XDCAM Transfer and XDCAM Browser with Snow Leopard.

Brooks Graham · August 31st, 2009, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Vlachos

Also interestingly, the Mac Pro with the error would NOT let me re-install the SxS driver. Did not work.

Just curious, but why would you install the SxS driver on a MacPro?

Paul Vlachos · August 31st, 2009, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brooks Graham

Just curious, but why would you install the SxS driver on a MacPro?

Hell, I just assumed I needed it for the card, whether or not I used the reader.

Craig Seeman · August 31st, 2009, 11:21 PM

Hi Paul. I got the exact same thing on MacPro I just update to Snow Leopard
XDCAM Transfer 2.10.
I even tossed prefs, cache, thumbnails and reinstalled.
I also created a New User and same issue. That means it's a system level issue, not user file corruption or conflict.
Here's screenshot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Vlachos

Experimented with it on an old machine.

It will recognize a Sony SxS card via the Sony reader hooked up to a MacPro via USB.

It will not generate thumbnail files and, in fact, spits out this message, along with a box that let's you cancel all tasks: "the clip thumbnail could not be saved to the cache as it was an unrecognized format"

It *will*, though, let you import clips and they appear to be fine aside from that.

Called Sony in Jersey and got someone with a less-than-stellar attitude, who also gave me the line of "this just came out, right?" to which I gave him the "you're a developer; you've had it for a while" line, to which he said "XDCAM is very popular. I don't see how we can't fix this quickly," to which he then added "you're on a mac, though. Windows people come first, the mac people always get fixed last."

Have a nice day, Sony, again, for taking my tens of thousands over the years and treating me like dirt.

Have a nice day.

Paul Vlachos · August 31st, 2009, 11:38 PM

it's quite strange, but it's happening on only one of my three systems.

Brooks Graham · September 1st, 2009, 12:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Vlachos

Hell, I just assumed I needed it for the card, whether or not I used the reader.

Nah. The SxS driver only needs to be installed on systems with a built-in ExpressCard slot.

From the Sony docs:

Quote:

1. The SxS Card Device Drivers are only required only if you intend on inserting your SxS
cards directly in an ExpressCard slot in your computer.

2. If you use the SBAC-US10 SxS card reader, PMW-EX1 or PMW-EX3 camcorders, or the
PMW-EX30 deck, you do not need to install these drivers – they are treated as USB Mass
Storage devices by the operating system.

Craig Seeman · September 1st, 2009, 12:43 AM

Phil Bloom having problems with XDCAM Transfer too
Philip Bloom Blog Archive Beware XDCAM users upgrading to Snow Leopard

"I have been trying to import pro disc footage on my Snow Leopard install 13″ MBP using XDCAM transfer and be having all sorts of problems. Cache not working, unable to relabel disc."

Simon Wyndham · September 1st, 2009, 06:57 AM

The transfer tool still works, but you just have to put up with the silly thumbnail error message. This leads me to believe that it really should be a simple matter for Sony to sort out. Every manufacturer has had a lot of lead time on Snow Leopard so really there isn't much excuse for not having an update, if not already ready, in the works and very close to release. Snow Leopard may have made changes from Leopard, but in the case of most software I can't see why it should be such a huge issue. The change isn't as big as it was going from Tiger to Leopard. I believe Snow Leopard is an optimisation of Leopard, not a total ground up rewrite as it was from Tiger to Leopard.

Paul Vlachos · September 1st, 2009, 08:02 AM

The weird thing is that I don't get that thumbnail message on two of my machines.

Thanks for tipping me to not needing the SxS driver on non-ExpressCard 34 machines. At some point in my middle age, I must have stopped reading all the fine prints.

Craig Seeman · September 1st, 2009, 08:32 AM

The additional frustration is if only half the machines have it, it's either some inherent incompatibility with certain models (we haven't been specific enough) or there's some silly thing to fix/trash that can fix this (although I've tried everything obvious to me) which Sony should at least publish as a workaround.

You'd think that Sony at least had the Release Candidate Builds of Snow Leopard and could have posted the issues while they update their drivers. That they didn't have the professional courtesy followed by statements that indicate no fix until as late as spring, speaks much about the situation at Sony.

BTW I hear that things are messy on the P2 side of the fence too. It'll be interesting to see how the companies handle. I wonder what nightmare will befall Windows users in October with the release of Windows 7.

Keep in mind we experienced users are coming from the position of upgraders. Imagine someone buying a new Mac and all they have is Snow Leopard installed.

Paul Vlachos · September 1st, 2009, 08:39 AM

It's Sony's attitude that pissed me off.

