XDCAM Clip Browser problem with PMW-500 at DVinfo.net

Paul Cronin · January 24th, 2011, 05:59 PM

I have been trying for the last few hours to make the XDCAM Clip Browser work with my SxS-1GA 64GB card from the PMW-500 on my Macbook Pro. The card if formatted for UDF (.mxf). Up until now I have only used XDCAM transfer 2.12.0 on my Mac Pro and all has been fine going to my RAID through FC. But now I am trying to set up a copy workflow while on the road. My laptop has older software and Sony will not let me down load the new Clip Browser or XDCAM Transfer. I have a password and user name but they say it is wrong. Hum not sure what the problem is here I thought this software was free. Any other PMW-500 owners ever make Clip Browser work for copy to external hard drive?

Don't want to buy Shotput do to all the problems I have heard about the software. Also I am not sure if it will work with UDF file format?

This is PMW-500 UDF only problem with my EX1 that is fine. And the disk that came with the camera does not have the right software.

I love this camera but it should not be this hard to copy files with Clip Browser. I know they are done updating this software and are putting both Clip Browser and XDCAM Transfer in to one package, but that is not working. Please make something that works in the meantime.

One other thing since I am on a rant is Sony would not give me a realistic price on the Extended Warranty. They gave a price higher then the F800 and that was not what I would pay. So Abel has gone to bat for me but they won't even get back to Abel. Now the month time frame has run out. Come on Sony I have purchased three HD 2/3" cameras from you in one year. I need better service!

David Paul Young · January 24th, 2011, 06:26 PM

Hi Paul,

Yes the XDCAM Browser will work with the PMW-500, unfortuantly Clip Browser won't!

Here's a link to the XDCAM Browser v1.1:
http://support.pro.sony.eu/software/...&model=PMW-500

Might like to check you have the UDF drivers too, I know the standard Mac ones aren't that efficient:
http://support.pro.sony.eu/software/...&model=PMW-500

Cheers,

David

Paul Cronin · January 24th, 2011, 06:31 PM

Thanks David but not interested in their new software it is full of bugs and I will not put it on my computer.

Uploaded the current UDF drivers thank.

I will sleep on this and if I can't solve it in the morning I will look at other options. Wrote an email to the Shotput Pro guys asking it will work with UDF and not loose any of the meda-data, sub-clips, clips, and data.

Doug Jensen · January 24th, 2011, 08:44 PM

Paul, As you know, I'm not impressed with Sony's new XDCAM Browser softerware and prefer to stick with the tried and true Clip Browser & XDCAM Transfer workflow. However, I don't think the new software will do any harm. I have it on my Mac Pro and two MacBook Pros with no ill effects. As far as I can tell it is safe and stable, the problem is that it screws up the workflow in many ways. However, in your case, where you just want to backup whole BPAV folders, it might be just fine. Whatever shortcomings there might be with the new software might be insignificant compared to trying to avoid using it.

Ned Soltz · January 25th, 2011, 07:04 AM

As far as I know, ShotPut Pro should be able to copy all contents of card. I used it when testing the PMW500 to copy card contents to external HD.

Ned Soltz

Paul Cronin · January 25th, 2011, 07:58 AM

Some times the day looks brighter (snowing out) after a good night sleep.

Doug if it was only BPAV I would be set. But I will still give the new software a try on my laptop.

Thanks for the Links David.

Ned that is good to know. I have an email into them and will wait on their response. I only have two SxS-1GA 64GB cards for the 500. With multi day shoots coming up I need to back up nightly to two hard drives and DL-DVD. Time to buy more cards.

Paul Cronin · January 25th, 2011, 08:59 AM

OK when I am wrong I will admit it. The new Sony browser works fine. I had the UDF driver not loading properly from the CD sent by Sony, but it worked fine from the site David sent me to. Thanks David.

Now I can copy EX clips SxS Pro and PMW-500 UDF (.MXF) clips SxS-1GA to my back up drives while on the road.

Thanks guys for the help. Next time I should sleep on it then try it in the morning prior to blaming Sony. Now the warranty is a different story.

Moving Forward.

Ned Soltz · January 25th, 2011, 03:18 PM

Nah... you can always blame Sony. They're a big company with a thick skin ;)

Glad you found the cause of the problem.

BTW, I really like the NextoDI for field work. Just dump your cards into it and transfer when you get back in front of a computer. And pretty rock solid as well.

Ned

Paul Cronin · January 25th, 2011, 03:45 PM

I bet Sony has thick skin they need to as do we all.

The NextoHD 2525 is coming out soon and that will handle the UDF files. Could be a very nice options and with the new iphone 4 will let me leave the laptop home.

