Re: content browser
 

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

Re: content browser
 

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.

Re: content browser
 

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

Re: content browser
 

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 !!!

Re: content browser
 

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?

Re: content browser
 

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

Re: content browser
 

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.

Re: content browser
 

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.

Re: content browser
 

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.

Re: content browser
 

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.

Re: content browser
 

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?

Re: content browser
 

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.

Re: content browser
 

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

Re: content browser
 

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

Re: content browser
 

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.

Re: content browser
 

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

Re: content browser
 

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.