Yesterday I received and installed the long awaited update Media Composer 3.0 and boy is it great, except that there isn't any support for the EX1 if you operate in the Macintosh environment.

That said, I called technical support to find out if there are any solutions and after working my way through the phone tree I was finally connected to a human being in Avid's technical support department in Romania!!! After explaining my above mentioned dilemma, the tech offered to email me a PDF explaining how to work with XDCAM footage. I explained to him that I was trying to work with footage acquired with the EX1 and I told him that it had more in common with Panasonic's P2 card system than XDCAM's optical disk system, but he insisted that the PDF would answer my questions. Whatever, I thought to myself....

Naturally, as I suspected, when the PDF arrived in my in-box it had no bearing on the EX1 and offered no help to the problem.

So please, tell me that Avid hasn't out-sourced technical support to Romania when a far more knowledgeable staff is available in Tewksbury. Tell me this isn't the "New Thinking" that Avid has embarked upon.

I'm having the exact same issue. I wish I could help. We bought some new equipment including new Macintosh computers and the EX-1 cameras. We expected that the cameras would work with the Avids as they claimed they had full support for XDCAM EX starting with v3.0. So that's why we went with the EX-1 cameras.

This is becoming such a headache.

I believe the issue is that the Mac version of Sony's Clip Browser does not convert to MXF files properly, while the PC version does.

Sony should release a new version in July.

Hello - My name is Kate Ketcham and I work as a Customer Support Supervisor for Avid Technology. I read your post and wanted to reply to your concerns about XDCAM EX on Mac platforms.

The Sony XDCAM EX cameras capture MP4 files, while XDCAM HD and P2 cameras capture MXF files. Avid supports importing and working with XDCAM EX files on both Mac and PC after they have been rewrapped to MXF files. Sony's Clip Browser software is currently the only known and supported software with this capability. However, Sony does not support this function on Mac systems; only the PC version of the Clip Browser software has the ability to rewrap to MXF.* The MXF files created using the Windows software can be imported into a Mac based Media Composer.


OP1a MXF files (the kind used by XDCAM HD) embed audio and video into the same file, whereas OPAtom MXF files (the kind of MXF files that Avid uses) create separate files for video and each audio track. When XDCAM MXF files are imported into Media Composer, the files are not being transcoded, but rather audio and video are dis-embedded, thus turning the file into OPAtom MXF files. Therefore the process for importing XDCAM HD and XDCAM EX files is very different, as the Avid software does not have the ability to convert MP4 files to MXF files on import.


To view a tutorial on how to use the Windows version of Sony Clip Browser, you can go here:
http://community.avid.com/blogs/training/archive/2008/01/28/sony-xdcam-ex-with-the-avid-media-composer.aspx

I hope this answers some of your questions, however I'll be sure to watch this thread in case you have more questions.

Regards,
Kate Ketcham
Avid Customer Support Supervisor

*Sony was showing Clip Browser Version 2 on the Mac at NAB that had the ability to rewrap MP4 files as MXF. While this software was slated for release in the Summer of 2008, please check Sony's website for the exact date of release.

I wanted to post a reply on behalf of Avid's Director of Customer Service, EMEA, as he would like to address your concerns about our Customer Service offerings, but does not yet have a login for the forums:

Hello all,

I have been following this thread and wanted to take the opportunity to respond. My name is Ian Robertson, Avid’s Director of Customer Service, EMEA.

As you know, Avid is a global company with a commitment to offer technical assistance to customers around the world, in their native language, wherever possible. Avid is now using a single vendor to assist our worldwide support teams in the Americas and Europe. As a result, we have realized substantial improvements to our overall service delivery capabilities to the community including call reduction times, faster access to technical knowledge and streamlined access to support representatives. That’s a better experience for our customers. Our focus is to provide customers with the correct answers as quickly as possible and we will continue to take any measures that can assist us in achieving that goal. Please continue to offer your comments and suggestions through the forums or by contacting Avid directly.