Paul Cronin · January 25th, 2011, 04:39 PM

Ned did you use SxS Pro cards for UDF?

I was under the impression and I could be totally off on this that you had to use the new SxS-1GA cards to shoot UDF?

Will try my SxS Pro tomorrow.

Doug Jensen · January 25th, 2011, 05:56 PM

Paul,

It should have occurred to me earlier that you were wondering about UDF with older SxS cards. They should work fine. I'm pretty sure that when we were at Sony in New York for the PMW-500 launch I formatted one of my original 8GB cards (maybe it was an old 16GB) for UDF and recorded several shots. Unless my memory is faulty, any SxS card should work for UDF. Am I wrong? Four months ago seems like ancient history and my brain is fuzzy.

Paul Cronin · January 26th, 2011, 06:56 AM

Doug,

I am in the same position not remembering if they worked but Ned says they are fine. I will do some test today. When I purchased the camera I also purchased two 64GB SxS-1GA that I know are fine and much better value.

Ned Soltz · January 27th, 2011, 10:07 AM

Sony sent me 1 64gb SxS-1GA with the camera and I also tested my own 16gb SxS cards. The original SxS worked fine with UDF.

Ned

Paul Cronin · January 27th, 2011, 10:18 AM

Thanks Ned,

Sorry I have not posted packing up for a week long shoot. Also just tested two of my SxS Pro cards and once formatted they work fine.

One point if you want to use this again on the EX-1 I have found that I need format it on the 500 for EX then reformat again on the EX and all if fine. I tried putting the UDF format card in the EX and could not format.

Did you have to do the same Ned?

Ned Soltz · January 29th, 2011, 02:00 PM

That's correct. Once formatted for UDF, the EX can't read the card. Must reformat as EX on a 500

January 24th, 2011, 05:59 PM	#1
Paul Cronin Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 4,048	XDCAM Clip Browser problem with PMW-500 I have been trying for the last few hours to make the XDCAM Clip Browser work with my SxS-1GA 64GB card from the PMW-500 on my Macbook Pro. The card if formatted for UDF (.mxf). Up until now I have only used XDCAM transfer 2.12.0 on my Mac Pro and all has been fine going to my RAID through FC. But now I am trying to set up a copy workflow while on the road. My laptop has older software and Sony will not let me down load the new Clip Browser or XDCAM Transfer. I have a password and user name but they say it is wrong. Hum not sure what the problem is here I thought this software was free. Any other PMW-500 owners ever make Clip Browser work for copy to external hard drive? Don't want to buy Shotput do to all the problems I have heard about the software. Also I am not sure if it will work with UDF file format? This is PMW-500 UDF only problem with my EX1 that is fine. And the disk that came with the camera does not have the right software. I love this camera but it should not be this hard to copy files with Clip Browser. I know they are done updating this software and are putting both Clip Browser and XDCAM Transfer in to one package, but that is not working. Please make something that works in the meantime. One other thing since I am on a rant is Sony would not give me a realistic price on the Extended Warranty. They gave a price higher then the F800 and that was not what I would pay. So Abel has gone to bat for me but they won't even get back to Abel. Now the month time frame has run out. Come on Sony I have purchased three HD 2/3" cameras from you in one year. I need better service! __________________ Paul Cronin www.paulcroninstudios.com

January 24th, 2011, 06:31 PM	#3
Paul Cronin Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 4,048	Thanks David but not interested in their new software it is full of bugs and I will not put it on my computer. Uploaded the current UDF drivers thank. I will sleep on this and if I can't solve it in the morning I will look at other options. Wrote an email to the Shotput Pro guys asking it will work with UDF and not loose any of the meda-data, sub-clips, clips, and data. __________________ Paul Cronin www.paulcroninstudios.com

January 24th, 2011, 08:44 PM	#4
Doug Jensen Vortex Media Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 3,440	Paul, As you know, I'm not impressed with Sony's new XDCAM Browser softerware and prefer to stick with the tried and true Clip Browser & XDCAM Transfer workflow. However, I don't think the new software will do any harm. I have it on my Mac Pro and two MacBook Pros with no ill effects. As far as I can tell it is safe and stable, the problem is that it screws up the workflow in many ways. However, in your case, where you just want to backup whole BPAV folders, it might be just fine. Whatever shortcomings there might be with the new software might be insignificant compared to trying to avoid using it. __________________ Vortex Media http://www.vortexmedia.com/ Sony FS7, F55, and XDCAM training videos, field guides, and other production tools

