tarzan
Well-known member
My station just got some brand new P2 cameras and P2 drives for our Avids, and we're still working out some bugs. Specifically, I'm still trying to figure out a good fast way to transfer the clips from my P2 cards into the bin of my Avid project for editing. I'll attempt to describe the way I did it today, and you all let me know if I'm doing it right, and if that's the way it's supposed to be (I hope it's not!):
Currently, I have to close out of the Avid application first, THEN insert the P2 card(s) into the slot(s). (Otherwise the Avid's Media Tool won't even recognize that the P2 drives are even there. Then when I restart the Avid, it recognizes the P2 drive(s) and their contents. Once the application is started, I go into TOOLS>MEDIA TOOL, and see that drive(s) are recognized there, click on the ones I want to see and click OK. Then a window comes up showing the clips that are in the drive. I select them and drag them into my bin.
Now, this is where the frustrating part begins: Apparently when you drag and drop them, it's not really copying the files. They're highlighted in blue to show that they're not linked to the mainframe drive, and when you look at them under the text view tab, you see they're still linked to the P2 drive. I then have to select and right-click on the clips and go to "consolidate/transcode," and choose consolidate. This copies the files and links them to the hard drive in the Avid. Today I had 69 clips, which means that there were 345 media files to consolidate, since each clip has 1 video channel and 4 audio channels. Anyway, because of this, it seems like it takes an EXCRUCIATINGLY LONG TIME to process all that. I don't think I shot anything more than about 25 minutes of raw video for the whole package, and yet this whole transferring and consolidation process took about that long. Is that the way it's supposed to be? I certainly hope not, because otherwise what's the real advantage of having tapeless technology?
Oh, and here's another issue: Both my reporter and producer were frustrated today, because they couldn't log the interview on tape the way they normally would. They couldn't do any of that until I had the tedious transfer process done. Is there such a thin as a P2 card reader that a producer can have right there at his/her desk to look at video that's just come in from the field? How is it done at other stations?
The engineer at my station who might know the answer to my questions, or might be able to figure out the answers, was off today, so I haven't had the chance to talk to him about this. Any advice you guys can give would be helpful.
Currently, I have to close out of the Avid application first, THEN insert the P2 card(s) into the slot(s). (Otherwise the Avid's Media Tool won't even recognize that the P2 drives are even there. Then when I restart the Avid, it recognizes the P2 drive(s) and their contents. Once the application is started, I go into TOOLS>MEDIA TOOL, and see that drive(s) are recognized there, click on the ones I want to see and click OK. Then a window comes up showing the clips that are in the drive. I select them and drag them into my bin.
Now, this is where the frustrating part begins: Apparently when you drag and drop them, it's not really copying the files. They're highlighted in blue to show that they're not linked to the mainframe drive, and when you look at them under the text view tab, you see they're still linked to the P2 drive. I then have to select and right-click on the clips and go to "consolidate/transcode," and choose consolidate. This copies the files and links them to the hard drive in the Avid. Today I had 69 clips, which means that there were 345 media files to consolidate, since each clip has 1 video channel and 4 audio channels. Anyway, because of this, it seems like it takes an EXCRUCIATINGLY LONG TIME to process all that. I don't think I shot anything more than about 25 minutes of raw video for the whole package, and yet this whole transferring and consolidation process took about that long. Is that the way it's supposed to be? I certainly hope not, because otherwise what's the real advantage of having tapeless technology?
Oh, and here's another issue: Both my reporter and producer were frustrated today, because they couldn't log the interview on tape the way they normally would. They couldn't do any of that until I had the tedious transfer process done. Is there such a thin as a P2 card reader that a producer can have right there at his/her desk to look at video that's just come in from the field? How is it done at other stations?
The engineer at my station who might know the answer to my questions, or might be able to figure out the answers, was off today, so I haven't had the chance to talk to him about this. Any advice you guys can give would be helpful.