P2 footage won't ingest

[Kugar13]

Hey guys. I recently befriended a local filmmaker in my hometown and have been trying to help him with his production. I don't use Final Cut, nor do I have a camera that uses PS cards (I'm still a DVX man). So, I don't know how to help him with the following Problem would be apprciated. Thanks guys!

His email:

I'm trying to ingest P2 footage (native 720p24) into a project on FCP. I've previously ingested footage from this shoot, but now it's not coming in. I'm getting a little red stop sign with an exclamation point in it in the Status column of the Log and Transfer window... when I scroll over the stop sign a little yellow message appears reading "Error: No Data". It appears to be ingesting the footage but no files are being created in the places I'd expect to see it. this is the first time this has come up. The raw P2 files were transferred to a hard drive, so I'm doing the Log and Transfer off of that drive, I've looked at the raw P2 files, everything that should be there, including the last clip file is there. I can even watch the footage in the Log and Transfer preview window. I can find no problems except for the fact that I can't get my footage ingested.
Any ideas?

Here is a list of the things I have already tried:
1. Fully update the Mac and FCP programs
2. Make copies of the Files in different locations and ingest from those
3. Trash preferences. Repair Permissions. Restart.
4. Fully read the FCP manual about settings for Panasonic P2 cards. And tried there settings

[MikeWilkinson]

"Load" all of your p2 card folders into Log and Transfer. It sounds like a clip that spanned over two card perhaps? Get them all loaded into FCP and see if you can ingest that one clip then.

[Loren Simons]

Ask him if he's on Snow Leopard, there have been some issues with Snow Leopard and P2 Loading

[Kugar13]

Hey guys!

Thanks for the assistance. He discoverd it was a problem with his external hard drive.

Thanks again!

[mduis]

I posted this to another thread the other day, but this one seemed to hit on a similar issue as well. Here is my post again with some little added info that i thoguht of.

This past weekend I worked with friends on a project and used the Panasonic HVX 200. My friend has shot and edited with the P2 cards before .

We shot and downloaded all information to an external drive using my friends macbook Pro.OS LEOPARD. We then made copies of all files to three different drives.
Friend with macbookpro was able to log and transfer files without problem. another friend who just got a new mini OS SNOW LEOPARD was also able to transfer with no problem.

i on the other hand have not been able to transfer. I recently updated to Snow Leaprd and to FCP 6.0 on both a macbook 13inch black, and on my 24 inch imac.
I tried it out on my macbook first. (and had same result with the imac), i can open FCP and i can view and hear all the files in Log and Transfer preview window, however when i click on the 'add selection to queue' or add clip to queue' buttons, it shows the file in the queue list and a dark circle with arrows turning appears, however there is no progress in the progress bar across the top of the window and then it stops. if i click in the queue window, the dark arrowed circle turns to a red stop sign shape with an exclamation point, and mouse over reveals the words, "error: no data"
Nothing has been added to my bin. I can however download the files we did as tests of speed. The files have no audio attached and that is all i can see that would be different. But the video of the slow mo or sped up test, comes into the bin, but anything with audio attached does not.
Does anyone have a solution to this problem, as it seems the one in this thread is similar. I read about someone able to transfer the mxf files to another file and it working?, but not sure what they meant by that.
Would appreciate any ideas of what i might need to look for to make the transfer possible. strage to have two other computers do it without a problem but then the two that I have both have the same issue. i have heard the macbook may not be the right graphic card but the iMac has ATI Radeon and plenty of memory and space, so it should be good...am i missing a setting somewhere?. thanks for any ideas.
in the mean time i am currently reinstalling FCP. i used the FCP Remover and started over, perhaps there will be a change, but I am thinking there may be something else not set right, or ????

thanks
mduis

[David Saraceno]

Did you do an upgrade install of SL, or clone the computers and reinstall OS from a fresh hard drive and then FCP?

Because an upgrade install easily will cause issues.

[everybodyclap]

I've been having this problem (red exclamation mark, unable to ingest footage into FCP), and I've tried everything I've seen suggested (short file names, trashing prefs, unchecking "remove pulldown", etc.) Anyone have any new info on this problem? I'm on osx 10.6.2 (didn't upgrade, came on my macbook pro), and FCP 6.0.1.

Any info/help will be greatly appreciated.

[David Saraceno]

Any reason why you've haven't upgrade to 6.0.6?

Do you have FX Factory installed? What version?

How are you mounting the cards? Did it ever work?

[achille]

Same issue as shown above and on many other posts...

In this case FCP 7
Mac running 10.6.4

Files downloaded to external HD, connected w Firewire 800
most files transfer w/o issue
some files show the exclamation mark and can not be transferred though they can be previewed within log and transfer window

have tried all the proposed workarounds and remedies above w/o success

wondering what the sittuation is w FC and P2... as it doesn't seem reliable or consistent

[David Saraceno]

Did you write protect the p2 cards before downloading?

Do the clips in question play in the cam?

[achille]

Did you write protect the p2 cards before downloading?

Do the clips in question play in the cam?

Thank you for your availability to respond David,
most appreciated as i've been struggling with this one for months, and feel very nervous about the inconsistency of my ability to transfer files, particularly in instances where i only have one camera on the shoot, or i'm shooting a performance that can not be shot again

I am not aware of doing anything specifically to write protect the p2 cards, unless that is a default setting somewhere along the way...

