content browser

[Noa Put]

Does anyone use the contentbrowser that came with the camera? When I first tried it (after I connected the camera to the pc as I don't have a reader for that mirroring card) I got the message that I needed to download some extra piece of software to view details about a clip but then I found out it was 20 dollar? I am using a sdxc card now with the camera so I can use my cardreader to transfer but the content browser doesn't show me anything, what's the use of this program if it can't see any recorded file?

[Peter Rush]

I've only just got round to installing this - it only seems to work with files on SD card - also it asks me to purchase a serial number but when I go to the website it says i should have got a serial number with the camera!

If it only works with clips on SD cards it's no good for me anyway - the first thing i do after a shoot is backup all my clips onto hard drives

[Chris Harding]

Umm mine is still in it's packet and I think it will stay there for ever!!

On the subject of the mirroring card...can you only read via USB from the camera?? The card is narrower than SD cards and does fit in my card reader so it's useless to me.

Anyone use mirroring cards?? I have two here that I haven't used ?

Chris

[Noa Put]

I received the serialnumber from the retailer I bought the camera from, they said the number was at the bottom of the camera but I haven't checked. The camera splits continuous recording in 1,97gb files and when I copied the files in Edius I got missing frames when I join them and I thought the software would enable exporting to one big file, can anyone confirm that this is the case? The software that came with my xr520 does that, my cx730 makes one big file during recording.

Eventually I found out I could import directly into edius using the transfer to bin option and edius imports the entire folder structure and gives you one big file without frame loss in the NLE but not on your harddrive where you still have all the seperate files.

[Noa Put]

Originally Posted by Chris Harding

On the subject of the mirroring card...can you only read via USB from the camera?? The card is narrower than SD cards and does fit in my card reader so it's useless to me

Until now my 64 sdxc card had been sitting in the camera where I would use a separate card reader to transfer and I was planning to use the mirroring card on my paid shoots first in mirror mode, but I remember leaving it in the camera and transferring like that to the pc, didn"t try the usb reader yet but you are probably right, another reason for Sony to make you buy one of their many, and very expensive, accessories. :)

[Chris Harding]

Hi Noa

Most if not all cameras will split the files and what happens if you copy the files only from the card you will, in fact discover that all the video frames are, in fact there BUT around half second of audio is missing so when you join you get a jump.

Now the correct way is that you don't copy over just the files but the ENTIRE card structure intact and then import the files from the newly copied folder structure on your drive and the minor metadata in the structure will make sure the gap is not there.

Now, I'm lazy and like to copy just the file so I stop the camera somewhere between 16 and 20 minutes and then restart ..at weddings when the priests takes a sip of water maybe?? That way any missing audio is no issue and I don't need to copy over the entire file structure...However just bear in mind this is NOT the correct method to transfer split files!! It's my way only and I'm used to it!!

This is an AVCHD thing and is also due to the FAT formatting of the card ... it's restricted to 2GB per clip

Chris

[Noa Put]

It's weird though that my cx730 does indeed create one big clip on the card?

[Ron Evans]

Its a FAT32 formatting restriction so is on all cameras that use FAT32. The consumer PMB and Content Manger will join the mts files and create a continuous m2ts file named at the date and time the shot was taken as long as the transfer is to a hard drive NOT FAT32 formatted like NTFS etc. Something like 20120825224349.m2ts, so that one can always decode the exact date and time at a later date not possible with a buntch of files that all say 000001.mts!!! My PMB will do the same for my NX5U files as the consumer cameras but PMB will not play the LPCM audio but the file is complete and will play fine in Edius or Vegas etc. So Nao you could just use your consumer PMB to transfer too. Content Manager will of course play the LPCM audio. I always use the transfer software as this also keeps a log of all the transfers too, even the GPS locations!!!

This is the latest one for the AX2000 and NX5U that should also work for the EA50 since it includes the FMU128 Sony eSupport - HDR-AX2000 - Support its a free download as I used this to update my copy.

Ron Evans

[Noa Put]

The consumer PMB and Content Manger will join the mts files and create a continuous m2ts file

That's right but for my cx730 I don't use any content manager, just drag and drop the contents from my card to my pc (with the camera connected to the pc with it's own integrated usb cable) and it's one big file.

[Ron Evans]

The CX7xx series have inbuilt PMB so you have the choice ( at least I see the choice since I have PMB and Content manager on the PC, both windows pop up one from the camera and one from the PMB ) when I attach my CX700 to the PC, so can use the PC version or the inbuilt camera version. You will not see this for the XRxxx series which need the browser on the PC. The reason its built into the latest cameras is so that they can backup to a USB device from the USB host connector that is next to the HDMI connector and SD card slot. This cable VMC-UAM1 is an extra for the consumer cameras but comes with the NX70 and NX30. In this mode( to a PC ) the files are joined on transfer but on the camera they are on a FAT32 formatted memory ( and stay this way to an attached HD with the VMC-YAM1 ) so will be subject to the same 2G limit and if you use Windows Explorer to look at the camera as a memory unit you will still see these FAT32 limited files in the STREAM folder.

Ron Evans

[Noa Put]

But I do use windows explorer to transfer my files. There I just see the cx730 in the explorer window that I connected and when I open it I can transfer my files, is the joining of the files then happening in camera and during transfer?

[Ron Evans]

Hi Noa are you using the internal memory or have you used a large SDXC card with exFAT formating ? If the latter then that is why you have just one file anyway.

Ron Evans

[Christopher Young]

Originally Posted by Noa Put

I Eventually I found out I could import directly into edius using the transfer to bin option and edius imports the entire folder structure and gives you one big file without frame loss in the NLE but not on your harddrive where you still have all the seperate files.

That's interesting that Edius doesn't join the files. I find in Vegas if you use 'Device Explorer' under the 'View' menu you can view and play the files in the Trimmer window. From the the Device Explorer window you can choose and import whatever files you wish. If the filles imported exceed the FAT 32 limit they are imported as one large file with contiguous time code and no audio or vision breaks. Avoids having to use any other software to import with. Will work direct from a camera or from a card reader. Will not see files sitting on a hard drive though.

Chris Young
CYV Productions
Sydney

[Ron Evans]

Vegas doesn't always identify the files correctly though. Just to check I connected up my CX700 that had a 2 hour show on it in 2 acts. Vegas 12 reported a clip of 1hour and 44 mins and another of 10mins !!!! Both acts were about equal in length in fact. PMB correctly transferred these clips with the correct time they were taken. I still use the transfer software, takes no longer and the files are correctly transferred and identified on the hard drive for backup too. For my family video, since both my daughters also have Sony cameras ( video and still) we have a complete family backup and archive with PMB that can show where and when shots were taken ( all cameras have GPS and the stills have compass as well !!). I can thus search by calendar to find what we all did at any date or time. For my project theatre stuff I just transfer to a project directory that is not registered to PMB. These files are then backed up by project.

Ron Evans

[Noa Put]

Originally Posted by Christopher Young

That's interesting that Edius doesn't join the files.

Edius does join the files, after I have imported all the separate files are in the folder structure but there is also one file that appears as a complete file without any cuts in Edius but the file is not present on the harddrive as one big file .