Scary p2 problem..

[rgdfilms]

This has happened twice so far and is starting to scare me - sometimes FCP will not bring in all of my p2 clips, after importing them a little popup window will come up and say, 'FCP could not import all p2 clips, probable incomplete or corrupt data' - The two clips I can't bring in, I can play back on the HVX when I put the data back onto the p2 card

what is this? I thought p2 was flawless..

scary beans..

[dolph2000]

I had problems too. Too many problems for what it should be I think. I had less trouble with tape then I had with P2 so far. I still love it because it has to many advantages compared to tape.
Try P2 log to log you footage. It's great. I had some errors on my P2 cards and I couldn't explain why exectly but I logged it with P2 LOG. www.imagineproducts.com

Good luck

[rgdfilms]

So p2 log overcame your p2 problems then? Is p2 log essentially just an mxf viewer?

[dolph2000]

I had errors on my card. p2 log red only colored snow, but when I imported it via P2 log I had video without problems. I can not explain it but I was helped. I can not promise it works but for some strange reason it did for me. I understand it is a little expansive too try it $100, but it is a very handy tool anyway
It is a viewer yes but you can capture your stuff without using FCP. So for field use too look it back without capturing it first, it is very handy.

[Hilarity]

I was having the occasional cannot import p2 errors but nothing that reimporting the file from my powerbook to the tower didn't fix. Then suddenly one day, I couldn't import anything new, i would get the error every time and even on all the p2 folders i had previously succesfully imported. After some research and advice on here, i decided with that error to do what some people had done before me. FulL system clean install.

It worked. And believe me, it seems like i tried everything else...
So if the problem persists you might want to consider that.

[evinsky]

All of these problems are computer/software related. P2 itself is a very reliable format. I've shot 250+ hours of footage on P2 now with no problems, and the only time I lost HVX footage was when i was doing direct capture and FCP crashed.

[dolph2000]

you're right but I had errors in some of my clips. That's was one of the reasons FCP could not see the clips. When I viewed the clips with P2 log I saw only colored pixels (colored snow, noise). Would you say it was software related?

[Film Division]

Hhhm, interesting..

[Brian Broz]

Well after a 1 day shoot for a national TV spot (for Trump developments)..I found the same error when trying to open clips from one of the backup drives in FCP. (We were backing up ea P2 card to 3 different LaCie external drives-1 director, 1-DP, 1 production manager).
Anyways, the short version is you cannot place the contents folder(s) within a folder with a # sign!
(As the drive filled I re-labelled the folder "Cards #1-20") and FCP would not import the clips. I got a very frantic phone call that night from the DP :-) On set I was confirming all the data got transferred to all drives, but also was opening random clips (from ea of the drives) in FCP as the day went on...with no problems. But once I re-named the folder holding the Contents files FCP wouldn't read them.
So check your folder name! Hope that helps,

Brian Broz

[kevinM]

I regularly dump my cards to a portable USB drive when shooting then bring them into Final Cut and I had the same problem one time.

My MAC had gone to sleep with the USB drive connected and when I came back to start importing my clips I got the error. Needless to say I flipped. I tried every folder containing clips and got the same error.

All I had to do was restart my computer and everything was fine. The clips were all OK so in my case it was a hardware/software issue and not with the camera or the cards.

[rgbuser]

Us Mac users have to remember that the P2 system is essentially a Windows-biased system. So characters like # which we've used for years are now no-no's. Seems to me best to avoid all these characters: ? [ ] / \ = + < > : ; " , * | ^ when naming files and folders - about the only one that is safe is underscore _. In fact # is one of the worse to use, along with $ and % because they're often used as variables in names.
I found this page - and local links - helpful:
http://www.portfoliofaq.com/pfaq/FAQ00352.htm

[ILeditor]

you're right but I had errors in some of my clips. That's was one of the reasons FCP could not see the clips. When I viewed the clips with P2 log I saw only colored pixels (colored snow, noise). Would you say it was software related?
i am having the same problem. very inconsistent digital noise on imported p2 files into fcp. i feel like i tried everything. were you able to solve this?

[dolph2000]

no I still don't know what it is. But now I only import my files with P2 log, not with FCP anymore. That's for sure. I now 'hope' it will never happen again.

[Mastasnackcracka]

Holy Crap, Brian Broz! Thank-you so much for the '#' tip. I've been a lurker for months, but after sifting through posts for an hour or so pulling my hair out, and finding this ... I was just so freakin' relieved I had to register and say thanks.