other non linear editors. Also, it offers the capability to relink or reconnect very long clips – ones that are over 4 gigabytes, or clips that span two SxS cards, into one clip on your media drive. It also can regroup the clips on a 16 gigabyte card into smaller groups so that you can have a BPAV folder that is not larger than say 8 gig or 4 gig. This enables you to burn the folders to single or double layer DVD’s.

I have only been using the EX-1 for two weeks now and I’ve mostly been shooting on 8GB cards. So it has been easy to burn the backup just using the Mac OS Finder. When I shot using the 16GB card recently, I had about 10 gig of media to backup. I was able to create a new folder structure using the Mac Finder that was exactly the same, BPAV, CLPR etc, and copy over just enough of the clips to the new location so I had two folder sets that I could burn to DVD as archive copies.

I did this AFTER I imported my video into the FCP project by the way, so if something went wrong I still had all my Quicktime files.

I will try the Clip browser software next time to divide up a 16GB SxS card for archiving.

Neil Rubino

shooter/editor/producer

MCPS Instructional TV

[Neil Rubino]

Isn’t it true that if you are using FCP and the Mac (of course}, then there is no need to use the Sony Clip Browser 2 software? I think that all of the Sony Clip Browser 2 functions are duplicated in the XDCAM Transfer Tool, which can be run from within FCP, or as a standalone program on the Mac.

Neil Rubino

shooter/editor/producer

MCPS Instructional TV

[Neil Rubino]

I understand the concept of a subclip and how it is made. And I see that the subclips keep the file name but add an incremental number. But the software allows you to add a different file name and also separate comments in the logging section. However, if you want to import say three subclips from one long clip, you cannot give the subclips different names such as WS Exterior, WS Interior, CU flowers etc.

It seems like they intended the software to allow this, since they allow you to add names and comments. But it does not work for me. Right now I am still doing this in the FCP Browser after import.

I think this would be a nice feature in the next transfer software update too.

Neil Rubino

shooter/editor/producer

MCPS Instructional TV

[Neil Rubino]

Thanks Gary