Snow Leopard and XDCAM Transfer

Phil Hanna · October 15th, 2009, 06:17 AM

I have always liked Sony products. I have owned or used much of their products over the years. When it was time to buy the EX-1, I knew it would be expensive but also that it was quality and had the Sony name behind it. Like many of you who are having the transfer issue due to Sony's lack of support, I am surprised that a fix would not be ready by now. With a strong number of Apple FCP users in the professional market, one would think Sony would have been on top of its game when they knew Snow Leopard and FCP studio were in development. I can't find a reason in the world why a company of this stature would shun the number of users their product affects. It's funny that I was there with the money on time when I bought the EX-1, but Sony does not seem to feel that way on their end. My next purchase may not have Sony in the name due to this experience.

Phil

Craig Seeman · October 15th, 2009, 06:54 AM

It may depend on how you cook the numbers but I hear from a few sources that Final Cut has just over 50% of the NLE market (I assume there's some "Pro" threshold not obviously defined though). One might argue it's less but it's certainly pervasive.

I can't believe Sony is simply dumb or so impossibly bureaucratic that they can't even have a notice on their web pages and get a bug fix out the door especially given how long developers were seeded Snow Leopard betas and release candidates.

One might guess that Sony is undergoing some economic hardship which has seriously hampered its software R&D but that's speculative.

At this point they have to be aware of the negative publicity all over forums where owners and potential buyers are. The lack of response given the above is disturbing.

Given the number of dealers reporting "out of stock" one might guess there's a serious capacity issue in the supply chain. In my head this, coupled with above, seems to point to internal economic issues. I don't think Sony's going to "go away" but I'm guessing they're between a rock and hard place somewhere internally.

Sorry to be so speculative but in any case Snow Leopard has been out for a bit now, it's what people get with ALL Mac computer purchases and Sony's lack of public response is becoming a bigger issue as time goes on.

There are workarounds so no one is "dead" though. Their SxS to USB reader works and and Sony's FCP Log & Transfer plug-in works as well.

Charles Newcomb · October 15th, 2009, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thanh Nguyen

I'm pulling $8400 cash out of my pocket ready to put on the table for EX3 but after reading some of the so call customer support i thinking should i pull my money and put it back in my pocket. I'm a Canon guy but ready to do the SS work flow. One question about new MACBOOK Pro how you do guys get the footage in the the system fast when it don't have an express card??? is there a Firewire 800 Express card reader for the SxS?? i'm looking for my Mac Pro Thankx

Well, I use the EX3 -- still have an HVR Z1U, an A1U and a DSR 400 -- but I'm completely spoiled rotten by tapeless and the magnificent images the EX3 produces.

I, too, was stunned to find I could not see any thumbnails while ingesting clips after installing Snow Leopard. Still can't. But the thumbnails are there once the clips are ingested. So what I do is ingest them all, then dump the ones I don't want... until Sony comes out with a fix, which I know they will.

It's not just Sony, either. Apple jumped the gun on Snow Leopard and it has caused other issues that are getting worked out now, too.

Currently, on my Macbook Pro and on my iMac, I either ingest via the USB from the camera when I'm using SXS cards, or via the little USB adaptor Hoodman gives you when you buy their cards. Works for me.

Craig Seeman · October 15th, 2009, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charles Newcomb

It's not just Sony, either. Apple jumped the gun on Snow Leopard and it has caused other issues that are getting worked out now, too.

I can't speak about anything other than the scores of programs I use as a professional but every major, minor, free, shareware utility I have, in short order on their website: a notice warning of incompatibility sometimes including an approximate target release date or public beta or release candidate if they weren't already to go, except Sony. Sony still makes NO MENTION about incompatibility on any of their service sites I visit. I won't post a long list exemplifying the above it is ONLY SONY that, to this date, doesn't even warn of the incompatibility let alone mention any effort of fixes.

