Thanks for your suggestion. I solved the problem by dragging all the video files to the video partition of the HVR-DR60. The trick, evidently, is to maintain the file structure when you copy to an external disk and when you copy back to the HVR-DR60. Once I go the files onto the Sony disk, I was able to bring them into final cut using the Log and Transfer menu item. Just over four hours of material transferred into FCP in just over one hour. I think importing might have taken longer, but I haven’t done the test to see if that’s true.
Thanks for helping.
Stew