HVX200 importing help

J

Joey9

Well-known member
ok so i got my hvx today. i am using wondows 7 and vegas pro 8 also. so i tried to put some test footage u filmed onto my computer. i tried firewire and it did not reconize it even when i swtched the thing in the menu. i tried usb and it did reconize it(after i swtiched it) but i caould not view, edit, or copy the files into a new folder. so no programs i have on my computer can read the mxf files. i also cant copy the files into a different folder which seems weird to me. so basically i just need some help on how to get the footage onto my compter. also like what softwares i should be useing to view and to edit it. please help me asap thanks
 
I'm not a Vegas guy and I can't see what is happening with your computer but here is what should happen when you offload the HVX to a PC. You connect your camera using the USB cable only. Mac users use the firewire cable and the USB. Once you have your cables connected make sure your media toggle switch is set to p2 then you press the mode button on the back of the camera, this switches from camera mode to MCR/VCR mode. Next push and hold the mode button again and it shifts into PC mode. Windows 7 should detect the card(s) as a drive(s) and list a contents folder and a lastclip.txt file. highlight both of these items and drag them into your destination file on your hard drive. repeat this for each card making sure to place each individual contents folder and .txt file into its own folder. One it has copied over you go into vegas and import from your newly created folders. In Premiere I go to Import fotage which brngs up the explorer window. I find the proper folder, go into the contents folder, then into the video folder. All of the clips for that card are listed. Highlight what you need and hit open. Once back in Premiere I have all of the clips in my footage bin. The audio comes in attatched automatically.

The MXF files are usuless without using Vegas to look at them. I think there is a some P2 software that you can use to preview it but I have never used it and can't think of the name. I hope this helps.

Cole
 
Be advised that Vegas by itself cannot use the P2 MXF files. You will also need the third-party plug-in, Raylight, available from dvfilm.com. Without Raylight you can't use the MXF files (it's a corporate top-level Panasonic vs. Sony thing), but with Raylight using the MXF files is very, very easy (just drag the files from the Video folder to import them into your project).
 
ok thanks guys. umm i think im going to get adobe premier pro because i know it can handle the mxf files nativly. but is there any other ways?

@cole yours helped the most but i kind of got lost with teh copy and paste stuff. just highlight everything on the entire card to copy?
 
Joey9 said:
@cole yours helped the most but i kind of got lost with teh copy and paste stuff. just highlight everything on the entire card to copy?
Click to expand...
That is correct. When the card is recognized a window opens showing 2 things; a contents folder and a lastclip.txt file. Highlight both of them and drag them into an empty folder on your hard drive. The .txt file organizes the contents folder in some way so make sure it copies along with the folder.

I want to say it takes like a minute per GB through the USB but it is far quicker if you have an express cardbus adapter (3.5-4 times faster). Let them finish copying and then you can access them through your NLE. Although it sounds like there are some extra steps involved with Sony Vegas. I love using this workflow with Premiere (currently CS4). The MXF files are ready to roll as soon as they are on your drive. You can even access them right from the card without transferring if you need a quick turnaround. Good luck and don't worry, in time the workflow gets very easy.

Cole
 
Cole said:
That is correct. When the card is recognized a window opens showing 2 things; a contents folder and a lastclip.txt file. Highlight both of them and drag them into an empty folder on your hard drive. The .txt file organizes the contents folder in some way so make sure it copies along with the folder.

I want to say it takes like a minute per GB through the USB but it is far quicker if you have an express cardbus adapter (3.5-4 times faster). Let them finish copying and then you can access them through your NLE. Although it sounds like there are some extra steps involved with Sony Vegas. I love using this workflow with Premiere (currently CS4). The MXF files are ready to roll as soon as they are on your drive. You can even access them right from the card without transferring if you need a quick turnaround. Good luck and don't worry, in time the workflow gets very easy.