Markus Bo · October 15th, 2009, 08:20 AM

Though I think that Sony folks read this forum it would be better that every user writes a mail to his national Sony office. I did so in Germany and - surprise: no answer! But I hope they pass the protest to central offices and maybe one day things change.

Markus

Craig Seeman · October 15th, 2009, 08:43 AM

Certainly writing can't hurt but my guess is not only are the watching forum responses all over the world, they're probably getting calls from major production houses and especially those facilities with Sony service contracts.

I think the lack of response is deliberate but probably not malicious. They may have decided that they can't commit to even an estimated time line. That's why I'm beginning to think there's some serious internal issues (economic) going on internally as far as software R&D (and maybe manufacturing in the supply chain too).

One might wonder why not even the simplest one line of text warning about incompatibility on their service sites now 7 weeks after Snow Leopard's release. Purely speculative on my part but, they may be concerned that posting such would cause people to look at JVC (uses SDHC and records to MOV) or Panasonic alternatives. In addition it might cause delay in new Mac sales for production facilities and Apple would not be too happy about that.

It's really Sony's turn to speak at this point and silence leaves a lot open to inference and that's generally not a good thing so I can only speculate they feel the alternative might be worse.

Bruce Schultz · October 15th, 2009, 12:59 PM

Funny, I upgraded my MacBook Pro to SL and now the Clip Browser software won't even load. I've re-installed and re-booted a few times to no avail. Is there a trick to getting it running in SL (had no problems whatsoever in Leopard) I don't care that much about the thumbnail display, just taking advantage of the Clip Browser error checking feature as drag and drop can be not-so-error-free.

Haven't checked it working through FCP Transfer and Log & Transfer yet.

Craig Seeman · October 15th, 2009, 01:12 PM

Version of ClipBrowser?
It should be 2.5.1.
You'll need to get Express slot SxS driver 1.0.4 from Canadian site. It's not on USA site. People are reporting bugs with that too.

Bruce Schultz · October 15th, 2009, 01:15 PM

Yes to both of those requirements and a reboot. Also even though I have FCP Transfer and Log & Transfer installed, I am talking about the Sony Clip Browser application. The SxS cars are read fine by the MBP, so the drivers are working.

Craig Seeman · October 16th, 2009, 07:38 AM

I haven't heard of any issues with ClipBrowser and Snow Leopard. It's working fine for me.

You might have something conflicting with it specifically.
Create New User with Admin status
Repair disk permissions
Delete (not just uncheck) all login items for that user in System PrefPane Accounts.
Reboot and go to that new user.
Try to open ClipBrowser.

Bruce Schultz · October 16th, 2009, 11:14 AM

Craig,
Funny, I tried those suggestions and it allowed ClipBrowser to load under the new user account, but when I rebooted and logged back in as normal (Admin) user what happens is strange; ClipBrowser partially loads, it is displayed as active on the top bar next to the apple logo but no windows are open so it is not usable. Under the new user account it is functioning normally, but not so as normal Admin user. I've never seen this before with any program on the Mac so I'm pretty stumped as to what is happening and how to fix it. Many thanks for your suggestions so far, but logging on/off to another account just to use this program seems not only brain-dead but very un-Mac-like. I'm not a OS X power user so I don't know all the tricks, but I'd be open to any suggestions from yourself or anyone else who's experienced something like this before.

Craig Seeman · October 16th, 2009, 11:34 AM

What this does establish is that the issue is that something is up with your normal user account and not the system nor ClipBrowser by itself, which runs fine in a "clean" user account.

You might have to trash ClipBrowser preferences in that user account.
You might have to look for some background task or conflicting utility.

While I haven't seen this specifically with ClipBrowser, this kind of issue is VERY COMMON which is why I suggested it as a trouble shooting technique.

Bruce Schultz · October 16th, 2009, 12:32 PM

Thanks Craig,

I ended up using a small program called AppDelete to completely remove the ClipBrowser program, trashed all prefs I could find, downloaded a fresh download copy, re-installed it and it now is working.

