Off topic a little but for Stephen this is a short NX30 video used the content management utility version 2.1.01.11180 to import to the PC from the SD card in a card reader. However the install needed the NX30 to be attached while software was installed and this may also be the case for the EA50. After install I could use any approach to get the files. The camera, or the card from a card reader. Everything shot in full auto. Inside was on a tripod outside in the snow was with Steadyshot set for Active. Music is from Sonicfire Pro 5 Body Language from Night Grooves album. It was shot 1920x1080 60P and the file should be downloadable but of courses Vimeo will have re-encoded to 720 30P

Vegas NX30 encode on Vimeo


Ron

Thanks Ron

I think that is the secret! Connect the camera and then install the software so it can recognise the camera..then on subsequent uses the software is probably fooled into thinking that the card reader is actually the camera. Ok I'm lazy but I also lack desk space and it's a pain to have to find space for the camera on my already full desk and then try to work around it and use the mouse and keyboard. Using just the card is way more practical!!

I'll un-install the content browser and then later on today, connect one of the cameras and then do an install of the software and see if that works.

Thanks again

Chris

Yes whatever the card the software seems to know the camera it was shot on. Will identify all sorts of info from the extra files that are there that you can see in the information pane. It took a while the first time I connected up the NX30 but now it recognizes either the camera or a card from it quite quickly.

Ron Evans

To Stephen Crye:

First some qualifying statements. I don't know you, your work, or experiences. I also do not know the ins and outs of the broad line of Sony pro-summer camcorders. As far as camcorders go I am a resent convert to the EA50 from years with Canon. I DO HAVE many years of experience with Sony broadcast cameras.

So I am curious about the posts you have made in this thread. An 18 month search for a "b" cam? Six test and returns? A self proclaimed hatred for chromatic aberration?

So....with no il intent at all I will tell you my assumptions from just the few posts you made on this thread.

1. An 18 month search for the "B" cam would suggest this is a hobby because if you needed it for a living you don't have 18 months to make a decision. It does not matter who charges or not, I'm curios about what you do because of your insistence on perfection. And if it is a hobby you are already spending a lot of money on specialty items like the Nikon "for just one purpose".

2. Six test and returns? One for CA that was hardly perseptable? It seems to me that you are testing cameras that are all basically in the same league as each other. I suggest that to attain the level of quality you desire you may need to increase your budget and purchase a camera capable of meeting your stringent requirements. Or, a compromise might be the EA50 because you can start within the budget range you are testing in and then spend as much as you want, if you care to mount the worlds finest glass on it.

OK. #2 is what I started out to say. The rest just means I can't put together a logical overall view of what your doing :) :) :)

Steve

Hi Steve

I guess each to their own but I doubt whether one would get a "perfect camera" then again I'm not a "pixel peeper" ... If I get a bit of moire in my footage I don't throw my arms up in horror..my clients never see it and there is a good chance that no-one would ever see any CA ..serious or not.

The bottom line is that people are looking at the footage content not the technical perfection of it. All I look for is a cam that has the facilities I need ... with the EA-50 I loved the form factor versus the weight so for me it was a winner ... touch focus in manual was awesome and useful on the tripod mounted unit at weddings plus many more features that my Panasonic never had. Ok I cannot reset time code (and the camera also doesn't reset timecode after each clip ...is that a disaster? Nope, I can live with that easily but I would have liked it!!

Then again this tends to be a technical orientated forum so guys like discussing technical aspects like a possible lens error on zoom... personally I just haven't see the problem and I couldn't really care if the zoom does kick/jump a fraction..for me it does a good job.

Maybe if there were no "faults" with the camera then there would be nothing to post on the forum ??

Chris

+1 Chris!

Ron, I just open my Content Browser. I think we are talking about apples and oranges. Chris, Noa, and Me have a disk that came with the EA50 called Content Browser V-1.0

Steve

It is late. I will dig into this tomorrow. Here is a page with all the answers to the content browser discussion here.

