Double clip problem? Is this a camera setting problem or an SDHC card problem?

[ashclever]

For some reason my SDHC card is logging double clips numbered differently. So for instance...

00003.MTS is the same clip as
00004.MTS

and this seems to have continued to happen each time the camera recording was stopped and resumed. The last clip actually copied 4 times! So 00006.MTS all the way through .00010.MTS are all the same clip? Is this a camera setting problem or an SDHC card problem anyone has encountered?

Thanks

[Barry_Green]

Are you recording long takes? They might be spanned clips?

[ashclever]

They are long takes ranging up to 20-40min. With spanning, it does't pick up on the next clip where the last left off?

[LanceOregon]

The individual files can only be up to 4 Gigabytes in size. Exceed that amount, and a new file gets created to continue the clip. So on long clips you can end up with multiple files for that clip.

Did you freshly format the card with your camcorder before using it? I once forgot to do that, and used a card that I had previously used to record video on my DSLR. And that really messed things up. Make sure that you don't share cards between different brands and types of cameras without doing a fresh format first.

[Barry_Green]

They are long takes ranging up to 20-40min. With spanning, it does't pick up on the next clip where the last left off?

Yes of course it does. If you use an NLE that is AVCHD-aware, and you PROPERLY import the footage, it will all be treated as one clip and only one clip. The key is to never import just the .MTS file. If you find yourself navigating into the AVCHD "STREAM" folder and plucking out an individual .MTS file, then you're doing it the wrong way, and exposing yourself to issues such as this.

[ELN614]

while we are on file names/issues:
I hate the fact if I manual switch slots before the card fills up... the numbering restarts at 0000.
I don't like the idea of two identical numbers in the same project or same timeline.

[sewolla]

I see this on every project I do now. Man is it irritating!!!

I noticed this with both the AC160 and the HMC150. In fairness, my HFS-10 does the exact thing so I think it is somehow a process issue (how clips are transferred), not product-not directly camera related.

When I shoot concerts, I will get at least two identical clips for each clip shot. They are virtually identical, not merely spanned clips.

If I copy all my files off the chips and then put them all on the timeline in Premiere Pro...what should be a one hour concert may somehow have 2.5 hours on the timeline. It is because of several duplicate clips. At least one duplicate clip for every clip shot. Don't understand how or why that is happening, its a real time-waster, though.

My process for copying files over is to:

1. Create a folder on my Projects drive "G" for example, called "School X Spring Concert".
2. Then within that I create a folder called "AVCHD Files"
3. I insert the SDHC card into the computers' SDHC card reader and copy the files (the entire "PRIVATE" folder) into the "AVCHD Files" folder.
4. I create a project called "School X Spring Concert" in Premiere Pro CS5.5.
5. I drag and drop the entire "Private" folder from the AVCHD Files folder into Premire Pro's Project panel.
6. Then I click the private folder in the project panel to see the clips in it.
7. I select all the clips in it and transfer them to the timeline.

I always get duplicate clips this way. The duplicate clips are also present in the project panel.

Any thoughts on what causes this would be greatly appreciated.

[Barry_Green]

Don't drag the AVCHD folder in, try using the Media Browser instead. I would think it would eliminate the duplicates.

[sewolla]

Thanks Barry, I will try that.

[ashclever]

Ahh, yes, I have been dragging the entire AVCHD folder in to my project in PREMIERE so i guess that is my problem. I will try this out in my next project.