January 25th, 2011, 07:58 AM	#6
Paul Cronin Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 4,048	Some times the day looks brighter (snowing out) after a good night sleep. Doug if it was only BPAV I would be set. But I will still give the new software a try on my laptop. Thanks for the Links David. Ned that is good to know. I have an email into them and will wait on their response. I only have two SxS-1GA 64GB cards for the 500. With multi day shoots coming up I need to back up nightly to two hard drives and DL-DVD. Time to buy more cards. __________________ Paul Cronin www.paulcroninstudios.com

January 25th, 2011, 08:59 AM	#7
Paul Cronin Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 4,048	OK when I am wrong I will admit it. The new Sony browser works fine. I had the UDF driver not loading properly from the CD sent by Sony, but it worked fine from the site David sent me to. Thanks David. Now I can copy EX clips SxS Pro and PMW-500 UDF (.MXF) clips SxS-1GA to my back up drives while on the road. Thanks guys for the help. Next time I should sleep on it then try it in the morning prior to blaming Sony. Now the warranty is a different story. Moving Forward. __________________ Paul Cronin www.paulcroninstudios.com

January 24th, 2011, 06:26 PM	#2
David Paul Young New Boot Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: UK Posts: 7	Hi Paul, Yes the XDCAM Browser will work with the PMW-500, unfortuantly Clip Browser won't! Here's a link to the XDCAM Browser v1.1: http://support.pro.sony.eu/software/...&model=PMW-500 Might like to check you have the UDF drivers too, I know the standard Mac ones aren't that efficient: http://support.pro.sony.eu/software/...&model=PMW-500 Cheers, David

January 25th, 2011, 07:04 AM	#5
Ned Soltz Major Player Join Date: May 2006 Location: Teaneck, NJ Posts: 659	As far as I know, ShotPut Pro should be able to copy all contents of card. I used it when testing the PMW500 to copy card contents to external HD. Ned Soltz

January 25th, 2011, 03:18 PM	#8
Ned Soltz Major Player Join Date: May 2006 Location: Teaneck, NJ Posts: 659	Nah... you can always blame Sony. They're a big company with a thick skin ;) Glad you found the cause of the problem. BTW, I really like the NextoDI for field work. Just dump your cards into it and transfer when you get back in front of a computer. And pretty rock solid as well. Ned

January 25th, 2011, 03:45 PM	#9
Paul Cronin Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 4,048	I bet Sony has thick skin they need to as do we all. The NextoHD 2525 is coming out soon and that will handle the UDF files. Could be a very nice options and with the new iphone 4 will let me leave the laptop home. __________________ Paul Cronin www.paulcroninstudios.com

January 25th, 2011, 04:39 PM	#10
Paul Cronin Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 4,048	Ned did you use SxS Pro cards for UDF? I was under the impression and I could be totally off on this that you had to use the new SxS-1GA cards to shoot UDF? Will try my SxS Pro tomorrow. __________________ Paul Cronin www.paulcroninstudios.com

January 25th, 2011, 05:56 PM	#11
Doug Jensen Vortex Media Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 3,440	Paul, It should have occurred to me earlier that you were wondering about UDF with older SxS cards. They should work fine. I'm pretty sure that when we were at Sony in New York for the PMW-500 launch I formatted one of my original 8GB cards (maybe it was an old 16GB) for UDF and recorded several shots. Unless my memory is faulty, any SxS card should work for UDF. Am I wrong? Four months ago seems like ancient history and my brain is fuzzy. __________________ Vortex Media http://www.vortexmedia.com/ Sony FS7, F55, and XDCAM training videos, field guides, and other production tools

January 26th, 2011, 06:56 AM	#12
Paul Cronin Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 4,048	Doug, I am in the same position not remembering if they worked but Ned says they are fine. I will do some test today. When I purchased the camera I also purchased two 64GB SxS-1GA that I know are fine and much better value. __________________ Paul Cronin www.paulcroninstudios.com

January 27th, 2011, 10:07 AM	#13
Ned Soltz Major Player Join Date: May 2006 Location: Teaneck, NJ Posts: 659	Sony sent me 1 64gb SxS-1GA with the camera and I also tested my own 16gb SxS cards. The original SxS worked fine with UDF. Ned

January 27th, 2011, 10:18 AM	#14
Paul Cronin Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 4,048	Thanks Ned, Sorry I have not posted packing up for a week long shoot. Also just tested two of my SxS Pro cards and once formatted they work fine. One point if you want to use this again on the EX-1 I have found that I need format it on the 500 for EX then reformat again on the EX and all if fine. I tried putting the UDF format card in the EX and could not format. Did you have to do the same Ned? __________________ Paul Cronin www.paulcroninstudios.com

January 29th, 2011, 02:00 PM	#15
Ned Soltz Major Player Join Date: May 2006 Location: Teaneck, NJ Posts: 659	That's correct. Once formatted for UDF, the EX can't read the card. Must reformat as EX on a 500