It is a Sony site with the software, manual and information

Sony Creative Software - Download: Content Browser 2.0 (http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/contentbrowser)

Steve

Steven that one is for the XDCAM the one you want for the NXCam is Sony Creative Software - Download: Content Management Utility (http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/cmu). I have downloaded the one you referenced as I do use EX files from a friend often . It needs a serial number that isn't a NXCam number so I have sent for the single free one allowed.

Ron Evans

Hi Ron,

I don't think so. I have started to look into this. On that site is Content Browser V.2. The Content Browser that came with the EA50 is identical except the disk is V.1. The standard version does handle NEXCAM files. I have instaled V.2 and the manual. My EA50 serial number worked. It looks like this Content Browser is going to consolidate and replace all previous managers. Here is a cut and paste from the link I posted:

Replaced by this single platform application, the following separate applications will eventually be phased out:

XDCAM Browser
Content Management Utility
XDCAM Transfer (for Apple FCP)
XDCAM EX Clip Browser
PDZ-1 (XDCAM Proxy Browsing Software)
PDZ-VX10 (XDCAM Viewer)

I think Chris's confusion is because you guys are talking about two different interfaces.

Thank you for the input. This thread opened up a can of worms for me. I did not know about the frame sync issue. I do a lot of long run records so I want the simplest, most efficient way to handle this. I have no desire to put another piece of software into my work flow unless I have to. So I will dig into this and hope you guys continue to provide input. I can not limit the length of my records.

Steve

Yes Steve thanks for finding that. I have it loaded with the free serial number sent to me by Sony. My serial numbers for the NX30 or NX5U did not work. The software works just like the XDCAm ClipBrowser not like the NXCAM Content management software. I have them all on the PC now so can compare. PMB, Content Management Utility 2.1.01.11180, XDCAM ClipBrowser V 2.6 and the new Content Browser 2.0. The new Content Browser is much better than the Content Management Utility as its easier to understand where things are and are going to go works just like the XDCAM Clipbrowser. I will play with it a little to really find out what it has to offer compared to the others.


Ron Evans

Cool.

I just installed v.2 and now the software reads directly from the card reader.

Thanks for all the help in this thread!

Off topic a little but for Stephen this is a short NX30 video ... It was shot 1920x1080 60P and the file should be downloadable but of courses Vimeo will have re-encoded to 720 30P
Ron

Thanks Ron!

Sorry to everyone for hijacking this thread.

Rod, I'll comment on the vid on Vimeo and try to download it. Would love to see the "raw" footage.

Also will start new thread on dvinfo about my NX30 questions.

Steve

I have now had a little time to play with the Content Browser V2 and at least I have not yet found a way of it transferring AVCHD files satisfactorily. I have tried files from my NX30 and NX5 and in neither case can I get it to join the FAT32 files together. It operates much like the XDCAm browser V2.6 but for that I can get the single clip in the browser window to transfer to Edius. Not so for this Content Browser. It transfers over the same total size as the Content Management Utility but the files are still separate and there are other files that come across too !!! When I place on the Edius timeline there is a gap in the audio that gets worse as the timeline gets to the end . After 57 mins its is way off. Not good. The Content Manager Utility is much better at least at the moment.

Ron Evans

Ouch!! More confusion now...Is the Content Management Utility is different bit of software from the content Browser??? I'm downloading the file CMU_Upgrade_21

I have to go and sign up a bride in a few minutes so i'll install and check it out when I get back!.

It's getting complicated now ...On my Saturday wedding the file split is exactly over a section with no crucial audio so I just left them as is and they are fine. What I often used to do was physically stop recording and start again to force clips to be under 2GB and therefore not split.

