Greetings all,
I shot several hours of video footage of an event featuring several different presenters (with my EX-1). I am Mac based, FCP all current version(6.0.4). I want to distribute the footage to the individual presenters.
I have all the files transcoded into .mov files--used FCP to clean them up and edit out various unwanted parts. Then did a "save as self contained quicktime file"--no conversion.
The client has quicktime and is unable to read them. He says quicktime tells him he needs some plug-in to view the files. I believe they are PC based.
So my questions:
1. What do they need in order to play my XDCAM Files--do they need a more current version of quicktime, or will these files not work on any PC
2. Is there any video editor on the PC side that can handle these files?
3. Is FCP the only Mac editor that can deal with them?
4. What do you all deliver raw footage in such as case--wmv 9 using the flip4mac converter?

Thanks in advance, I don't want to tell them to keep trying stuff with out checking first here.
-CC

1. What do they need in order to play my XDCAM Files--do they need a more current version of quicktime, or will these files not work on any PC
I have this problem. There seems to be no EX-QT codec for windows.

You may export as something the customer can use, uncompressed or whatever (I use MPEG-2 program stream, .mpeg in highest quality, 40 Mbps). H.264 should work but the my customer prefers MPEG-2 which is easier for his NLE (Premiere).

Perhaps you can send the customer the BPAV-folders so he can import it to his NLE. Use XDCAM Clip Browser to send only the necessary clips.

Use Compressor to export 5 seconds in many codecs and let the customer find out which one is working.

Cineform Neo works really great as an interplatform codec. so does Sheer at www.bitjazz.com. The Apple implementation of H.264 has gamma issues, I wouldn't use it.

sorry double post - internet playing up!

Are you not able to output .xmf files ie: standard XdCAM HD which can be read by most NLE's, or output to a new BPAV? I'm not sure if FCP does this easily or not. I was under the impression that XDCAM HD was either 25mbs or 35mbs and now 50mbs .mxf not XDCam.mov - or with the EX1/3, mp4 wrapped in the BPAV folder structure.

Paul

1. What do they need in order to play my XDCAM Files--do they need a more current version of quicktime, or will these files not work on any PC
2. Is there any video editor on the PC side that can handle these files?


I had this issue with Mac-based AVID Media Composer (aka AMC) on my client's side. AMC 3.0 handled the XMF files exported from the Sony ClipBrowser 2 with no problems as did Sony Vegas 8 (WinXP). This was the easiest for me as ClipBrowser provides a batch conversion with no quality loss in conversion from MP4 to XMF. AMC 2.7.7 or earlier was unable to read them, according to the editor. For easy viewing of the clips, try VLC Media Player (0.92 or later). It plays the audio and video, but stereo files seem to be mono on my WinXP machine.

Chip,

When this happened to me, I was on the PC end. It turns out that the problem was that I didn't have QT Pro - only the free version. A mac-based friend (yes, he's a mac, I'm a PC.) took the files and re-rendered them (still as an mov) and they were fine to me. Perhaps it's a quicktime pro thing?

I thought I posted this elsewhere on this forum
Calibrated{Q} XD Decode (http://www.calibratedsoftware.com/XDDecodeQ.html)

XDCAM EX MOV codec to play on any Mac withtout FCP or Windows box.

Hi Chip, I struggled with this same "missing plugin" issue recently when trying to play a QT HDV and XDCam EX film on another mac and discovered the solution (in my case, anyway). I hope it works for you.

On the Mac that plays the QT, go to MacHD/Library/Quicktime/AppleHDVcodec.component

Copy the AppleHDV codec to the other macs in the same directory and you'll be able to play the XDCam (and HDV) files on those machines.

We did try purchasing QT Pro from Apple with no success on one of the Mac's that didn't initially play the file.

My guess is that this codec is installed by FCS and not QT Pro.

On the Mac that plays the QT, go to MacHD/Library/Quicktime/AppleHDVcodec.component

Copy the AppleHDV codec to the other macs in the same directory and you'll be able to play the XDCam (and HDV) files on those machines.

We did try purchasing QT Pro from Apple with no success on one of the Mac's that didn't initially play the file.

My guess is that this codec is installed by FCS and not QT Pro.

Or, listen to John - sounds like he knows better than me!