Major Issues with Adobe On Location

Q

Qbrick

Member
I hope Barry Green or another one of the big guns is available to read this post...I'm literally at my wit's end attempting to import clips that I acquired with the HVX-200 tethered to a Dell Studio laptop running On Location.

Since I don't know if this camera-related or software, I'm just going to ask it here....

I shot test clips in DVCPro HD, 1080i, and they play back nicely in the OL monitor. However, when I "eject" the clips and import them into a PPro CS3 project (set for DVCPro HD 108i), only the AUDIO will import. I attempted to render the image files using HDLink and it does not recognize the file--for that fact, neither do I.

The clips are labled as "avi.xml.smvp" files.

Adobe has to support these files because OL comes bundled with CS3. Obviously, it's my lack of knowledge---I'm missing some important element in the On Location to CS3 workflow. But I cannot find the answer in any support material. My workstation can't be the problem---it's a monster compared to the Dell I used for On Location.
 
David,
Installing OL on both machines had occurred to me but I thought surely Adobe would support both apps without making a double installation necessary--- I mean it is called "On Location".

Sorry, a bit of sarcasm from someone who is not looking forward to the distinct possibility of dealing with Adobe support again...
 
You shouldn't have to deal with Adobe support -- just install OnLocation on the other machine and see what happens.

Adobe didn't develop OnLocation; it was a new addition to the CS3 bundle of what was formerly a stand-alone product produced by a different company (which Adobe bought). When it was stand-alone, it still required being installed on any machine you wanted to use the footage with. In CS3, it's still for all intents and purposes the same program with its stand-alone nature. That's why it's on a different disc and doesn't install with the main suite -- it's not integrated like the other, long-standing Adobe apps are.
 
David, thanks very much for your startlingly simple solution. It worked. But I did have to call Adobe because the registration process failed (but that's a 'nother comedy of errors). After I got that sorted out--the clips played as hoped in a project window.

At the risk of revealing just how unequipped I am to deal with the digital realm, I mistakenly thought that Adobe (after buying DV Rack) would have taken the trouble to totally integrate On Location with Premiere Pro--considering the fact that they bundled it with CS3. I also mistakenly thought that I was among those who would use OL...well, on location and not on my main editing workstation. So, I was shocked to discover that I also had to install OL on the aforementioned workstation for any of the field-acquired OL clips. Silly me, I thought OL would injest the video (MXF files from an HVX 200) and that I could simply import those same files into my NLE without having to also install OL on that machine.

I know. The geeks are laughing at me.

This is what happens when one is schooled in the analog realm ( I learned to edit audio with a razor blade for pete's sake) and had to transition to the NLE world. Anyway, I have yet to find this piece of vital information (must have OL on both lap and workstation) in the manual or other "help" materials. As a total Adobe user I had to say that the relationship reminds me of memorable past love affairs: when it works, I wish it would last forever but when it fails, it's pure hell.

There, I got it off my chest. I feel much better now.
 
Qbrick said:
At the risk of revealing just how unequipped I am to deal with the digital realm, I mistakenly thought that Adobe (after buying DV Rack) would have taken the trouble to totally integrate On Location with Premiere Pro--considering the fact that they bundled it with CS3.
Click to expand...
They still have bugs from version 6.5 that they haven't fixed yet. They only got DV Rack last year, which means it will be at least 8 years before they worry about fixing it. Releasing new verisons is a different story all together.
 
I'm having a problem in a reverse sense. I recorded from the HVX to .movs, but my audio doesn't play in Premiere or After Effects, just in QT. I WOULD install Onlocation on my editing machine, but its a Mac, and I'm still on CS3... Is there something else I can do or will I have to export the audio from QT and sync it in Premiere?
 
Qbrick said:
At the risk of revealing just how unequipped I am to deal with the digital realm, I mistakenly thought that Adobe (after buying DV Rack) would have taken the trouble to totally integrate On Location with Premiere Pro--considering the fact that they bundled it with CS3.
Click to expand...

But things take time -- integrating two totally separately-developed app families takes some doing. It was done for CS4.

(And, of course, a lot of DV Rack/OnLocation fans didn't like what they had to do in order to accomplish it, so someone was going to be ticked off no matter what they did.)
 
As David notes, the time between Adobe's acquisition of Serious Magic was far to short to undertake integration for CS3. We made a lot of progress toward that goal for CS4, and work in this vein proceeds in the CS5 cycle that we're now in the midst of.

BMXDarcy: for DVCPRO HD clips recorded in OnLocation CS3 to the QT format, Premiere and After Effects should be able to read both the audio and video if you have QuickTime Pro installed. If you send me a small sample clip, I'll try to look into the problem (although I can't promise a super-quick turnaround given that we have our hands full with CS5).

Capt. Quirk: Criticism of product design and reports of problems are appreciated. Such feedback helps us improve the software. Pointing out specific issues with a company's business practices, customer service, etc., can also be constructive. Taking general shots at the company and its employees, however, serves no redeeming purpose. While your barb was slight, it bears remembering that such jabs can add up, potentially souring guys like me from coming around to answer your questions, help solve problems you're having with our products, and collect your valuable feedback.
 
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