Thanks for you suggestions and now I don't seem to have any unusual conflicts with SL as far as Sony software is concerned, but I haven't yet edited anything with FCP and hopefully there won't be any new problems there.

Craig Seeman · October 16th, 2009, 04:09 PM

Although it couldn't have been a bad install as it was working in the other user. Probably the preferences or another user specific file, my guess.

Dave Morrison · October 16th, 2009, 09:21 PM

So is this implying that there is nothing wrong with the current version of the Sony software and that all we have to do is wipe any and all references to any prior installations?

October 15th, 2009, 06:17 AM	#16
Phil Hanna Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Indian Rocks Beach, FL Posts: 165	Fast on the money. Slow on the service! I have always liked Sony products. I have owned or used much of their products over the years. When it was time to buy the EX-1, I knew it would be expensive but also that it was quality and had the Sony name behind it. Like many of you who are having the transfer issue due to Sony's lack of support, I am surprised that a fix would not be ready by now. With a strong number of Apple FCP users in the professional market, one would think Sony would have been on top of its game when they knew Snow Leopard and FCP studio were in development. I can't find a reason in the world why a company of this stature would shun the number of users their product affects. It's funny that I was there with the money on time when I bought the EX-1, but Sony does not seem to feel that way on their end. My next purchase may not have Sony in the name due to this experience. Phil

October 15th, 2009, 08:20 AM	#20
Markus Bo Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Ingelheim (Rheinland-Pfalz) Posts: 140	mention the problem! Though I think that Sony folks read this forum it would be better that every user writes a mail to his national Sony office. I did so in Germany and - surprise: no answer! But I hope they pass the protest to central offices and maybe one day things change. Markus __________________ Freelance full service reporter www.boehnisch.de

October 15th, 2009, 01:15 PM	#24
Bruce Schultz Major Player Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Malibu, CA Posts: 480	Yes to both of those requirements and a reboot. Also even though I have FCP Transfer and Log & Transfer installed, I am talking about the Sony Clip Browser application. The SxS cars are read fine by the MBP, so the drivers are working. Last edited by Bruce Schultz; October 15th, 2009 at 05:52 PM.

October 16th, 2009, 09:21 PM	#30
Dave Morrison Major Player Join Date: May 2002 Location: West Central Florida Posts: 762	So is this implying that there is nothing wrong with the current version of the Sony software and that all we have to do is wipe any and all references to any prior installations? __________________ EX1, Nikon D750 http://www.morrisonphotographics.com http://www.heritagefilm.com

October 15th, 2009, 06:54 AM	#17
Craig Seeman Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA Posts: 3,841	It may depend on how you cook the numbers but I hear from a few sources that Final Cut has just over 50% of the NLE market (I assume there's some "Pro" threshold not obviously defined though). One might argue it's less but it's certainly pervasive. I can't believe Sony is simply dumb or so impossibly bureaucratic that they can't even have a notice on their web pages and get a bug fix out the door especially given how long developers were seeded Snow Leopard betas and release candidates. One might guess that Sony is undergoing some economic hardship which has seriously hampered its software R&D but that's speculative. At this point they have to be aware of the negative publicity all over forums where owners and potential buyers are. The lack of response given the above is disturbing. Given the number of dealers reporting "out of stock" one might guess there's a serious capacity issue in the supply chain. In my head this, coupled with above, seems to point to internal economic issues. I don't think Sony's going to "go away" but I'm guessing they're between a rock and hard place somewhere internally. Sorry to be so speculative but in any case Snow Leopard has been out for a bit now, it's what people get with ALL Mac computer purchases and Sony's lack of public response is becoming a bigger issue as time goes on. There are workarounds so no one is "dead" though. Their SxS to USB reader works and and Sony's FCP Log & Transfer plug-in works as well.