I went to BlackMagic's site to get new drivers for my Extreme card. Guess what? They were ready, they were there, they were marked "Snow Leopard Users, Click Here."

That's what it's supposed to be like. Many other apps and developers were prepared for this. Not only was Sony seemingly unprepared, but they don't seem to have an explanation or a clue.

Bill Long · September 1st, 2009, 09:00 AM

PCI-CANADA.COM has a complete update as of Sept 1. for new software
and firmware for XDCAM,XDCAM EX.

GO to lower centre of hompage see XDCAM UPDATES.

Regards

William Japhet · September 1st, 2009, 09:40 AM

I usually use a PC while shooting to copy my cards on 1 EXT. HDD (usb or e-sata).

And for editing we use this drive on our Mac Pro.

Has somebody tried to edit (FinalCut or Avid MC3.5) on the SnowLeopard Updated MacPro with a drive like me (=without using SxS on the editstation) ?

Regards,

William.

Markus Bo · September 2nd, 2009, 02:56 AM

It's really frustrating. Hours trying to check what was the difference between my last copy back to the cam and the recent crashed try. Thanks to this forum I found out that's not me. But it doesn't solve my and our problems. I hope Sony will publish very soon a patch.

If I would care my business like that......

Markus

Andy Mees · September 2nd, 2009, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Vlachos

The weird thing is that I don't get that thumbnail message on two of my machines.

Thanks for tipping me to not needing the SxS driver on non-ExpressCard 34 machines. At some point in my middle age, I must have stopped reading all the fine prints.

Paul, can you list your various system hardware and software details (maybe a System Profiler report for each)? Did you do a full clean install on each of these machines or were they upgrades or ...?
Best
Andy

Craig Seeman · September 2nd, 2009, 09:27 AM

BTW the details on my system with XDCAM Transfer Thumbnail cache issue I can report the following. OS Upgrade which is now the equivalent of Archive/Install which is clean as far as the OS is concerned but "dirty" as far as the apps are concerned.

Snow Leopard does an excellent job reporting app/OS conflicts (but obviously not between app and app).

MacPro 8 core early 2008 model OS 10.5.8 upgraded to 10.6. My system reported kext conflicts with my Canon 8400F scanner, SoundFlower, Sony PDWU1. I contacted the two companies that co-develop SoundFlower and they had a Release Candidate ready the next day. I removed the two other kext issues. That didn't solve the problem. So far the only app that I needed to reinstall was Telestream Episode. The current release of CyberDuck also resulted in a compatibility message from Snow Leopard and they already had a note on their site with a beta release made public that's Snow Leopard compatible. No other app, even my aging Adobe Photoshop CS2 reports issues.

Trouble shooting I also completely removed all Sony EX components (ClipBrowser and XDCAM Transfer), reinstalled OS 10.6, reinstalled ClipBrowser 2.5.1 (which is working fine so far) and XDCAM Transfer 2.7.1, then 2.8, then 2.10 (all exhibited the same thumbnail cache issue).

I also created an news user on the system and it exhibited the same issue so it is a system issue rather than a user issue which would be related to preferences for user caches. If you look at the XDCAM Thumbnail Cache folder you can see the cache for the thumbnail aren't being written so this is where the "block/issue" is.

I do suspect an app to app conflict (app to app's kext?) for some commonly used app or utility. Personally I don't think a clean install would resolve the issue unless one excluded reinstalling the unknown culprit (because I don't think it's an OS component) which is of course hard to do given it's unknown.

August 31st, 2009, 11:38 PM	#19
Paul Vlachos Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: New York, NY Posts: 88	it's quite strange, but it's happening on only one of my three systems. __________________ One day at a time.

September 1st, 2009, 08:02 AM	#23
Paul Vlachos Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: New York, NY Posts: 88	The weird thing is that I don't get that thumbnail message on two of my machines. Thanks for tipping me to not needing the SxS driver on non-ExpressCard 34 machines. At some point in my middle age, I must have stopped reading all the fine prints. __________________ One day at a time.

September 1st, 2009, 08:39 AM	#25
Paul Vlachos Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: New York, NY Posts: 88	It's Sony's attitude that pissed me off. I went to BlackMagic's site to get new drivers for my Extreme card. Guess what? They were ready, they were there, they were marked "Snow Leopard Users, Click Here." That's what it's supposed to be like. Many other apps and developers were prepared for this. Not only was Sony seemingly unprepared, but they don't seem to have an explanation or a clue. __________________ One day at a time.

September 1st, 2009, 09:40 AM	#27
William Japhet Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Paris (France) Posts: 28	Is it working only for editing ? I usually use a PC while shooting to copy my cards on 1 EXT. HDD (usb or e-sata). And for editing we use this drive on our Mac Pro. Has somebody tried to edit (FinalCut or Avid MC3.5) on the SnowLeopard Updated MacPro with a drive like me (=without using SxS on the editstation) ? Regards, William.

