Import ex files to avid MC4?

[Giannis Pass]

Hello,
i am usually importing the ex files to Avid MC4, directly from SxS cards, so the AMA procedure recognizes the files and a new window is opening into Avid.
But now i want to import files, that are being copied into a local hard disk.
How i can import them to avid?
It is High Definition files, so every clip it is in one folder.
Thanks

[Malcolm Hamilton]

Hi there.
I use the XDCAM EX Clip Browser (v. 2.06, supplied by Sony), find the clips on the SxS card, export as mxf files (for NLE) to an external drive. Then I launch Avid, go to my project (or start a new one if these are my first clips), open a bin, choose import from the file menu, navigate to the mxf clips on the hard drive I copied them to, and press 'import'.
It works beautifully.
I also copy the whole BPAV folder to another hard drive as backup.
Regards, Malcolm

[Perrone Ford]

Originally Posted by Giannis Pass

Hello,
i am usually importing the ex files to Avid MC4, directly from SxS cards, so the AMA procedure recognizes the files and a new window is opening into Avid.
But now i want to import files, that are being copied into a local hard disk.
How i can import them to avid?
It is High Definition files, so every clip it is in one folder.
Thanks

Well, clearly there is more than one way to do this.

1. If you have the BPAV folder structure intact, and AMA recognizes it and brings the clips into a bin. Select all the clips, On the menu choose Tools > Consolidate/Transcode. Choose consolidate. You will then get to pick a drive and some other options. This essentially copies the files into the Avid media database. My EX1 files come in faster than real time to my USB 2.0 connected drives. When I get the SATA connection, it should be about 1/3 real time.

2. If you do NOT have the BPAV structure intact and just have the raw files, then you can open a new bin, click import select all the files you want to import and the file type you want them to come in as, and let it import the files normally.

Either way works fine. There are some advantages to doing it the AMA/BPAV way though.

[Malcolm Hamilton]

Originally Posted by Perrone Ford

1. If you have the BPAV folder structure intact, and AMA recognizes it and brings the clips into a bin. Select all the clips, On the menu choose Tools > Consolidate/Transcode. Choose consolidate. You will then get to pick a drive and some other options

Perrone - - I guess the method I've been using is like your number 2, and it does indeed work for me. It never occurred to me to import, with AMA, right from the BPAV folder. I guess this is getting Avid to convert/transcode to mxf, instead of asking the Sony ClipBrowser to do it. Is this preferable? I'm wondering if I should give it a try.

You're an Avid user, so can I ask you if you have a good workflow for AVCHD (my second, small camera is a Canon HF-S10, and up until now, with Media Composer v.5, AVCHD has been a real pain; v.5 has AMA for AVCHD, but I've been advised to wrap to ProRes or DNxHD first, so it's still a pain)
Regards, Malcolm

[Perrone Ford]

Originally Posted by Malcolm Hamilton

Perrone - - I guess the method I've been using is like your number 2, and it does indeed work for me. It never occurred to me to import, with AMA, right from the BPAV folder. I guess this is getting Avid to convert/transcode to mxf, instead of asking the Sony ClipBrowser to do it. Is this preferable? I'm wondering if I should give it a try.

I had an interesting issue today. I am about to edit a short film. I had 250GB of EX1 files I shot. Most in BPAV structure. Some not. Most was shot in 1080/24p. Some in 720/60p. I wanted to import it all into the Avid media database. I have a 1080p project set up. What was interesting was that when I used the AMA > Import function, Avid had no trouble importing everything. But when I tried to import stuff that was 720/60p and NOT in a BPAV structure it choked. And I had to create a 720/60p project, import, and then open that bin in the original 1080 project and copy the files over. So doing it the AMA way saves a lot of headache in some cases.

Originally Posted by Malcolm Hamilton

You're an Avid user, so can I ask you if you have a good workflow for AVCHD (my second, small camera is a Canon HF-S10, and up until now, with Media Composer v.5, AVCHD has been a real pain; v.5 has AMA for AVCHD, but I've been advised to wrap to ProRes or DNxHD first, so it's still a pain)
Regards, Malcolm

I am a VERY VERY new Avid user. AMA doesn't have AVCHD. Where did you read that? It has access to h.264 from the Canon Cams, but that's not AVCHD.

[Malcolm Hamilton]

Hi Perrone,
We're veering out of the realm of the EX-1, but in a nutshell (and you may be new at Avid, but I'm just plain slow at understanding everything that goes on "under the hood" when it comes to anything more complicated than a toaster): I'm following Bob Russo's advice in a Media Composer v.5 demo he did on the subject of the new Quicktime AMA support (YouTube - NAB2010: Demo Avid Media Composer 5). From what I gather, you can fast-link via AMA, even to the raw .MTS (AVCHD) files. I was advised, though, to rewrap to ProRes or DNxHD first, before linking.
For more on this, you can check out this thread: how to use AMA to connect to AVCHD/QT files? - Avid Video Community
If you're editing on Avid, this forum will be as useful to you as this one is for your camera.
Regards, Malcolm

[Perrone Ford]

Malcolm, I don't have an AVCHD camera. I have an EX1. But I do post on footage from a wide variety of cameras. In looking at that thread, it seems people were re-wrapping to QT with clipwrap. That's a Mac only solution and I don't own a Mac. I didn't have success trying to link via AMA to .MTS so that's not viable either. So I guess it's just a basic import for me, which is fine.

I will check this Bob Russo video out though.

Originally Posted by Malcolm Hamilton

Hi Perrone,
We're veering out of the realm of the EX-1, but in a nutshell (and you may be new at Avid, but I'm just plain slow at understanding everything that goes on "under the hood" when it comes to anything more complicated than a toaster): I'm following Bob Russo's advice in a Media Composer v.5 demo he did on the subject of the new Quicktime AMA support (YouTube - NAB2010: Demo Avid Media Composer 5). From what I gather, you can fast-link via AMA, even to the raw .MTS (AVCHD) files. I was advised, though, to rewrap to ProRes or DNxHD first, before linking.
For more on this, you can check out this thread: how to use AMA to connect to AVCHD/QT files? - Avid Video Community
If you're editing on Avid, this forum will be as useful to you as this one is for your camera.
Regards, Malcolm

[Malcolm Hamilton]

Yes I've got an EX-1 as well, but I use my small Canon as a second camera for some interviews. Smaller and cheaper, but AVCHD has been such a pain (takes so much extra time to import/transcode/whatever, and time=$) I've started wondering if I wouldn't be better off with a second EX-1! I shoot (and travel) by myself, though, so weight is also a consideration. Anyway, there's a PC version of the Avid thread for editing questions if you're interested.
Thanks for the advice,
Malcolm

[Perrone Ford]

I think if I have to deal with AVCHD in Avid I'll just do a basic import. Simple enough and I don't see it much. These days it's more HDSLR than anything. With the improvements (hack) to the GH1, I expect I may see more of that shortly.

[Nathan Swinn]

I do almost exactly the same workflow as Malcolm.

I played around with AMA a little before settling on my current process. No real dead solid reason for going with the clip browser\external back to avid flow... just feels comfy.

AMA was mighty fast.