Regards,
Ian Robertson

Kate,

Thanks so much for responding to the needs of your user base. Avid is truly showing a different mindset when it somes to support and I have found that version 3 support is the best I've seen. So far as I can tell, this is the first time that anyone from Avid has ever posted on the Avid forum here at dvinfo. Excellent. I know it takes a lot of time to monitor all of the user sites out there. Well done.

I've been an Avid editor since 1993 and I can say I rely on your software almost everyday. I have been able to cut out a niche and make a living using your software. I even convinced my bread and butter client to buy Avid, even though they had already invested in FCP. It is still my "go to" editor of choice on large scale projects.

I hope Avid continues to move in this direction of better customer communication and support.

Cheers, David

Torv Carlsen described an experience with Avid's tech support in Romania that I could have written myself -- and several times. I'm very sorry to say that the service by the nice folks in Romania can be characterized in one word: incompetance. Avid has some good in-house training folks. But who is training the Romanians? Or is it "on-the-job" training? I'm sure the Romanians want to do a good job.

Although I have purchased the MC 2.8 upgrade, I'm quaking in my boots as I try to figure out whether (while in the middle of a one-hour documentary project) to replace the problematic AXP 5.7.5 without useful Avid support if problems arise. I discontinued, and will not purchase, any support contract from Avid now that I see the Romanians are still on the job. The losses of time and the incredibly aggravating, if not outrageous, frustrations they've already caused are something I'll never forget.

Note to Ian Robertson regarding his statement that Avid now provides "streamlined access to support representatives": We need access, streamlined or not, to competant, knowledgeable support representatives. When will that be available?

Tom, as an aside, isn't the upgraed to AXP 5.8.3 free for you?

Peter,

Made a quick check of Avid's web site and found that AXP 5.8 is available. I'm guessing that, if I were to download it, it would go ver. 5.8.3. Even though I configured my HP xw8200 under the tutelage of Dave Fish while he was at Avid, however, every upgrade has brought a lot of grief -- and silliness from Romania.

So I'm sticking with 5.7.5 for the moment because, with the exception of inexplicably wiping out my V2 stuff and the latest timeline version (even in the attic!) a few days ago during one of its daily crashes, it is getting me by.

BUT I just noticed that the free upgrade from MC 2.8.x to 3.0 ends o/a July 15. So I may decide to risk replacing AXP with MC very soon. Am taking delivery of a Dell M6300 laptop tomorrow, and may give MC a shot on that one first. Any comment on that marriage?

Tom

Tom, I can't comment on the laptop. But Avid shouldn't be crashing every day, as I'm sure you know. Something must be amiss with your setup. Have you checked all the regulars like video card, video drivers, QT version and Windows settings?

I'd really try to sort that out before installing MC3 on your desktop. If it has an imcompatibility with Xpress 5.7.5, it probably won't play nice with MC3.

Have checked out all of that stuff many times with many different people and found nothing. I work 15-17 hours/day on the system and have chalked up most of the crashes to overheating (but I use an external fan & have good ventilation) and/or an unstable program (AXP). Was hoping that one advantage to installing MC would be greater stability.

Am now working under a deadline that makes taking the computer to someone for a checkout impossible. It has been a couple of months since I checked out the driver scene, so I suppose it is time to do the drill again. It is very frustrating, though, because I've yet to find anything amiss, while the problems continue.

No doubt you are right about MC3 not playing nice....

Thanks for your comments, Peter. I do appreciate your thoughts.

Tom

Tom, your motherboard should come with a monitoring program that will tell you temp levels. IF it is overheating, you are really playing with the devil. I recommend posting ALL of you specs for you current system--hardware, software and drivers.

Xpress doesn't crash once a day and the upgrades to newer versions should be painless. Good luck with everything.

Peter and/or anyone else who may know,

Am wondering if the BIOS version, dated 12/25/05, may be out of date for the Avid software. The date my computer shows, however, is suspect. When I checked the Nvidia driver version, for example, the computer reported 6.x, but Nvidia on the net says I'm using 91.85....??

