Sony Clip Browser question? at DVinfo.net

David Morgan · March 13th, 2011, 02:42 PM

can you use clip browser to make a straight backup copy of the BPAV folder? I need to transfer from the cards to a portable hard drive to hand the client after shooting. I'm assuming I want to transfer the whole BPAV folder and not the clips visible in clip browser?
When i navigate the S X S cards, it exposes the clips but not the mother folder. Is it safe and or better to just open 2 windows and copy / paste the BPAV folder from the card to the USB drive?
thx

using windows 7 and clip browser software.
Lacie ruggedized USB/firewire portable drive

David Morgan · March 13th, 2011, 03:25 PM

After posting the above, I made a few clip edits and clip copies to a new folder I created on my desktop. Inside of this folder, there is a new BPAV folder. This seems really confusing. I guess clip browser creates a new BPAV folder containing the clip edit selections you make?

confused.....

Leonard Levy · March 16th, 2011, 12:18 AM

Clip Browser rebuilds your BPAV folder for you. That's why you don't see it in the Clip Browser browser.

There is a tremendous advantage in using this though because then you can make a single BPAV folder for more than one SxS card just by adding clips to it. So your folders can be organized in a more logical way than just by the card.
If you span cards and place both clips in the same folder using Clip Browser it connects them for you - bingo no more hassles.
Say you have a multi cam shoot with lots of cards. You could put all of each camera in a single folder with a single BPAV.
You could put all of a days work in one folder.
I think these are still considered safe working methods as long as you double back up as one would usually do.

Caveats - I only use Macs and I wouldn't put anything on a Lacie Drive ever - call me superstitious but it is the only brand I've heard consistent horror stories about for years. i know the rugged drives get good reviews though.

David Morgan · March 16th, 2011, 11:10 AM

thx for the reply. Yes, I was surprised to see a new BPAV folder when I copied clips. So if I open my S X S cards via the USB camera connection, then copy the clips as-is to a backup drive, that will accomplish the backup requirement?
I opened 2 windows explorer windows and copied the card BPAV folder from the card to a new folder on the external drive directly without using clip browser. It worked but I'd like to use clip browser with copy check instead.

Leonard Levy · March 17th, 2011, 12:13 AM

David,
I don't understand your question.
First I have never used the USB connector in the camera to copy anything. I always take the cards out and put them in my laptop so I don't know for sure exactly what you see on the computer when you do that.0

However in general you can:

1. Simply copy your complete BPAV folder into another folder on the targeted hard drive ( NEVER copy the individual contents of the BPAV folder - always the entire folder). Never add to or screw with that BPAV folder again - do nopt change the name of the BPAV folder. Place it inside another folder that you can name for the shoot.

or

2 . Use Clip Browser in which case you will never see the BPAV folder in the clip browser windows. Then you use the clip browser interface to copy the clips into the folder on your targeted drive.

If you use clip browser you can return to that folder and add new clips to it later, add spanned clips or even delete clips . Clip Browser will then be adding to or deleting from the BPAV folder itself and reconstituting it continuously. You will only see the BPAV folder if you leave clip browser and look in the finder.

Hope that's clear.

BTW - ALWAYS copy your card twice to 2 different drives for redundancy and always make both copies separately from the original card. Don't simply copy your first copy to another drive. If anything went wrong the first time, the 2nd copy is also no good. Violate this rule at your peril.

David Morgan · March 17th, 2011, 07:36 AM

Leonard,
Sorry for the confusion. I rolled two questions into one. For my last shoot, I simply needed to copy the cards and hand them to an editor. So it would be considered a finder level copy of the BPAV folder on a Mac. However, when using the camera as the source, it's done via the slow USB port instead of an express 34 slot. The connection is camera to computer via USB to portable drive via firewire.
No need to view the clips themselves. That's where I was surprised to see the clips when I used clip browser. I suppose I could use clip browser to open the cards and copy the clips intact to the portable drive. I think this method would bring into play the copy redundancy feature of clip browser.
However, your explanation is very clear.
thx for the help

March 13th, 2011, 02:42 PM	#1
David Morgan Major Player Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Burbank CA Posts: 466	Sony Clip Browser question? can you use clip browser to make a straight backup copy of the BPAV folder? I need to transfer from the cards to a portable hard drive to hand the client after shooting. I'm assuming I want to transfer the whole BPAV folder and not the clips visible in clip browser? When i navigate the S X S cards, it exposes the clips but not the mother folder. Is it safe and or better to just open 2 windows and copy / paste the BPAV folder from the card to the USB drive? thx using windows 7 and clip browser software. Lacie ruggedized USB/firewire portable drive Last edited by David Morgan; March 13th, 2011 at 03:22 PM.

