xdcam ex SD card file unreadable

[Philippe Monnet]

Having absentmindedly dragged the content of an SD card (used with a Sony PMW EX3) directly on an Apple internal hardrive instead of going through the XDCAM Browser I found that, when I realised the mistake and went through the XDCAM Brower, the card had become unreadable.

Bizzarely, the "Get Info" suggests that the card was created on 1st January 1980 (incorrect), and that 15.41 GB are used on disc (this is correct).

When putting the SD card back into the camera, in "Camera Mode" the screen suggests SD Card "nearly full" (correct), but in VTR Mode, the screen says : "No Clips" (incorrect, because when re-introduced into the computer, and on double-clicking the card's Thumnail, TWO Folders come up (there should only be one) one is called "BPAV", the other is called "Untitled" ... When double-clicking the BPAV Folder, the CLPR Folder opens, when double-clicking the CLPR Folder, it is EMPTY !

When double-clicking the "Untitled" Folder, a CLPR Folder appears, when Double-Clicking this CLPR Folder, FIVE Folders appear, marked : 339_2672_01 ; 339_2672_02 ; 339_2672_03 ; 339_2672_04 ; 339_2672_05. This is an anomaly because the card contained a single shot !

When Double-Clicking these folders, a Quicktime Thumnail appears marked MPEG4 with, underneath, the reference numbers quoted above (339_2672_01.MP4, etc.) ; when Double-Clicking these thumnails, a flag comes up stating : The movie could not be opened. The movie contains some invalid data.

When trying to Control-Click the thumnails, and select Open With QuickTime Player Default, a large black screen opens with a small grey flag stating : "The operation couldn't be completed. (OSStatus error - 12909.) Ditto with the other options.

When seeking Info on each of these five MPEG4s, the General Info suggests : Kind : MPEG-4 movie
Size : 3.62 GB on disk ... and that goes for EVERY FIVE FILE, as if, somehow, the information on the SD Card had split itself into five files of identical size !? ... ... Can anyone suggest ANYTHING to decode these recorded, and yet ghost-like files. Many, many thanks for any help.

[Chris Medico]

Before you do anything else set the "write protect" switch on the memory card to "protect". Any time you put the card into a reader to download set the write protect switch to protect.

Can you read any of the files off the card? If so copy everything over to a folder on the computer. Copy the CLIPR folder back into the BPAV folder. Copy the BPAV folder onto a different blank memory card.

Take that newly copied card and insert it back in the camera. It should prompt you to recover the files. Respond OK and when done see if you can play back the clips in the camera. If so you can download the "fixed" card back into the computer.

[Chris Hurd]

Moved from Open DV to Sony EX.

[Javier Boronat]

Hi Philippe,

As suggested by Chris you should follow the procedure explained to replicate the BPAV folder structure and let the camera fix the files.

In case that won't work then you could diagnose your false MPEG4 files (they are XDCAM but the lack of an appropriate XDCAM codec installed on your system fools QuickTime) using for free Treasured. Keep in mind that you would need to install missing XDCAM codec in order to play the files. You can get it for free here. Best of luck!

--Javier

[Philippe Monnet]

Originally Posted by Chris Medico

Before you do anything else set the "write protect" switch on the memory card to "protect". Any time you put the card into a reader to download set the write protect switch to protect.

Can you read any of the files off the card? If so copy everything over to a folder on the computer. Copy the CLIPR folder back into the BPAV folder. Copy the BPAV folder onto a different blank memory card.

Take that newly copied card and insert it back in the camera. It should prompt you to recover the files. Respond OK and when done see if you can play back the clips in the camera. If so you can download the "fixed" card back into the computer.

Many, many thanks for that! Will try this morning, and will let you know. Kind regtards. P.

[Philippe Monnet]

Originally Posted by Javier Boronat

Hi Philippe,

As suggested by Chris you should follow the procedure explained to replicate the BPAV folder structure and let the camera fix the files.

In case that won't work then you could diagnose your false MPEG4 files (they are XDCAM but the lack of an appropriate XDCAM codec installed on your system fools QuickTime) using for free Treasured. Keep in mind that you would need to install missing XDCAM codec in order to play the files. You can get it for free here. Best of luck!

--Javier

Many, many thanks, Javier, I will try this morning and let you kow. Best. P.

[Philippe Monnet]

Originally Posted by Chris Medico

Before you do anything else set the "write protect" switch on the memory card to "protect". Any time you put the card into a reader to download set the write protect switch to protect.

Can you read any of the files off the card? If so copy everything over to a folder on the computer. Copy the CLIPR folder back into the BPAV folder. Copy the BPAV folder onto a different blank memory card.

Take that newly copied card and insert it back in the camera. It should prompt you to recover the files. Respond OK and when done see if you can play back the clips in the camera. If so you can download the "fixed" card back into the computer.

Dear Chris,

We're out of the woods! For what it's worth, and even though what happened will probably remain a mystery, this is how we solved the problem. Nothing worked : still now, neither camera nor XDCAM Browser can "read" the SD card ... However, I followed all your suggestions and had a copy on my hard drive. Then our attention was steered towards Aero Quartet ; we loaded a file onto their system and INSTANTLY, the "lost" images appeared ; this put a flea in our ear : the file was NOT corrupted, in fact it was intact ... HOW could we recover it though, having tried everything ? ... Why could the camera not read the files ? Why could the browser not read them, why could the Log and Transfer not detect them, and yet Aero instantly could ? It was not a question of the file itself, but of ACCESS! ... Then sudddenly the penny dropped as I remembered another method of capturing footage in FINAL CUT PRO : File + IMPORT + Sony XDCAM... and a totally differnt Interface opens ... clicked on +, select, and ALL the files were instantly captured, in pristine condition, and with Audio! Why the LINK was lost between the SD card and everything else, but remained intact with the FCP route, we cannot fathom. But anyhow we must thank you for getting us thinking and on the road to a full recovery. Many thanks and kindest regards! Philippe and Martina.

[Philippe Monnet]

Originally Posted by Philippe Monnet

Many, many thanks, Javier, I will try this morning and let you kow. Best. P.

Dear Xavier,

We're out of the woods! For what it's worth, and even though what happened will probably remain a mystery, this is how we solved the problem. Nothing worked : still now, neither camera nor XDCAM Browser can "read" the SD card ... However, I followed Chris' and your suggestions and had a copy on my hard drive. Then our attention was steered by you towards Aero Quartet ; we loaded a file onto their system and INSTANTLY, the "lost" images appeared ; this put a flea in our ear : the file was NOT corrupted, in fact it was intact ... HOW could we recover it though, having tried everything ? ... Why could the camera not read the files ? Why could the browser not read them, why could the Log and Transfer not detect them, and yet Aero instantly could ? It was not a question of the file itself, but of ACCESS! ... Then sudddenly the penny dropped as I remembered another method of capturing footage in FINAL CUT PRO : File + IMPORT + Sony XDCAM... and a totally differnt Interface opens ... clicked on +, select, and ALL the files were instantly captured, in pristine condition, and with Audio! Why the LINK was lost between the SD card and everything else, but remained intact with the FCP route, we cannot fathom. But anyhow we must thank you for getting us thinking and on the road to a full recovery. Many thanks and kindest regards! Philippe and Martina.