Hello.
I have recently purchased the NX5E camcorder.
I've installed the CMU software. Now I see that the default folder for importing files is "C:\Users\%User%\Video" (at least in Windows 7) and I can't change the location. Do you have any idea how to change it?

First decide which folder you want to store the files in( or create this folder with Explorer on your hard drive). Open Content management Ultility and under file, click Import media. Another window will open for this selection and transfer. At the bottom of this window is the current "Location for imported media" and a button to "change". Click this change button and then another box will open where you can find you new folder and select.
On the main screen under tools , click settings, viewed folders. In the box on the right you can press "ADD" and find and register the new folder location you created. It will now be registered and clips will appear in the content manager. It should also now say that the newly created folder is the "location for imported media)
Ron Evans

Thank you very much! That is the way.
Usually I figure it out myself, but this time was frustrating. I didn't see the "location for imported media" field, probably because I maximized the window and I have a 24" screen.

Now I'm at exactly the same point as the previous troubled post - except, when I do as Ron suggests, there is only the directory chosen within the list - no real option for change.....

Help!

The software can be confusing. You have to first register your new folder and then select it as the default location, and there are separate menus for doing this.

The first thing you have to do after opening the program is click on the second icon on the left below the bar for "File Edit Etc.". You dont' want the one all the way to the left because that is the "import" button. You'll use that later. For now, just leave that alone and put your mouse pointer on the second button. You should see the pop-up message "register folders to view." Click on this "register" button. A file navigation window will open up. Navigate to and select the folder you want to add as the default storage one. Click on it once to highlight it. Go down to the bottom center of this window, find the "register" button and click on it.

Now, go back to the first window and click on the "import" button. When the import window opens over top of the orginal one, look down at the very bottom. On the left, it will have a box with white lettering that says: "location for imported media files" and under that it will say something like "C:\users. . . ." In the middle is a button labeled "change." When you click on that you should see a third window open up. It will be titled "Save Location Settings." Go down to the third line which says "Location" and probably displays the original folder for saving files. Go to the right hand side, click the down arrow and you should see both the orginal location and the file you just selected. Click on the new folder/file. Then click the "OK" button at the bottom center. You're done.

Jay

Thanks very much for that. I tried a different approach which was to allow all the video to be imported to the default location. I then moved (i.e.not copy) the directory to my preferred location. Then I un-installed and reinstalled the software (which appeared to overcome a DirectX error on the initial install).

I then registered the preferred location, and all seems good.

Thanks very much for your help. Thought I should post my reply in case it helps someone else....

Ian

There is a new version of the CMU software included with NXCAM. Version 1.1 improves usability and fixes some issues. The file will be available for download late tomorrow at this URL: Sony | Micro Site - NXCAM & AVCHD (http://www.sony.com/NXCAM).

Juan Martinez
Sony Electronics

The confusing part of the software is that you have to register ANY folders that you want to use as locations for your video files. Once you have registered a folder then the change button on the import window will allow you to find and change to any of the registered folders. When I set up a new project I create a folder on the hard drive and register it so that it is available when I want to import.

Ron Evans

Mr. Martinez...has the new software been posted yet?

Dano

Juan M.,
I can't find the latest revision to CMU on the microsite.

I found it on the website but as of last night, the software version appears to be a couple of months old.

Marc,
Can you provide a link?

Noticed on the prosumer (HDR-AX2000) site, that Picture Motion Browser (PMB) v5.2 is the software utility whereas the Content Management Utility (CMU) is the software that came with the camcorder. I didn't know that PMB was able to join 'relayed' clips (clips with contiguous data between 2 or more flash cards).

Link is: Sony | Micro Site - NXCAM & AVCHD (http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/micro-nxcamsite/resource.downloads.bbsccms-assets-micro-nxcam-downloads-HXRNX5UFirmwareUpdate.shtml)
Go down toward the bottom of the page. Click Here starts a paragraph. Not real obvious.
Also, I downloaded it. I checked the version (2.0) I downloaded and the version that came with my camera (1.0), so not brainer upgrade, yes?
No, software says there's no reason to install and quit.......Well, OK.....

Sorry but the link you gave it's about the firmware upgrade of the camera. This topic is about the Content Management Utility software which we are waiting for a new version

sorry about that.

Does this look like its the correct new update?
Content Management Utility Ver.1.1 : Sony Middle East & Africa (http://www.sony-mea.com/support/download/402035)

What ever happened to Juan Martinez from Sony?

Sure looks like it. Thanks!

It's at this site too:

http://www.sony-asia.com/support/download/401976

Does this look like its the correct new update?
Content Management Utility Ver.1.1 : Sony Middle East & Africa (http://www.sony-mea.com/support/download/402035)

System Requirements
Supported OS

* Windows® XP Service Pack3(SP3)
(Does not support 64-bit edition and Starter edition)
* Windows Vista® Service Pack2(SP2)
(Does not support Starter edition)
* Windows® 7

Err... what of all those using 64bit systems like me on PremPro CS4 Vista 64bit? Or is this just a bad case of communication.