March 13th, 2011, 03:25 PM	#2
David Morgan Major Player Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Burbank CA Posts: 466	Re: Sony Clip Browser question? After posting the above, I made a few clip edits and clip copies to a new folder I created on my desktop. Inside of this folder, there is a new BPAV folder. This seems really confusing. I guess clip browser creates a new BPAV folder containing the clip edit selections you make? confused.....

March 16th, 2011, 12:18 AM	#3
Leonard Levy Trustee Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: USA Posts: 1,684	Re: Sony Clip Browser question? Clip Browser rebuilds your BPAV folder for you. That's why you don't see it in the Clip Browser browser. There is a tremendous advantage in using this though because then you can make a single BPAV folder for more than one SxS card just by adding clips to it. So your folders can be organized in a more logical way than just by the card. If you span cards and place both clips in the same folder using Clip Browser it connects them for you - bingo no more hassles. Say you have a multi cam shoot with lots of cards. You could put all of each camera in a single folder with a single BPAV. You could put all of a days work in one folder. I think these are still considered safe working methods as long as you double back up as one would usually do. Caveats - I only use Macs and I wouldn't put anything on a Lacie Drive ever - call me superstitious but it is the only brand I've heard consistent horror stories about for years. i know the rugged drives get good reviews though.

March 16th, 2011, 11:10 AM	#4
David Morgan Major Player Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Burbank CA Posts: 466	Re: Sony Clip Browser question? thx for the reply. Yes, I was surprised to see a new BPAV folder when I copied clips. So if I open my S X S cards via the USB camera connection, then copy the clips as-is to a backup drive, that will accomplish the backup requirement? I opened 2 windows explorer windows and copied the card BPAV folder from the card to a new folder on the external drive directly without using clip browser. It worked but I'd like to use clip browser with copy check instead.

March 17th, 2011, 12:13 AM	#5
Leonard Levy Trustee Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: USA Posts: 1,684	Re: Sony Clip Browser question? David, I don't understand your question. First I have never used the USB connector in the camera to copy anything. I always take the cards out and put them in my laptop so I don't know for sure exactly what you see on the computer when you do that.0 However in general you can: 1. Simply copy your complete BPAV folder into another folder on the targeted hard drive ( NEVER copy the individual contents of the BPAV folder - always the entire folder). Never add to or screw with that BPAV folder again - do nopt change the name of the BPAV folder. Place it inside another folder that you can name for the shoot. or 2 . Use Clip Browser in which case you will never see the BPAV folder in the clip browser windows. Then you use the clip browser interface to copy the clips into the folder on your targeted drive. If you use clip browser you can return to that folder and add new clips to it later, add spanned clips or even delete clips . Clip Browser will then be adding to or deleting from the BPAV folder itself and reconstituting it continuously. You will only see the BPAV folder if you leave clip browser and look in the finder. Hope that's clear. BTW - ALWAYS copy your card twice to 2 different drives for redundancy and always make both copies separately from the original card. Don't simply copy your first copy to another drive. If anything went wrong the first time, the 2nd copy is also no good. Violate this rule at your peril.

March 17th, 2011, 07:36 AM	#6
David Morgan Major Player Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Burbank CA Posts: 466	Re: Sony Clip Browser question? Leonard, Sorry for the confusion. I rolled two questions into one. For my last shoot, I simply needed to copy the cards and hand them to an editor. So it would be considered a finder level copy of the BPAV folder on a Mac. However, when using the camera as the source, it's done via the slow USB port instead of an express 34 slot. The connection is camera to computer via USB to portable drive via firewire. No need to view the clips themselves. That's where I was surprised to see the clips when I used clip browser. I suppose I could use clip browser to open the cards and copy the clips intact to the portable drive. I think this method would bring into play the copy redundancy feature of clip browser. However, your explanation is very clear. thx for the help