Thank you, Peter. Will post specs separately. BTW, here are the two messages that are repeated, well, repeatedly re AXP 5.7.5 problems:

6/26/2008 8:06 PM Application Hang Hanging application AvidXpressPro.exe, version 5.7.5.38460, hang module hungapp, version 0.0.0.0, hang address 0x00000000.


6/27/2008 1:15 AM Application Error Faulting application avidxpresspro.exe, version 5.7.5.38460, faulting module avuishell20.dll, version 0.0.0.0, fault address 0x00009097.


Tom

Hello - My name is Kate Ketcham and I work as a Customer Support Supervisor for Avid Technology. I read your post and wanted to reply to your concerns about XDCAM EX on Mac platforms.

The Sony XDCAM EX cameras capture MP4 files, while XDCAM HD and P2 cameras capture MXF files. Avid supports importing and working with XDCAM EX files on both Mac and PC after they have been rewrapped to MXF files. Sony's Clip Browser software is currently the only known and supported software with this capability. However, Sony does not support this function on Mac systems; only the PC version of the Clip Browser software has the ability to rewrap to MXF.* The MXF files created using the Windows software can be imported into a Mac based Media Composer.


OP1a MXF files (the kind used by XDCAM HD) embed audio and video into the same file, whereas OPAtom MXF files (the kind of MXF files that Avid uses) create separate files for video and each audio track. When XDCAM MXF files are imported into Media Composer, the files are not being transcoded, but rather audio and video are dis-embedded, thus turning the file into OPAtom MXF files. Therefore the process for importing XDCAM HD and XDCAM EX files is very different, as the Avid software does not have the ability to convert MP4 files to MXF files on import.


To view a tutorial on how to use the Windows version of Sony Clip Browser, you can go here:
http://community.avid.com/blogs/training/archive/2008/01/28/sony-xdcam-ex-with-the-avid-media-composer.aspx

I hope this answers some of your questions, however I'll be sure to watch this thread in case you have more questions.

Regards,
Kate Ketcham
Avid Customer Support Supervisor

*Sony was showing Clip Browser Version 2 on the Mac at NAB that had the ability to rewrap MP4 files as MXF. While this software was slated for release in the Summer of 2008, please check Sony's website for the exact date of release.


Kate,
Your actions on this board is the first I've seen directly involving Avid. I certainly am glad that Avid does browse these boards to provide assistance to their customer base. Thank you.

Peter and/or anyone else who may know,

Am wondering if the BIOS version, dated 12/25/05, may be out of date for the Avid software. The date my computer shows, however, is suspect. When I checked the Nvidia driver version, for example, the computer reported 6.x, but Nvidia on the net says I'm using 91.85....??

Thank you, Peter. Will post specs separately. BTW, here are the two messages that are repeated, well, repeatedly re AXP 5.7.5 problems:

6/26/2008 8:06 PM Application Hang Hanging application AvidXpressPro.exe, version 5.7.5.38460, hang module hungapp, version 0.0.0.0, hang address 0x00000000.


6/27/2008 1:15 AM Application Error Faulting application avidxpresspro.exe, version 5.7.5.38460, faulting module avuishell20.dll, version 0.0.0.0, fault address 0x00009097.


TomTom I doubt it's the BIOS if your computer is functioning properly otherwise. But you should check the Readme's for the BIOS updates and see if you need to do the update. FWIW, keeping the BIOS up to date is a good idea, but usually not critical. And there is a risk screwing up your mobo, however slight, when updating the BIOS.

Is the driver version: 6.14.10.9185? If so, it you are running 91.85. (As confusing as it is, the ending ".9185" actually means version 91.85.)

Peter,

Thanks for clearing up the 91.85 driver issue. BIOS version is OK, too. Am now configuring the Dell M6300 for Avid ops. Am hopeful that I can move the MXF and OMF files to it (leaving 650GB on the 750GB Seagate Free Agent to access from MC30, install MC3, load the project files, and make some headway on the project. Will return to desktop matters, including specs, later.

Again, thanks.

Tom