Faux tape archive--EX3
 

I've got a client who has a contract for a one hour show on one of the cables. We'd like to shoot it on the EX-3 (and this is an acceptable camera for the network). But: this contract requires raw material deliverables, preferably on tape. XDCam disc will probably work. Hard drives will not.

Seems to me there ought to be a way for the editor to burn a copy of the video files onto XDCam from the SxS cards. He does have a U-1 XDCam read/write box in his system.

Thoughts on how to make that work?

Re: Faux tape archive--EX3
 

Possibly record in HDV mode and connect an HDV camera to record direct to tape?

Re: Faux tape archive--EX3
 

You can backup to XDCAM disc making sure to use the file system (I don't remember the exact wording) since it doesn't see the EX clips as XDCAM clips). You may need to update the drivers on the XDCAM recorder to accept the larger file folder. Older version limited to something like only 500MB of the disc.

Re: Faux tape archive--EX3
 

If you have up to date firmware for the PDW-U1 optical drive you can write any kind of data to the disc, including XDCAM EX files. There is even a BBC TV series currently being shot using Panasonic P2, but being delivered as data files on Sony XDCAM optical discs.

However, before going down this route you would need to clarify with the broadcaster whether data files are acceptable or do they need a disc/tape that they can simply put into a playback device and press play. data files saved on an XD optical disc will not play back in an XDCAM deck, you would need a computer to read the files.

It is possible to convert XDCAM EX files to XDCAM HD so that you can write the footage as playable video to the discs, but this is time consuming.

To write data to an optical disc just drag the files into the user data folder on the disc.

Re: Faux tape archive--EX3
 

Could this be as simple as dragging the SxS BPAV folder and dropping it into the user data folder?

If it requires much time at all for the editor to do this kind of backup, then it's a non-starter, budget wise, I'm told.