Chris

Yes Chris. The Content Browser V2 is supposed to be a replacement for the XDCAm Browser and also the Content Management Utility. In other words it is supposed to handle all the Sony Pro formats. I have all 4 of the Sony transfer software on my PC. The consumer PMB, the Content management Utility that comes for the NX5U and came with my NX30U, the XDCAm Browser V2.6 that handles EX1/3 files and now this new Content Browser V2. This latest Content Browser looks exactly like the XDCAm Browser and works the same way but now will also handle AVCHD files as well as mp4 etc. Except for the EX1/3 the old Browser would handle the transferred FAT32 EX files like one clip. The new one will not handle AVCHD files the same way. Brings them in as individual files. The Content Management Utility V2.1.01.11180 that came with my NX30U will join the files and bring them in as a single m2ts file just like the Consumer PMB. Not sure what came with the EA50 of course. The files in the EA50 should be the same as the NX30U though. AVCHD 2.0 with LPCM audio as far as I can tell the NX30U and EA50 have the same spec for the encoder. LPCM is a problem for the consumer PMB ( now PlayMemories ) I think but Dolby is OK.

So far every attempt with Content Browser V2 has failed to get a single file imported.

Ron Evans

Every one of my attempts with Content Browser V2 has resulted in success. Download link is on this thread.

All my uses are also successful if you define success as transferring to the PC. In this regard it has transferred from the cameras, FMU128 and SD card reader. But in all cases NOT joined long clips together. The issue I have is that for long clips it does not join the FAT32 files together in a single long clip. They stay as individual FAT32 size files. Have you managed to successfully get V2 to join a long clip, say 50 mins or so into one file ? If so how?

Ron Evans

Hi Ron

OK, I installed the program and it insisted I connect the camera (which I did) The utility works and since the cam was still connected I did an import from the card in the camera and it makes the three MTS files into two invidivual M2Ts files named with date/time and it DOES join them ...one file was 12 minutes and the other was 4 minutes and the last was 2 minutes...Now, the 4 minute file, which was the extra section after the split never showed on import ...so on import I just selected two files (the 12 minute and the 2 minute ones) and it automatically included the 4 minute piece that needed to be tacked onto the end of the 12 minute file.

Maybe you didn't realise that the 2nd split of a split file cannot be selected?? It is found automatically and the software also "sees" it as a complete file.

Chris

Ok, I just tried the utility on a card reader and it also works perfectly!!

The moment you click the import media icon ..the import screen comes up and shows what you can import from..my cam wasn't connected so it only allows you to select the card reader drives ... if you select the drive (with the card in, of course) it already shows all the files and shows all split files as one file only! My clips 0000.MTS (12 minutes) and 0001.MTS (4 minutes) show up in the software already joined up as a now 16 minute file (000 and 001 are automatically recognised as being split and are joined even before you import the now composite file.

Works a treat!!

Chris

Yes mine does exactly what you have described. Shows either the camera or any memory module in the top window, select clips and drag into the location in the bottom window. All show as expected as one clip. However when I try to bring into Edius for editing it will not come over to the bin as the EX3 files will in the previous XDCAm Browser that in operation is the same. If you look in explorer there isn't a single file but still the individual mts files. If you butt these up together on a Vegas or Edius timeline the audio is out of sync. I am sending a mail to support to explain to me how it should work . A 12 min and 4 min file do not need joining. Time has to be longer than the 2G FAT32 file size so greater than about 20mins in length. For the 57min file I am using to test there are 5 FAT32 files. In Content Management Utility these will be imported as just one m2ts file. That is what I want from this new Content Browser.

Ron Evans

These are some images. First is of the Browser V2 showing my FMU128 connect and indicating 4 clips in the top window. I have imported the first clip into a directory shown in the bottom window. Both indicted as a single clip correctly and of 57min long ( 5 FAT 32 files). The second figure shows what is in the directory using explorer and the third fig is what is in the directory for an import from Content Management Utility. Nowhere in the Browser V2 directory is there one big file like there is in the directory for the Content Management Utility. I have sent a mail to support and will let you all know what they have to say.

