Yet more XDCam woes ...

[Stuart McAlister]

Hello All,

I have received a DVD with what claims to be XDCam EX footage (mp4 file). I have never worked with this format so it's like getting a new toy - sometimes annoying, sometimes an eye opener but certainly confusing.

A short while ago I copied the DVD contents into a desktop folder and downloaded a XDCam Transfer programme. I can see the image but can do nothing with it as it doesn't allow me to convert the file into another format.

I am working with FCP v 6.0.6 which has the necessary XDCam EX files installed. I have chaged the Easy Setup to XDCam EX and the render settings to XDCam EX. Each time I try to bring this mp4 file into FCP, it simply says that it is an unsupported file. When I open the XDCam Transfer programme, it tells me that the only file that is missing is XDCam Drive Software - which is for external playback machines, so that doesn't really concern me. The rest have green 'ticks' ...

So, how on earth do I get FCP to read this file - without loosing my temper or sending the DVD off to a production house to get it transfered?

Any clues?

I look forward to hearing how to bring my blood pressure down ...

Stuart

[Perrone Ford]

While I cannot answer your question, I wil say that someone has done you a great disservice. The .mp4 file comes from a particular file structure. For most NLEs to work with XDCam (or P2, or other card formats) they need that file structure that has all the metadata to be intact. This file was plucked from that file structure and given to you. The Sony utility expects the metadata to be there. FCP apparently does also. It is only the very newest version of Sony's own NLE that will support just the bare file as previous versions needed the file structure as well.

I'm sorry for your woes, but please don't blame XDCam for this. Whoever prepared this did it the absolute wrong way.

Originally Posted by Stuart McAlister

Hello All,

I have received a DVD with what claims to be XDCam EX footage (mp4 file). I have never worked with this format so it's like getting a new toy - sometimes annoying, sometimes an eye opener but certainly confusing.

A short while ago I copied the DVD contents into a desktop folder and downloaded a XDCam Transfer programme. I can see the image but can do nothing with it as it doesn't allow me to convert the file into another format.

I am working with FCP v 6.0.6 which has the necessary XDCam EX files installed. I have chaged the Easy Setup to XDCam EX and the render settings to XDCam EX. Each time I try to bring this mp4 file into FCP, it simply says that it is an unsupported file. When I open the XDCam Transfer programme, it tells me that the only file that is missing is XDCam Drive Software - which is for external playback machines, so that doesn't really concern me. The rest have green 'ticks' ...

So, how on earth do I get FCP to read this file - without loosing my temper or sending the DVD off to a production house to get it transfered?

Any clues?

I look forward to hearing how to bring my blood pressure down ...

Stuart

[William Graydon]

have you tried downloading the log and transfer plug in from sony? That is what i use to render my ex footage.

[Robert Lane]

Stuart,

Perrone is spot-on: You need access to the camera original files as they came off the XDCAM disk or the SxS cards it was shot to. Or, if they transferred the footage over to a HDD from the camera original media.

You can try the plug-in from Sony as WG suggested but my guess is that it too will be looking for the entire folder MXF contents, not just the single MP4 file.

[Andy Mees]

There is one relatively simple albeit commercial solution for you ... Calibrated Software's MP4-EX Import component for Quicktime will allow you to import and playback native XDCAM EX MP4 files (and JVCProHD HM700/HM100 MP4 files) within FCP 6 and 7.

It's about 90 bucks I believe: Calibrated{Q} MP4-EX Import for OSX