XML file in CONTENTS/CLIP/ ... what would it take for FCP import translation?

[EditingFX]

XML file in CONTENTS/CLIP/
So it seems we're right on the edge of really being about to utilize the metadata and MXF files directly by FCP, EXCEPT for knowing how to translate this file. P2CMS has made it possible to view MXFs on the Mac. People have synced up the A/V manually in FCP. I do see that when you drop a MXF into FCP that TC is missing. (But it **is** in the XML file, of course.)

So can it really be THAT hard for Panasonic to provide FCP users with the necessary translation document so that we can import directly into FCP? Or for some reason does Apple feel we should only work with .mov's?

(And yes, I realize that Raylight will do this, but I'd MUCH rather move into a P2 workflow without using "3rd party voodoo" to get the job done. (*Not* dissing Raylight in any way, but if I open a project 5 years from now, I'd rather have it handled all within the confines of the NLE, without digging up an app I "needed at the time".)

 

[Barry_Green]

Apple is sooner or later going to have to pluck their heads out of the sand and add proper MXF support. Fact of the matter appears to be, yes, they do want you to use only MOVs, but that ain't where the world is. HVX and all P2 products use MXF, XDCAM and XDCAM-HD use a variant of MXF, and XDCAM-EX uses MP4. None of that is .MOV.

According to Mikko, the BBC is poised to switch to P2, and they actually commissioned Adobe to add P2 support to all their products. So, in a few days, the Adobe CS3 will be updated for P2 support. If Apple wants to sell into organizations like the BBC, they'll have to offer similar support.

Until that happens, there is nothing you can do other than Raylight. Now, Marcus can correct me if I get this wrong, but: I don't think you have to have Raylight installed in the future, at least on the Mac version. I think it makes a translated quicktime reference file, and from then on that just works, whether the Raylight app is included or not. It's possible that maybe you could process an external hard disk's files with raylight to create the .mov files, and then take that drive to another Mac (that's never had raylight installed) and it'll still work. If that's the case, it would seem to be the ideal solution for your quest.

 

[EditingFX]

Good point on the "once made, good always" idea... I'll float that past Marcus directly. That'd make the "2 drives on the shelf" concept (with identical data) work well.

 

[mvb]

Until that happens, there is nothing you can do other than Raylight. Now, Marcus can correct me if I get this wrong, but: I don't think you have to have Raylight installed in the future, at least on the Mac version. I think it makes a translated quicktime reference file, and from then on that just works, whether the Raylight app is included or not. It's possible that maybe you could process an external hard disk's files with raylight to create the .mov files, and then take that drive to another Mac (that's never had raylight installed) and it'll still work.

That works if you don't change the name of the drive or move the folders around.
Once Raylight creates the link files the rest is done by Quicktime.

But even if you do move things around quicktime will do a search for the MXF files, update the links and then you can save it.

 

[mvb]

According to Mikko, the BBC is poised to switch to P2, and they actually commissioned Adobe to add P2 support to all their products. So, in a few days, the Adobe CS3 will be updated for P2 support. If Apple wants to sell into organizations like the BBC, they'll have to offer similar support.

Or they can embrace Raylight as Sony has, which is capable (with updates) of converting any video format into editable links. Unless the BBC likes crashing a lot they should look at Raylight/FCP, especially with the version 2.0 which will allow P2 authoring from the FCP timeline. I think it's better to have a stable application than one that tries to edit everything.