September 2nd, 2009, 02:56 AM	#28
Markus Bo Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Ingelheim (Rheinland-Pfalz) Posts: 140	It's really frustrating. Hours trying to check what was the difference between my last copy back to the cam and the recent crashed try. Thanks to this forum I found out that's not me. But it doesn't solve my and our problems. I hope Sony will publish very soon a patch. If I would care my business like that...... Markus __________________ Freelance full service reporter www.boehnisch.de

September 1st, 2009, 12:43 AM	#21
Craig Seeman Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA Posts: 3,841	Phil Bloom having problems with XDCAM Transfer too Philip Bloom Blog Archive Beware XDCAM users upgrading to Snow Leopard "I have been trying to import pro disc footage on my Snow Leopard install 13″ MBP using XDCAM transfer and be having all sorts of problems. Cache not working, unable to relabel disc."

September 1st, 2009, 06:57 AM	#22
Simon Wyndham Trustee Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Malvern UK Posts: 1,931	The transfer tool still works, but you just have to put up with the silly thumbnail error message. This leads me to believe that it really should be a simple matter for Sony to sort out. Every manufacturer has had a lot of lead time on Snow Leopard so really there isn't much excuse for not having an update, if not already ready, in the works and very close to release. Snow Leopard may have made changes from Leopard, but in the case of most software I can't see why it should be such a huge issue. The change isn't as big as it was going from Tiger to Leopard. I believe Snow Leopard is an optimisation of Leopard, not a total ground up rewrite as it was from Tiger to Leopard.

September 1st, 2009, 08:32 AM	#24
Craig Seeman Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA Posts: 3,841	The additional frustration is if only half the machines have it, it's either some inherent incompatibility with certain models (we haven't been specific enough) or there's some silly thing to fix/trash that can fix this (although I've tried everything obvious to me) which Sony should at least publish as a workaround. You'd think that Sony at least had the Release Candidate Builds of Snow Leopard and could have posted the issues while they update their drivers. That they didn't have the professional courtesy followed by statements that indicate no fix until as late as spring, speaks much about the situation at Sony. BTW I hear that things are messy on the P2 side of the fence too. It'll be interesting to see how the companies handle. I wonder what nightmare will befall Windows users in October with the release of Windows 7. Keep in mind we experienced users are coming from the position of upgraders. Imagine someone buying a new Mac and all they have is Snow Leopard installed.

September 1st, 2009, 09:00 AM	#26
Bill Long New Boot Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Toronto, Ontario Canada Posts: 13	PCI-CANADA.COM has a complete update as of Sept 1. for new software and firmware for XDCAM,XDCAM EX. GO to lower centre of hompage see XDCAM UPDATES. Regards

September 2nd, 2009, 09:27 AM	#30
Craig Seeman Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA Posts: 3,841	BTW the details on my system with XDCAM Transfer Thumbnail cache issue I can report the following. OS Upgrade which is now the equivalent of Archive/Install which is clean as far as the OS is concerned but "dirty" as far as the apps are concerned. Snow Leopard does an excellent job reporting app/OS conflicts (but obviously not between app and app). MacPro 8 core early 2008 model OS 10.5.8 upgraded to 10.6. My system reported kext conflicts with my Canon 8400F scanner, SoundFlower, Sony PDWU1. I contacted the two companies that co-develop SoundFlower and they had a Release Candidate ready the next day. I removed the two other kext issues. That didn't solve the problem. So far the only app that I needed to reinstall was Telestream Episode. The current release of CyberDuck also resulted in a compatibility message from Snow Leopard and they already had a note on their site with a beta release made public that's Snow Leopard compatible. No other app, even my aging Adobe Photoshop CS2 reports issues. Trouble shooting I also completely removed all Sony EX components (ClipBrowser and XDCAM Transfer), reinstalled OS 10.6, reinstalled ClipBrowser 2.5.1 (which is working fine so far) and XDCAM Transfer 2.7.1, then 2.8, then 2.10 (all exhibited the same thumbnail cache issue). I also created an news user on the system and it exhibited the same issue so it is a system issue rather than a user issue which would be related to preferences for user caches. If you look at the XDCAM Thumbnail Cache folder you can see the cache for the thumbnail aren't being written so this is where the "block/issue" is. I do suspect an app to app conflict (app to app's kext?) for some commonly used app or utility. Personally I don't think a clean install would resolve the issue unless one excluded reinstalling the unknown culprit (because I don't think it's an OS component) which is of course hard to do given it's unknown.