Cole
Click to expand...

ok well every time i try importing into premiere or copying into a folder, it will like stop and disconnnect from the computer. with premier when i play it, it disconnects. its really starting to make me mad and almost is making me want to go back to sd and tapes which i really dont wan to have to do. so shoul di just get a p2 card reader for my computer? and i am also having problems finding the hosts file in premiere so i can crack it so if you can help with that, then that would be amazing. thanks for all the help
 
What version of Premiere are you using? Do these same clips show up and play properly in the camera when you hit the MCR button? At which part of the process is it disconnecting?

Tell me if this sounds like your workflow. You have your card in the camera, you hit the button to switch to MCR/VCR mode, then you press and hold it for over 3 seconds and the lcd goes blue and says USB Connect (or something like that). An alert should sound on your PC and a window pops open displaying the P2 card as a drive containing two items: A contents folder and a lastclip.txt file. You should have a separate window open in explorer with a destination folder already created such as D Drive- Projects- Awesome Footage- Card 1. You highlight both items from the P2 folder and drag them into the new folder. The files copy over to the new folder. Next you open your project in Premiere. Go to the project bin and double click in the open space (Or FILE- IMPORT) which brings up the import window. Using this window go to your new folder, click CONTENTS- VIDEO and it will list all of the files on your P2 card. Highlight 1, some or all of them and click OPEN. It takes a little time depending on the size and quantity of the files being imported but eventually they are listed in you bin in Premiere.

Back in Premiere double click one of the files that has been imported into your bin, does the Source Monitor window open with your clip? Or drag a file from your bin to the timeline, do a series of bars show up once you drop it? You should get a video clip plus 4 audio tracks unless you shot with certain frame rates causing audio to be disabled.

I doubt a P2 card reader will do anything different. There is something off in your workflow and it doesn't sound hardware related. You did download the P2 drivers from the Panasonic website, right? Follow my workflow listed above and tell me at what point your running into trouble. Is it during the copy from P2 card to your hard drive, or is it importing into Premiere from your hard drive? Telling us the version may also shed some light on this. I'm sorry you are having trouble but once you get this figured out the workflow is a breeze.
 
Cole said:
What version of Premiere are you using? Do these same clips show up and play properly in the camera when you hit the MCR button? At which part of the process is it disconnecting?

Tell me if this sounds like your workflow. You have your card in the camera, you hit the button to switch to MCR/VCR mode, then you press and hold it for over 3 seconds and the lcd goes blue and says USB Connect (or something like that). An alert should sound on your PC and a window pops open displaying the P2 card as a drive containing two items: A contents folder and a lastclip.txt file. You should have a separate window open in explorer with a destination folder already created such as D Drive- Projects- Awesome Footage- Card 1. You highlight both items from the P2 folder and drag them into the new folder. The files copy over to the new folder. Next you open your project in Premiere. Go to the project bin and double click in the open space (Or FILE- IMPORT) which brings up the import window. Using this window go to your new folder, click CONTENTS- VIDEO and it will list all of the files on your P2 card. Highlight 1, some or all of them and click OPEN. It takes a little time depending on the size and quantity of the files being imported but eventually they are listed in you bin in Premiere.

Back in Premiere double click one of the files that has been imported into your bin, does the Source Monitor window open with your clip? Or drag a file from your bin to the timeline, do a series of bars show up once you drop it? You should get a video clip plus 4 audio tracks unless you shot with certain frame rates causing audio to be disabled.

I doubt a P2 card reader will do anything different. There is something off in your workflow and it doesn't sound hardware related. You did download the P2 drivers from the Panasonic website, right? Follow my workflow listed above and tell me at what point your running into trouble. Is it during the copy from P2 card to your hard drive, or is it importing into Premiere from your hard drive? Telling us the version may also shed some light on this. I'm sorry you are having trouble but once you get this figured out the workflow is a breeze.
Click to expand...

thanks alot but it was a bad usb cable i was using.
 
My next suggestion was "Have you tried turning it off and on again?"

Glad you figured it out. At least now there is yet another comprehensive guide to P2 workflow.
 
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