Ron Evans

Hi Ron

Ok, I'm confused now ...when I look at the camera or card I see a bunch of files (on the card reader) and I have on this card 8 MTS files 0000 and 0001 are my wedding ceremony and the EA-50 has done a split at 12 minutes and then the rest of the ceremony is the remaining 4 minutes (16 minutes total) The 0000 MTS file is 1.97 GB hence the split ...the file 0001 never got to 2GB so there is only one split in the continuous 16 minute take. The files 0002 to 0007 are all under 2GB so they are not split (speeches)

Now I run the Utility and there are only 7 clips because 0000 and 0001 have been joined. I select the first file and import it to my "registered folder" which is "My Videos" ...On import I get a combined single Mt2s file in a folder with today's date and my import is complete.

I open Sony Vegas and import the file into my Media Bin and then drag it onto my timeline and I get a seamless 16 minute wedding ceremony without the split if I had used the two MTS files. I cannot see any issue with this at all. I'm shooting interlaced 1080 50i in FX mode with is 24mbps and it seems to get to 2GB after about 12 minutes of recording ... (My Pannys used to average 17mbps and they would split the file at around 18 -19 mins) That to me seems to be about the right size too ... 12 mins = 720 seconds x 24 = 17280 ...Divide that by 8 (bits to bytes) gives you 2160 mb (not 100% as the cam runs 24 mbps MAX) but it's close enough to say the file will split "around the 12 minute mark" so it doesn't exceed 2GB.

When you import to a "registered folder" on a file that has multiple splits you still should only have one file
A continuous shoot without stopping the camera for 60 minutes should create 5 x MTS files the way I see it if you shoot at 24mbps and the utility should merge them into one BIG almost 10GB video file that encompasses all 5 clips in sequence.

Surely Edius can import the one file and put it on the timeline???

To be feeble brain the utility works perfectly and the end result is exactly what we need ...

Dan??? Are you getting the same as I am ??? What bit rate are you shooting at and when do your files split at the 2GB mark??

Chris

Hi Ron

Your "registered folder" shows the correct file made up from the 5 split files... It's 57 mins long so that's all correct as far as I can see. Why can't you simply pull that mt2s file into your NLE and plonk it on the timeline???

That's what I'm doing and have no issues ..I don't really care what the Explorer Window is showing at all.

All I need to do to keep my stuff together now is copy the merged file from the registered folder into my client's folder so all my footage is together. Can you "unregister a folder" and change it to a new location after each shoot???

Chris

Chris the Content Management Utility works correctly. The Content Browser V2 does not . They are two different programs. I use the Content Management Utility version 2.1.01.11180 that works exactly like I want it to. I just tried this new Content Browser V2 ( I think you all got Content Browser version 1 or 1.1 with the EA50 ?) That is what I have shown in the fig in my previous post. Fig 1 and 2 are the content Browser and the associated registered folder and fig 3 is the registered folder for Content Management Utility that works correctly.

To answer your question about registered folders for the Content management utility you register folders under the tools menu> settings> folders > then add a new folder. At the bottom of the import window ( shown on one of my early posts) you can then change the import folder to any of the registered folders. I set a new one up for each project I have.

Ron Evans

Hi Ron

Perfect thanks!! The total confusion caused by Sony introducing two programs with almost the same name has obviously been the fly in the ointment!! I see exactly where you are going now...Yep I have Browser V1 installed but Utility V2 installed as well. I might just wipe the browser out for now!! As the confusing part is that they look almost the same!!

Chris

Gentlemen,

I am still beating my head against this split file issue issue. I have a job loaded with lots of long runs, some up to an hour.

I have tried a thousand ways to import my files, windows explorer, camera (EA50), content browser V1 &V2, even Premier Pro CS3 with the Main Concepts plug in that is supposed to join them together.

Content browser shows then as continuous files but still imports them as splits. No matter what I do all I can get into Premier is a long list of 12 minute files that don't sync. I have tried importing every folder in the structure to be sure all data is there and it still does not work.

Chris, what do you mean by a "registered folder"?

If someone has this figured out please let me know how to import them as joined files.

