Need help with P2 files on PC

[Mark Donnell]

Just got my HVX-200 last week (I love this camera, more later) along with a P2 Store. Shot some clips (gorgeous), downloaded them to P2 Store, connected the P2 Store to my PC after installing the software, and the new virtual disc drives appeared as expected. I copied each virtual drive to a new desktop folder (except for the "Last clip text" file), but I can't figure out how to play the clips on the computer. I have the P2 viewer installed on the PC, but don't know how to move the files into the viewer. Documentation in the manuals is poor (as usual). Also, how do I create virtual P2 cards, and can I select some of the clips, place them on a virtual P2 card, and then transfer them back to the real P2 card in the camera ? Thanks for any help.

[Mike Schrengohst]

Here you go:

TOOLS>Setting Virtual P2 Cards

Click the grey dotted box that is on the top left.

Find your P2 folder.

Should load with a green circle to the left.

Click on that folder then click OK.....

[Jon Fairhurst]

I seem to remember that you need to copy the last clip text file along with the rest of the media. I did, when I rented the camera, and everything showed up fine. I'm not 1000% sure that it's necessary, but have read others claim that it is.

BTW, I used Raylight with Vegas.

[Mike Schrengohst]

The LASTCLIP.txt is needed if you have a clip that is spanning 2 P2 cards....
Plus you can always create one if you need it.

[Scott Auerbach]

Mike--
I'd assumed that the P2 viewer only worked with P2 cards in the card slot, since I hadn't been able to get it to view files saved to an external drive. (I don't have a PC laptop, so I've never been able to use it to read directly from P2 cards.)

It sounds like perhaps it does allow you to view the files on a drive, if it will read files on the P2Store? But in trying your instructions below, all that's happening is P2Viewer is creating new, empty CONTENTS folders in the existing CONTENTS folder.

Can you elaborate on what I/we are doing wrong? I'd sure love to let my producer(s) view, log & transcribe their own clips (on their own removable drives) without having to convert the files to something else. Clearly there's something in the documentation that I missed...

Originally Posted by Mike Schrengohst

Here you go:

TOOLS>Setting Virtual P2 Cards

Click the grey dotted box that is on the top left.

Find your P2 folder.

Should load with a green circle to the left.

Click on that folder then click OK.....

[Mike Schrengohst]

Hello Scott:

Yes you can do that......
After inserting a P2 card or attaching a P2 store, here is what we do.....
1.) Make new folders on your target HD for EACH P2 card.
2.) Copy the CONTENTS folder intact along with the LASTCLIP.txt
to your new folder. Name it something like "P2_CARD_01" etc.....
3.) You can then view each folder like it is the P2 card.....

We use a PB17" in the field....I also have a FAT32 formated Seagate 300 external that I use for back-up.
When I get back home I can copy each P2 card to a DVD-R and for some producers I copy the P2 cards to their own drives and they can view and log using the P2 viewer, works great.....

[Mark Donnell]

Thanks, everyone. I have successfully gotten the P2 Viewer to play my files ! As outlined above, I transferred the P2 Store to my desktop hard drive, created new folders for each virtual drive made by the P2 Store, and moved the contents of each virtual drive to the new folders. I then disconnected the P2 Store. After opening the P2 Viewer, under the TOOLS button, I clicked the virtual P2 card button and identified my desktop folders as virtual P2 cards.

I have a few more questions - first, one of my files had a red exclamation point in the upper right corner, and although I could play it, I couldn't assign it a user name. It was like it was protected or locked. What is this ?

Second, once your files are transferred from the P2 Store to the PC, they consist of up to five files (Audio, Video, etc). Is there an easy way to rename all five files at once, or do you have to go through and rename all five files individually ?

Finally, after regrouping clips on a virtual P2 card on the PC, can you move these files back onto an empty real P2 card in the camera using the firewire cable, or does the P2 card have to be inserted into the PC itself ?

[Mike Schrengohst]

Thanks, everyone. I have successfully gotten the P2 Viewer to play my files ! As outlined above, I transferred the P2 Store to my desktop hard drive, created new folders for each virtual drive made by the P2 Store, and moved the contents of each virtual drive to the new folders. I then disconnected the P2 Store. After opening the P2 Viewer, under the TOOLS button, I clicked the virtual P2 card button and identified my desktop folders as virtual P2 cards.

[Great]

I have a few more questions - first, one of my files had a red exclamation point in the upper right corner, and although I could play it, I couldn't assign it a user name. It was like it was protected or locked. What is this ?

[It might be part of a spanned clip, did you use two P2 cards while shooting?]

Second, once your files are transferred from the P2 Store to the PC, they consist of up to five files (Audio, Video, etc). Is there an easy way to rename all five files at once, or do you have to go through and rename all five files individually ?

[I would not re-name anything, we tried that once and it is just a hassle,
I would re-name the clip when you import it in to your edit system. There are various schools of thought on this....You could also make two copies and try experimeting with one and leave one untouched.]

Finally, after regrouping clips on a virtual P2 card on the PC, can you move these files back onto an empty real P2 card in the camera using the firewire cable, or does the P2 card have to be inserted into the PC itself ?

[You can do it either way, just make sure the LASTCLIP.txt gets copied also, I know the video will not play from the P2 card in the camera without that file, been there done that. You can also record direct back to the P2 from your video timeline. If you are editing in 720 24p it gets recorded back on the P2 card as 720 60p. You can get 4 min of video onto a 4 gig card]

[Scott Auerbach]

Man, Mike, I'm feeling like a total sponge-brain. I just cannot get this to work.

At the moment, I've got a bus-powered Western Digital drive connected to a PC (though I've also tried this with two other external drives in the past, to similarly dismal results.)

The drives are already configured as most of us do: a CARD 1 folder, containing the CONTENTS folder and LASTCLIP file. I've got a total of 12 cards loaded in folders this way on the external drive. The mxf files are fine; I'm already editing them in Avid.

I can assign any of these 12 card folders as virtual P2 cards in the Tool/Setting Virtual P2 Cards menu, and they appear in a list with a green button. Then that's it. Nothing I do causes the P2 media to actually display in the Viewer. The interface remains as blank as the moment I launched it.

The only apparent thing the P2 Viewer is doing is creating a new CONTENTS folder wherever I set a virtual P2 card. Are you supposed to "set a virtual P2 card" like this, then move all your audio and video files from their original folders into the folder that P2 Viewer creates?? I don't see why one would need to do that, since P2 Viewer is just creating exactly the same folder structure as already exists on the external drive.

Incidentally, I'm doing this on a hp xw8000 workstation running XP.

Originally Posted by Mike Schrengohst

Hello Scott:

Yes you can do that......
After inserting a P2 card or attaching a P2 store, here is what we do.....
1.) Make new folders on your target HD for EACH P2 card.
2.) Copy the CONTENTS folder intact along with the LASTCLIP.txt
to your new folder. Name it something like "P2_CARD_01" etc.....
3.) You can then view each folder like it is the P2 card.....

We use a PB17" in the field....I also have a FAT32 formated Seagate 300 external that I use for back-up.
When I get back home I can copy each P2 card to a DVD-R and for some producers I copy the P2 cards to their own drives and they can view and log using the P2 viewer, works great.....

[Scott Auerbach]

Originally Posted by Scott Auerbach

Man, Mike, I'm feeling like a total sponge-brain. I just cannot get this to work.

....

Oh crap... I finally found the Show the Primary Bin/All Virtual P2 cards setting. It wasn't on Virtual P2 cards. That did it. D'oh!