October 15th, 2009, 08:43 AM	#21
Craig Seeman Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA Posts: 3,841	Certainly writing can't hurt but my guess is not only are the watching forum responses all over the world, they're probably getting calls from major production houses and especially those facilities with Sony service contracts. I think the lack of response is deliberate but probably not malicious. They may have decided that they can't commit to even an estimated time line. That's why I'm beginning to think there's some serious internal issues (economic) going on internally as far as software R&D (and maybe manufacturing in the supply chain too). One might wonder why not even the simplest one line of text warning about incompatibility on their service sites now 7 weeks after Snow Leopard's release. Purely speculative on my part but, they may be concerned that posting such would cause people to look at JVC (uses SDHC and records to MOV) or Panasonic alternatives. In addition it might cause delay in new Mac sales for production facilities and Apple would not be too happy about that. It's really Sony's turn to speak at this point and silence leaves a lot open to inference and that's generally not a good thing so I can only speculate they feel the alternative might be worse.

October 15th, 2009, 12:59 PM	#22
Bruce Schultz Major Player Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Malibu, CA Posts: 480	Funny, I upgraded my MacBook Pro to SL and now the Clip Browser software won't even load. I've re-installed and re-booted a few times to no avail. Is there a trick to getting it running in SL (had no problems whatsoever in Leopard) I don't care that much about the thumbnail display, just taking advantage of the Clip Browser error checking feature as drag and drop can be not-so-error-free. Haven't checked it working through FCP Transfer and Log & Transfer yet.

October 15th, 2009, 01:12 PM	#23
Craig Seeman Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA Posts: 3,841	Version of ClipBrowser? It should be 2.5.1. You'll need to get Express slot SxS driver 1.0.4 from Canadian site. It's not on USA site. People are reporting bugs with that too.

October 16th, 2009, 07:38 AM	#25
Craig Seeman Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA Posts: 3,841	I haven't heard of any issues with ClipBrowser and Snow Leopard. It's working fine for me. You might have something conflicting with it specifically. Create New User with Admin status Repair disk permissions Delete (not just uncheck) all login items for that user in System PrefPane Accounts. Reboot and go to that new user. Try to open ClipBrowser.

October 16th, 2009, 11:14 AM	#26
Bruce Schultz Major Player Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Malibu, CA Posts: 480	Craig, Funny, I tried those suggestions and it allowed ClipBrowser to load under the new user account, but when I rebooted and logged back in as normal (Admin) user what happens is strange; ClipBrowser partially loads, it is displayed as active on the top bar next to the apple logo but no windows are open so it is not usable. Under the new user account it is functioning normally, but not so as normal Admin user. I've never seen this before with any program on the Mac so I'm pretty stumped as to what is happening and how to fix it. Many thanks for your suggestions so far, but logging on/off to another account just to use this program seems not only brain-dead but very un-Mac-like. I'm not a OS X power user so I don't know all the tricks, but I'd be open to any suggestions from yourself or anyone else who's experienced something like this before.

October 16th, 2009, 11:34 AM	#27
Craig Seeman Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA Posts: 3,841	What this does establish is that the issue is that something is up with your normal user account and not the system nor ClipBrowser by itself, which runs fine in a "clean" user account. You might have to trash ClipBrowser preferences in that user account. You might have to look for some background task or conflicting utility. While I haven't seen this specifically with ClipBrowser, this kind of issue is VERY COMMON which is why I suggested it as a trouble shooting technique.

October 16th, 2009, 12:32 PM	#28
Bruce Schultz Major Player Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Malibu, CA Posts: 480	Thanks Craig, I ended up using a small program called AppDelete to completely remove the ClipBrowser program, trashed all prefs I could find, downloaded a fresh download copy, re-installed it and it now is working. Thanks for you suggestions and now I don't seem to have any unusual conflicts with SL as far as Sony software is concerned, but I haven't yet edited anything with FCP and hopefully there won't be any new problems there.

October 16th, 2009, 04:09 PM	#29
Craig Seeman Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA Posts: 3,841	Although it couldn't have been a bad install as it was working in the other user. Probably the preferences or another user specific file, my guess.