Just today started having prob w/ log and transfer - please read

[Darrin Altman]

I have a copy of my P2 cards on my external hard drive. In FCP I go to Log and Transfer and go to the Contents folder for a P2 card and select it and nothing appears in my media list for most of the cards. Some will show up in the list and some wont. Some of these contents folders have opened in the past.

Any ideas?? Is there any other way of getting the footage to use in FCP. I am in the middle of a big project and now all of a sudden I cant get log and transfer to open up my files.

Thanks for any suggestions.

[Darrin Altman]

More info:

On another machine I have I can open through Log & Transfer all of the P2 data. I ingested some of the footage already and named the files. On this other machine it shows none of the clips have ever been ingested or renamed. Anyways, why would I be able to open them on one machine and not another. Both machines are updated with the latest FCP and Leopard.

Any help will be appreciated.

Darrin

[Robert Lane]

Darrin,

This is a new bug which just surfaced with QT 7.3 and P2 MXF files. Apple thinks this is a third-party problem (such as those who used HD Log or P2 Log to do the conversions) but we've seen this problem with Apple's own Log & Transfer just as you have.

Unfortunately the only fix that's been proven isn't a "real" fix at all but a workaround, which is *Not* to update all the way to FCS 6.0.2 or QT 7.3 but instead to stay at QT 7.2. Read other threads about this compatibility issue and how we're all struggling with it.

I strongly suggest, that if you have support with Apple, either premium or contracted that you call in a trouble ticket on this issue; the more who complain and report it the better and faster Apple will troubleshoot it .

[Darrin Altman]

Originally Posted by Robert Lane

Darrin,

This is a new bug which just surfaced with QT 7.3 and P2 MXF files. Apple thinks this is a third-party problem (such as those who used HD Log or P2 Log to do the conversions) but we've seen this problem with Apple's own Log & Transfer just as you have.

Unfortunately the only fix that's been proven isn't a "real" fix at all but a workaround, which is *Not* to update all the way to FCS 6.0.2 or QT 7.3 but instead to stay at QT 7.2. Read other threads about this compatibility issue and how we're all struggling with it.

I strongly suggest, that if you have support with Apple, either premium or contracted that you call in a trouble ticket on this issue; the more who complain and report it the better and faster Apple will troubleshoot it .

They might be right about it being a third party problem since one of my machines with almost no 3rd party programs works fine and has the same updated QT and FCS. I wonder if I remove P2 Log (I believe this being the Panasonic application that I found through a thread here) if that might help.

[Robert Lane]

It's not limited to third-party products; our own system that had a clean install of FCP 6.0.2 and QT 7.3 could not see many of our original, untouched P2 MXF files, whereas a clean install of OS and apps up to QT 7.2 had no issues.

At the moment there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as what the cause is or exactly which clips are affected, only that QT 7.3 is most certainly wreaking havoc with P2 MXF files on various systems as documented in the dozens of posts we've seen in the past week alone.

So far Apple is willing to pass it off on third-party compatibility issues, but as we've seen it's not directly related and what's even more disconcerting, is that Apple is responsible for creating the SDK platform that third-party companies use to make sure their software *will* work with updates to both OS underpinnings and application updates. If Apple wants to lay blame with software developers for these QT bugs, then they should have done a better job of supplying the right target-code for developers to follow.

[Darrin Altman]

Originally Posted by Robert Lane

It's not limited to third-party products; our own system that had a clean install of FCP 6.0.2 and QT 7.3 could not see many of our original, untouched P2 MXF files, whereas a clean install of OS and apps up to QT 7.2 had no issues.

At the moment there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as what the cause is or exactly which clips are affected, only that QT 7.3 is most certainly wreaking havoc with P2 MXF files on various systems as documented in the dozens of posts we've seen in the past week alone.

So far Apple is willing to pass it off on third-party compatibility issues, but as we've seen it's not directly related and what's even more disconcerting, is that Apple is responsible for creating the SDK platform that third-party companies use to make sure their software *will* work with updates to both OS underpinnings and application updates. If Apple wants to lay blame with software developers for these QT bugs, then they should have done a better job of supplying the right target-code for developers to follow.

It looks like Raylight might be a good workaround and also an improvement to the current P2 work flow within FCS. Its more money to spend but seems like it might be worth it. Have you given this any thought?

I appreciate your info and insight.

Darrin

[Robert Lane]

Originally Posted by Darrin Altman

It looks like Raylight might be a good workaround and also an improvement to the current P2 work flow within FCS. Its more money to spend but seems like it might be worth it. Have you given this any thought?

I appreciate your info and insight.

Darrin

Actually after this past year-and-a-half I'm fed-up with finding work-arounds for Apple. After we complete this major project I'll be researching new options on how best to handle our workflow both from a hardware and software perspective.

[Barry Green]

Finding workarounds for Apple may be frustrating, but if there was anything that needed a workaround it's that confounded Log & Transfer process. It's probably responsible for about 85% or more of the tech support questions I see here and on DVXUser and the Cow.

Go with Raylight, ditch the Log & Transfer entirely, speed up your whole workflow and forever free yourself from the Quicktime/import process that seems to get broken every other version they release.

[Robert Lane]

Originally Posted by Barry Green

Go with Raylight, ditch the Log & Transfer entirely, speed up your whole workflow and forever free yourself from the Quicktime/import process that seems to get broken every other version they release.

I may do just that; Raylight seems to be the missing link (for now) for P2 just as Lumiere was for HDV - but faster. Thanks for the nudge, Barry.

[Darrin Altman]

Did you see this?

FxFactory 2.0.1

The newest version of FxFactory fixes important bugs discovered since the initial release of FxFactory 2, such as the loss of "Log and Transfer" functionality in Final Cut Pro 6.

Version 2.0.1 also brings three new plug-ins to FxFactory Pro users, and an improved plug-in management interface which lets you access plug-in documentation while browsing your effect collection:


Testing now to see if this may be my problem. Either way though I dont think I could stop using Raylight since it speeds up my workflow tremendously.

[Darrin Altman]

At least on my machine, after upgrading my FXFactory to 2.01 my log and transfer now works again. For me this was the problem.

[Bob Woodhead]

I tried to resist the allure of Raylight.... so glad I failed! ;)

[Robert Lane]

I'll second that about Raylight; best workflow yet for P2 MXF and FCP. Now if Apple was smart they'd either make P2 MXF native to the timeline or... buyout Raylight! ??