Best way to import the footage from the x70

[John Blanker]

I'm using the Play Memories Home software to import the footage (AVC) via usb cable directly from the camera (not from sd card). This software stitches the clips together. However I'm having problems. I shot a 2 hour performance and ended up with a 26GB clip. None of my NLE's will read this file. I hope I am not in trouble here. My main NLE is Pinnacle Studio 18/19. It hangs on importing it. Adobe Premier Pro will add it to the timeline but it only shows 25 minutes of it. Same with Sony Vegas. I suspect something happened when I imported it and will try again.

[Paul Hardy]

Not being a PC person, is there no way you can import directly to your NLE from the Camera/SD card - that will give you individual clips!

[Noa Put]

When I connect my ax100 it just shows up in the explorer and long continuous files show up as one file so they are automatically merged. Try to copy directly from your explorer.

[Ron Evans]

Download Sony Catalyst Browse Sony Creative Software - Catalyst Browse, its free and will copy files from card or camera to your choice of directory on the PC and show all the metedata too if available. I assume you are shooting in XAVC-S or -L not AVCHD.

Ron Evans

[John Blanker]

No, I should have mentioned that I'm shooting AVC. Opening the files in Windows explorer does not work since there are 15 files, all of 1.97GB in size. These don't work well in my NLE.

At this gig I also ran my NX7OU for same duration. Playmemories home had no problem stitching that together and importing one 26GB file.

Will try playmemories again, and if that doesn't work, then the catalyst

[Ron Evans]

Make sure its Catalyst Browse 2.0 as the first version does not join files together.

Ron Evans

[Christopher Young]

Originally Posted by John Blanker

I suspect something happened when I imported it and will try again.

John, which version of Vegas and what was your import method?

if you know all the following John sorry to waste your time but just in case...

If it's Vegas 13 are you using the View/Window/Device Explorer method of bringing in the files so they are stitched together correctly? If not try this method. In Device Explorer under 'Device Properties' you just need to select a new folder for the footage to go in to and import all the clips or just the ones you select.

If spanned time code clips are present this import method will stitch together any clips that have contiguous time code into one long clip. Once the import process is finished you can then, assuming everything went okay on the import, bring those clips into your Project Media bin and then they should by all rights go straight onto your timeline should you wish.

A bit OT but as I write this I am importing 64GB cards with only a few minutes left on each of them. When we are are covering boxing, like for ESPN tonight, the cameramen on the ring apron are using X70s. One hand on the rope and the X70 in the other. X70s with Sony VCL-HG0872 0.8 wide angle converters are great for this.

BTW in earlier versions of Vegas the Device Explorer is found under View/Device Explorer.

If this import process fails then I would suspect the card I'm afraid to say. Good Luck.

Chris Young
CYV Productions
Sydney

[John Blanker]

@Chris Young, thanks for the info. Would love the idea of attaching a wide-angle lens on the x70. That is easy to attach? It seems Amazon only sells them used. Wonder if there is a newer version of that.

@Ron Evans, THANK YOU!!! that did the trick. Wow, that Catalyst software is the real deal. I'll have to see if it works with my NX7OU too. Way more profesh than the PlayMemories Home software. It stitched the video together and copied over to my pc. And my NLE accepts it.

[Craig Seeman]

Sony now has Catalyst Edit as well. I'm not quite sure if it's a "replacement" for Vegas or possibly they're gearing it as a "professional" NLE. Obviously it's going to work will with Sony cameras though.

Catalyst Edit

I note this on file format support towards the bottom of that page.


File format support
Sony RAW 4K, Sony RAW 2K, XAVC Long, XAVC Intra, XAVC S, XDCAM 422, XDCAM SR (SStP), DNxHD, ProRes (OS X), AVC H.264/MPEG-4, AVC/AAC (MPEG-4), AVCHD, HDV, DV, XDCAM MPEG IMX, JPEG, PNG, WAV, and MP3.

[Paul Anderegg]

I was going to suggest a spanned clip issue like Chris mentioned.

I have had good results with the 16x9 EXII 0.8x and 0.75x wide angle converters. :)

Paul

[John Blanker]

A new version of Pinnacle 19 was released, advertising XAVC:
XAVC S support
XAVC decoding and DVCPRO HD decoding

But it seems it does not like the XAVC footage from the x70. Is this XAVC a special format or something? I noticed that Catalyst can transcode. Do you guys think it's worth transcoding the XAVC?

[Ron Evans]

The X70 uses XAVC-L in MXF wrapper. It is 10 bit 4:2:2 compared to the XAVC-S which is 8bit 4:2:0 in a mov wrapper which I expect Pinnacle will use OK. You could try transcoding to XAVC i frame which will give you bigger files but may work in Pinnacle it too will be in MXF wrapper though. Transcoding to XAVC-S will of course make the file an 8bit file instead of 10bit.

Ron Evans

[Ron Evans]

Just tried and it looks like Catalyst will not convert from MXF to XAVC-S mov so your choice is to XAVC iframe which will increase file size by about 5 times or to XDCAM. Not sure if Pinnacle will edit XDCAM either. EDIUS 7.5 on will edit X70 files native as I think will Premiere CC.

Ron Evans

[John Blanker]

Thanks Ron, the files seem big enough, wouldn't want them to grow 5x larger. Looks like i'm stuck with AVC for the time being.

[Tim Paynter]

Catalyst Edit appears a bargain compared to Adobe Premiere, wonder how it stacks up.