Does this new version of CMU support 64bit - yes/no?

read more carefully, you'll figure it out.

Does not support 64-bit edition and Starter edition - it's about Windows XP

I'm having a problem with this software, in that it won't let me join media files that are already transfered to the hard drive.

All where shot with the native camera the software came with, but it appears that once they are out of the camera, you can no longer join them?

I registered the folders, and all I get is a circle with a line through it when I try to click on them..

thanks for any help :)

It will only join files together in the transfer from the camera as there are other files that contain the stop start information, etc. These are not contained in the individual files and as such there is no information for the program to use. That is why it is better to use the utility to do the transfer and logging as all this information is transfered to the PC when done by the utility. IF you only have the individual files then you will have to join together in you NLE.

Ron Evans

Ahh, crap... that's nice to know.... Recently, the 1 second audio drop between file cuts has been rather annoying, and I was hoping to join older files together to eliminate it...

What's the NLE?

Neil:

NLE is short for Non-Linear Editing (for films and TV productions).

In brief, NLE is an editing method, which enables random (i.e. direct) access to any frame of a movie (in contrast to the historical videotape editing system that required playing through all adjacent footage to reach the frame needed).

Ahh, k. Thanks for the info....
Now I'll know to keep the program on file for future use....

If you copy the entire folder structure from the source card/drive then the CMU will join the files. I've done it from the NX5U via USB and from my hard drive.

If you concider the time required to copy from the card to the hard drive and join, it takes about the same time as joining while copying via USB.

Got this question from someone who's not sure about joining the split files due to this fat32 limit, does anyone know if the sony ax2000 or nx5 will loose any farmes in video/audio when it stitches together continuous recorded files? I read that Sony provides this "Content Management Utility" to handle this without any frameloss, is this correct?

The Content Management Utility is designed to transfer files completely from the camera to the PC, no lost frames or sync issue with audio. I ALWAYS use the utility to transfer from my NX5U and also the Sony Motion Browser for the consumer cameras too. The transfer provides more than just moving files and joining FAT32 files together. All the meta data is also transferred and can be looked at in many ways. They are however only PC programs. Both allow creation and selection of the destination folders etc. Transfer is followed by analysis( but you can remove camera or FMU128 while this takes place). The analysis integrates GPS, faces etc into the archive structure.

Ron Evans

Thx Ron, that's what I wanted to know.

One more question; does the ax2000/nx5 record to sdxc cards and if it does, are there any fat32 restrictions on that exFAT format? Is it f.i. possible to format that type of card as exFAT to allow recording of larger files of will the Sony camera allways format as fat32?

All camera formatting is FAT32. I think if it sees anything else it will want to reformat the memory card. Only supports SDHC.

Ron Evans

thx Ron for your answer

I replaced my Z5U with two new NX5 cameras. I am having a problem with time codes. The raw files that are either on the SD card or the dedicated solid state recording unit has time code information. If I view those files (after moving all files on the storage natively to the hard drive) I can see time code information in Adobe CS 5.5.

However if I Import the same files using CMU Adobe CS 5.5 does not see any time code information. The video after import is a different format with the file extension .m2ts. Before import it is .mts file extension.

So I am wondering where the time code went. If I view the raw file inside the CMU before importing and check all the metadata displayed by CMU on the right side of the window, there is no time code shown in any metadata window.

Indeed, if I preview the video file inside CMU before import, the time code window below and to the left of the preview window shows 00.00.00.00 starting time code which means to me that CMU is not itself making use of the time code information and does not even seem to be aware that there is time code.

I went through every single menu item in CMU looking for something like "turn time code on" and there is no disabled setting I am aware of.

I cannot imagine that Sony ignored timecode when they created the only import software capable of gluing the little files back together.

My old Z5U used a crude Sony utility that did nothing more than glue the files back together, but it did preserve the timecode when it did so. That old software is about five years old.

Anyone have any ideas on how to import with timecode?

Rene,

Is there a *.cmuprops to match each *.m2ts video file? If the CMU didn't create one in the same folder as the .m2ts file, there may be a problem with settings or user privlages.

If you look under the Tools menu/Settings... menu, then the Other tab, you'll see the path where user data is stored.

I have an application:
Wilcox Video Productions - GPS Data Reader (http://www.wilcoxvideoproductions.com/WVPGPSDataReader.aspx)
which will map the GPS location of each video clip (requires the *.cmuprops files).

Good luck
Hope this helps.

In the CMU preview display one can switch between timecode and users bits by clicking in the preview window and pressing T on the keyboard. At least in my version. If you have not set user bits it will be 00:00:00:00. That at least should let you see the timecode in the CMU. Not sure about Premiere. I have CS5.5 but mainly use Edius so will have to have a look and see if I can find out for you.

I once touched the button on the NX5U while shooting and could not figure out why the timecode was not progressing but I had a REC indicator !!! There is a buttonthat switches between timecode and user bits bottom right on the NX5U panel !!!.

Ron Evans