Steve

Thx to Chris I downloaded and installed this one :Sony Creative Software - Download: Content Management Utility (http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/cmu?keycode=9500-9500) and connected the camera during install, importing footage is pretty straightforward after that, after that first install you don't have to connect your camera anymore, just use a cardreader, load the software, locate the card and start importing, long files are properly joined in my case.

You may also want to install the consumer PlayMemories too as this has more choices for file selection ( standard Windows practice, Pro versions require individual file selection ) and works fine with my NX5U or NX30 including 60P and LPCM audio. I have PMB, Content Management Utility ( NOT the Browser ), XDCAM ClipBrowser 2.6 and the new XDCAm Content Browser 2.0 . All work just fine on the same PC. XDCAM ClipBrowser and XDCAm Content Browser 2.0 work fine for XDCAm files but do not join AVCHD files in the same way as they do for EX files. I use the Content Management Utility or PMB or PlayMemories to get AVCHD files joined together correctly. Very confusing as there are so many Sony programs that do much the same thing from different divisions !!!

Ron Evans

Not sure Ron but I think those versions you mention don't work with the ea50's files.

Not sure Ron but I think those versions you mention don't work with the ea50's files.

I cannot confirm of course since I do not have an EA50 but as far as i can tell from specs the files are AVCHD 2.0 exactly the same as the NX30 which I have. And like the NX5U the NX30 and EA50 will record LPCM audio which I always use for the NX5U and the NX30. PMB will transfer LPCM audio and 60P but will not play these files but PlayMemories will do so. Maybe someone can check if they have an EA50 and PMB or PlayMemories loaded on their PC. Certainly Content Management Utility does work correctly though.

Ron Evans

EDIT: Noa you have a CX730 that must have come with PlayMemories. Have you tried that?

THANK YOU NOA! Finely a way to get the clips imported and exported properly. The Content Browser that comes with the EA50 is supposed to be the software that is going to replace all of the other utilities Sony has out there. Ironically it does not merge files from the EA50 upon export. At least not for me....

Steve

No, thank you Chris as he provided the link to me in the first place :) I don't understand why Sony provides the wrong software with the camera, it also took me some time to find out what was going on.

Thank you Chris. And now that I'm using the right software I see what a registered folder is. Everything seems to be importing properly now.

Steve

Noa, out of curiosity I went into local store and shot some clips on an EA50. Attached are screen shots of the import into PMB and PlayMemories both programs worked just fine. Source 24p for the first clip and 60p for the second and audio was LPCM. Both these programs have the ability to select files using Windows convention rather than individual files like the Pro versions and they join long clips together too.The first 2 figs are PlayMemories ( the current shipping consumer transfer program) and the 3rd and 4th are PMB ( the original transfer software but the latest version). With both import screens there is the choice to browse for transfer folder and create a new one at that time no need to register a folder like the Pro versions. Both these programs played both the 24p and 60p files.

Ron Evans

Edit: Just noticed I didn't reset the date on the EA50 in the store !!!

I do have pmb as well which came with my cx730 so I could check also, now the importing does seems to work but where those larger split up files from a longer continuous record and did they join correctly?

No they were just short files, shot in the store. Since both PlayMemories and PMB join files from my NX5U and the NX30U I do not think they would not work for the EA50 . The store told me the EA50 files were the same format as the NX30U, AVCHD 2.0 as I thought. Just wanted to check for myself. IF you do an update for PMB Sony will ask if you want to upgrade to PlayMemories. I did that on one PC and left PMB on the other that is how I have both.

Ron Evans

Hmm. Lots of other interesting stuff in this thread.

Back to the Content Browser, I uninstalled it. I couldn't get it to scrub through clips.

I have the same problem with Adobe Bridge. The idea of these browsers is great but if they don't allow me to browse, there's no point to them.

Am I missing a plugin, perhaps?

To be honest, I get along fine using Windows Explorer, which allows scrubbing with audio of my .MTS files.

but if they don't allow me to browse, there's no point to them.

The most important function of that browser is to join separate longer continous recordings into one file without frameloss. I actually don't use it for anything else.

