Source Browser - Removable Media

[Andy]

Hi all
Any pointers on using the "Removable Media" option within the Source Browser area? Are there any strict usage rules regarding accepted media formats and suchlike? I'm trying to figure out how to use this function effectively but I'm not having any luck in getting it to recognise any files on my removable media drives at all. Obviously I'm aware that I can import media from external drives in the conventional fashion (by just adding the files and folders from the mounted drive to my project Bin), but I'm interested in exploring the use of the Source Browser function provided.
Thanks in advance
Andy

[PaulTV]

Me neither, never got it to do anything useful at all. If i select say cd/dvd drive, it never shows any resident files on the disc, pretty pointless tab.

More usefull as a "sauce browser"

Paul :-)

[Andy]

Me neither, never got it to do anything useful at all. If i select say cd/dvd drive, it never shows any resident files on the disc, pretty pointless tab.

More usefull as a "sauce browser"

Paul :-)

Thanks Paul.

For what it's worth, I've found Source Browser to be pretty functional. For Canon XF and Sony XDCAM media it certainly seems to work very well (although I'm not especially keen on the resulting file references pointing back to non-media like CIF and XML files and the like, but thats a different thread). I haven't tried/needed to use the CD/DVD source, but I should think it should work for regular CD/DVD formats (like Audio CDs, Video DVDs etc) though not for bringing in clips stored on a data DVDs.

Regarding "Removable Media", having scoured the manual a bit more (was looking at the v6 manual yesterday but am looking at the v6.5 manual today) it looks like it's specifically for AVCHD, BD (BDMV only), SD-Video, Memory Stick Video, and DCF (still images saved in digital camera file format).

Cheers
Andy

[David Clarke]

I use removeable media all the time for importing AVCHD - with 6.5 this can either be footage you have copied to the hard drive already or from a camera plugged into the computer or SD card (In 6 it did not work on footage you have already copied to the computer). Then you just choose the clips you want and add them to the bin, or add and transfer and put a copy in your project folder. Since one of my cameras has 250GB hard drive it means I can easily choose the clips I want and just copy those rather than copy everything.

If copying to the hard drive using Windows make sure you copy the entire contents of the SD card as EDIUS uses the information in some of the other folders to sort out spanned clips. It also means it does not create seek files and uses other stuff in these folders- so less stuff going on in the background when you copy.

In 6.5 you can specify the folder into which EDIUS will copy the media (using add and transfer) so it does not have to go into the project folder.

Finally, in EDIUS 6.5 when it copies over AVCHD it makes a new AVCHD folder structure with the clips in as it does so (EDIUS 6 gave the files incomprehensible names). I have used this a lot, and not just for editing. With my 250GB hard drive I can select all the clips filmed on a certain day, and make a new AVCHD folder with just these clips - which then load up into every other program I use as if they were the only ones filmed on the camera. So I can take my 250Gb chunks and make under-25Gb sections which I can then back up to Blu-ray discs, which are still usuable in every editing program.

I go over some of this stuff in my EDIUS 6.5 tutorial disc.

I have also had success using the source browser to rip audio off CD, video off DVD and video off Blu-ray. I don't know why you don't see anything there Paul. Ripping video off DVD is as successful as it was using the old "disc capture" program which came with EDIUS 5.

[Andy]

Thanks for the informative post David, I've not needed to import AVCHD in quite a while ( not for about 5 years now, this was probably the last time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UqQaizM15Q ) but at least I know where to go (in the Source Browser) if and when it next comes in.

Cheers
Andy

[Rover]

I have followed instructions on how to do this but although I have imported all the AVCHD files (ie the whole structure) onto one of my drives, I cannot get Edius to import any mts2 files using this method. The Source Browser just says there are 0/0 files



Even if I set up the folders to check in advance (using System Settings - Importer/Exporter - Removable Media) it still doesn't work

Any suggestions as to what I am doing wrong ?

[GrassValley_PS]

Can you import them by simply double clicking in the Bin (or Open File)?

[Rover]

1. If I select a folder in the bin - yes - it brings all the m2ts files into the bin

2. Yes - I can import using "open file"

I have to date been using "Add Clip" or "Ctrl O" commaned to bring in the clips I want

Another example of "yes I can find another way of doing it", but I was wondering why the other way didn't work !!

[GrassValley_PS]

If you use Source Browser and look under Removable Media do you see the files? Does Add and Transfer to Bin work if you select them?

The way I discussed earlier is not really a work around. I generally try to explain to people that Source Browser is an all purpose tool that reads files that have a particular file structure (i.e. Contents folder, BPAV folder, etc.).

Files that are basically "by themselves" without a specific file structure, are best imported through the Bin.

#edit# I noticed that you had already copied the files to a drive. You would then have to right click on Removable Media and select Open Folder.

[Rover]

If I right click on Removable Media in the Source Browser, then chose Open Folder and then chose a folder that I know contains files in the AVCHD structure including the m2ts files, that folder path appears under Removable Media , and that is all.

I have seen this done in a Tutorial Video but it doesn't work on my set up

[GrassValley_PS]

What is your AVCHD file structure?

[Rover]

OK - a few seconds thinking why you asked that has managed to awaken a few of my remaining brain cells.

My camera is a Panansonic SD700 which is supplied with HD Writer, which I had been using solely to transfer files to the PC, prior to having Edius

However, it just copies the main files, losing the AVCHD File Structure in the process.

I had supposed that Edius just looked for certain file types rather than file types within a structure

Have just copied whole structure across from the SD card to the hard drive to and everything seems to work OK now.

Also, in doing that, as I plugged the SD card into the reader it was recognised automatically by the Source Browser - and the files showed up from there as well- so I can use this method in future, and not use HD Writer


Thanks for your patience.

[GrassValley_PS]

Great. That is where I was heading and thus my explanation earlier of looking for specific file structures.

[MPPais]

With Atomos Samurai I do the same and all is OK!