... and perhaps more relevant the issue is intermittent, even with a given shoot... ie some clips from a shoot, same download, all shot within an hour of each other, same camera, same cards, same camera settings, same same

all downloaded onto an xternal HD
all can be viewed and heard within log and transfer window

i have written over those cards after downloading onto HD, therefore i do not know whether they would play in the cam

i have a further question; if i am not able to find a resolution for transfer, is there a way i can at least convert .MXF files to quicktime or somehow at least bring them into FCP 7?

This would not be a resolution of the issue of course, however i could at least use the footage as Broll for the current project and stay on schedule for my rough cut showing


An additional clue, this was first starting to happen a couple of months ago, while i was still on FCP 6.6, inconsistently and off of the same hardware configurations, ie same drive etc...

Furthermore when i passed the files on to an other person, on an other external drive, the issue was repeated when he tried to log and capture on FCP 6.6. on an other Mac as well..
That person returned the drive to me, (it was a USB 2 drive, which i had been running through a uUSB 1 hub when transferring data to that drive originally. I re transferred files to that drive, plugging directly into USB 2 port on my Mac and the files then worked on this other persons 'puter.

one thing i have not yet tried, however considering doing , is transferring files to an internal HD as a way to get to the workaround of avoiding firewire, as i don't have any usb drives (which some people have maintained was a way to resolve the issue ....however i must say i'm not too hopeful as some clips transfer ok and some don't on the same hardware set up...)

cheers,
achille

[Jim_Behl]

Did you use the Panasonic P2 software and lock the P2 card to copy your card data to the external HD? If you didn't then you can have issues.
The OFFICIAL method recommended by Panasonic to transfer P2 data to an external Hd. (Type of Mac or Os do not matter) is to lock the card. Mac Os spotlight writes files to any device, possibly causing transfer problems. Using Panasonic's P2 Media management software, select the clips you want, under the file menu select export, choose where you want your data to go (remember to have a folder for each card on your hard drive), make sure to select the do compare option and click ok. Once your data has been transferred to the hard drive open Final Cut Pro and then select Log and transfer. This should work every time. BTW, I have posted this before.
http://www.panasonic.com/business/provideo/support/resource-center/software-downloads.asp

[achille]

Did you use the Panasonic P2 software and lock the P2 card to copy your card data to the external HD? If you didn't then you can have issues.
The OFFICIAL method recommended by Panasonic to transfer P2 data to an external Hd. (Type of Mac or Os do not matter) is to lock the card. Mac Os spotlight writes files to any device, possibly causing transfer problems. Using Panasonic's P2 Media management software, select the clips you want, under the file menu select export, choose where you want your data to go (remember to have a folder for each card on your hard drive), make sure to select the do compare option and click ok. Once your data has been transferred to the hard drive open Final Cut Pro and then select Log and transfer. This should work every time. BTW, I have posted this before.
http://www.panasonic.com/business/provideo/support/resource-center/software-downloads.asp

I did not follow official procedure, in fact i was not aware of such. I simply dragged the files from the P2 cards to the xternal HD in the finder windows of the Mac OS.

In light of that do i currently have any means available to salvage the files in question?
I would reiterate situation for viewers convenience;

".... all downloaded onto an xternal HD
all can be viewed and heard within log and transfer window

i have written over those cards after downloading onto HD, therefore i do not know whether they would play in the cam

i have a further question; if i am not able to find a resolution for full transfer, is there a way i can at least convert .MXF files to quicktime or somehow at least bring them into FCP 7?

This would not be a resolution of the issue of course, however i could at least use the footage as B roll for the current project and stay on schedule for my rough cut showing"

cheers,
achille

[achille]

addendum to previous posts:

i have located a P2 card with one of the problem clips still on it.
It does not play in the camera; instead the thumbnail for that particular clip is blank, and there is an exclamation mark icon in the upper right corner (others on ether side from same shoot are ok, and transferred without issue). Once again the clip can be viewed in log and transfer window. Is there a way for me to salvage at least the video to use as B roll?

[David Saraceno]

You might consider Raylight 3 for the Mac:

http://dvfilmstore.com/raformac3.html

It permits you to work with native MXF files in FCP.

[achille]

Thank you to those who have offered their time and suggestions to this thread, and to you David S for recommending Raylight as a workaround.

I downloaded the trial version of Raylight 3 for Mac.
http://dvfilmstore.com/raformac3.html

It appears to even work with the MXF files i was having an issue with (the dreaded exclamation mark in the stop your work you can't use this clip error icon).

If panasonic doesn't come through with a reliable workaround i will certainly make the purchase of the full version... though admittedly i feel remiss to do so. Given the cost of the cards themselves, and the numbers of people i see responding to forums re this issue, one would think panasonic would make some effort to make the transfers a little more fool proof, or offer a resolution or workaround for those encountering complications. I find the above mentioned official workflow not so obvious either. The instructions accompanying their Content Management Software is written by someoen with limited familiarity with the english language and requires using Intel Macs running recent OS version etc etc..

Good luck to any of you facing that exclamation mark and this issue. If i discover an other solution i will make sure to post to this thread. Meanwhile i am grateful there is at least a workaround available.

cheers,
achille