Ah, OK, Noa. I hadn't thought of that. It explains some of the other posts on here, too.

I'll re-read and see what I can learn. I think it's only happened to me a couple of times, where a clip has been split by the file size limit. Both times I was able to fix it in Premiere. One join needed a cutaway over it but the other went together perfectly, so I must have been lucky.

Thanks.

Most professional nle's just import the entire folder structure from a card and use the metadata to display longer files as one large file, for me this only creates a mess on my harddrive with all these seperate folders, with the content browser I just get the m2ts files without all the folder junk. I don't find the browser all that usefull for scrolling data, it's kinda slow in response, I prefer to scroll through the files right in the nle.

Understood. I too hate all the junk so my solution is to navigate through the folder structure on the card and drag only the mts files onto my raw footage hard drive.

Then import only the files I need after previewing in Windows Explorer.

Do I miss out on anything by totally ignoring the meta data?

As I understand the nle needs those to combine seperate files that are a part of one long continuous recording but I"m not 100% sure, I only know that edius 6.5 just copies the entire foldure structure but only shows the recorded files, without the folders. Only on the harddrive you can see the separate folders. The content browser also works with my sony cx730's so now it's just a quick importtool.

Hi Martyn

I do the same BUT as Noa says, if a file is split then you need to use the content utility (not the browser) to join the files for you.

Technically if you just drag the MTS files (which I do ..I just copy the stream folder contents) and there are say, two files that the camera has split once the first got to 2GB then it will actually lose 12 frames of audio (it doesn't lose any video) ..Join up the MTS files and you will find that the video is seamless but the audio has a 0.5 second gap. I find that I can get away with it 90% of the time!! Also if I'm shooting a sequence that I KNOW will be longer than 12 minutes and be subject to a second clip being created, I stop/start the camera at a convenient point so a new clip is created at a point where I want it to stop (like in a wedding ceremony where the priest has done the readings and asks the bride and groom to move into position) but technically you should be using the content utility which will automatically find the two files, identify that they belong together and join them into one! That's the right way to do it even if you and I just copy the stream files ...In cases where you have no split files, copying the contents of the stream folder is perfectly OK!

Chris

I just use Content Management Utility or PMB to transfer files which I then backup . I just treat them as part of the file management, totally separate from editing. Makes sure files are transferred correctly and in sync with no lost audio etc. Same as capturing tape and storing. That said I have no problem scrubbing through files to make sure they are the ones I need. Do you have a powerful PC ? AVCHD is very tasking for a PC. Depends on which version of Sony software you use as to what extra files are transferred. The software logs meta data like camera information and things like GPS location, log of files transferred so that one can just import automatically all new files for instance. If you backup after the transfer these are condensed but available in the future if you need them. I have a mix of cameras NX5U, NX30, XR500, CX700, even the stills compact HX30V ( and for this it not only shows GPS location but compass heading as well ) I can look back in calendar view and see what I did on any day over the past several years !!!! Important of course to keep the camera clocks correct and I have the GPS equipped cameras set to have the GPS set the correct time.

By using the transfer software the files are renamed to date and time too rather than 00000mts with no idea of where or when the files relates to. If the auto files transfer of the consumer version PMB or PlayMemories is used I actually think its faster to use as well.

Ron Evans

I bought the content browser and tried the content utility and the PMB and nothing works with the Sony ea50. The later two wont even notice the camera.

Hi Chris

You need the Content Management Utility Version 2.1 from the Sony Website ...which one do you have?? You will need to connect the camera's usb to the computer just the very first time you use the software so it knows what camera you are using..after that you can simply use your card reader in place of your camera.

Chris

I finally got it to work. I download the 2.1 from Sony themselves and it just would not recognize. I did another search which led me to another page and I downloaded again, this time it loaded and noticed the camera. I'm out $20.00 after reading that the content utility was being discontinued and the new content browser is what is needed. You live and learn I guess. Not too bad a lesson as I have spent a lot more on other lessons that had to be learned.