Hi @ all!

Because there are some problems with the PDW-U2 driver V.3.0.0 I suggested to post some of our workarounds here.

For HD we use a filebased only workflow on Z800 workstations (win7 / MC 5.0.4) with PDW-U1 and PDW-U2.

Basic informations:

The U1 can only work with PD23GB and PD 50GB and there´s no need to upgrade the driver. If you use only a PDW-U1 drive DON'T install the VFAM Ver.3.0.0!

The U2 is for all PDs (23GB, 50GB, the coming 100GB and 128GB) an need the driver Ver.3.0.0 (this version got the finalization-option for the 128GB PD).

Problems and workarounds we managed to figure out after installing VFAM Ver.3.0.0:

1. After installing the U2-utility runs active on your system and causes some problems working with MC. So first you should deaktivate the utility by left-click on the U2-icon in the taskbar (normaly lower right corner) and deselect "Resident at logged on" (also available in the utility). This will prevent the autostart for the utility. Just run the utility when you want to export and you are finished with working in the project.

Possible problems (Out of Memory - Error) working with MC und running utility may be:

- Problems with importing graphics, colour bars and some other kinds of media

- Problems generating titles in MC

- Problems exporting graphics (JPG/BMP, etc.

2. With VFAM Ver.3.0.0 use a PDW-U2 for export to device. Exports using PDW-U1 may stop without error message. We didn´t find a specific reason for this. Consolidating to the project after linking via AMA causes no problem with both drives until now.

3. On some systems you need to restart MC after changing discs to use the AMA link function or export to device.

4. Somtimes the system is not able to detect the PDW as XDCAM drive. Restart the system an connect the drive AFTER the system has started again. If this doesn`t work try out another USB-Port.

5. A capital error is the following:

PDs exported with PDW-U2 have a huge amount of locators at the clipstart (every frame will be located with "Rec Start"). This causes a audio problem (buffer overflow) on some decks in "play"-mode (HR1/F1600 tested) depending on the firmware of the deck. For filebased workflows this is no problem. The audio is on the disc! You can check this in Jog/Shuttle on the decks or via AMA. BUT! It causes problems when the disc is needed for a HDSDI workflow! You will just have a sound at the end of the locators!

Workaround:

You need to modify the XML of the master clip located in the clip-folder on the disc and remove the locators.

Make a copy (and a backupcopy) of this file to your desktop. Open it with Notepad++ and edit it like this:

<KlvPacketTable> ist the start for the locator block. The next line must be edited:

.......status="spot"/>     change to   ........status="start"/>

Delete all following lines including   ........status="over"/>

</KlvPacketTable> is the end of the locator block.

Safe the modified copy and replace it on the disc (you may need administrator permission for this).

Now you should have audio in "play"-mode from the very first beginning...

We don`t know any other problems with the VFAM Ver.3.0.0 but these seem to be enough ;)

I hope this sheet will help you to find your personal workaround!

Greetinxx

Chris

Thanks for the information.

jup, great info

I found out about the Memory Error after upgrading to V3.0 of the VFAM driver (also there in MC6):
http://community.avid.com/forums/p/100609/582545.aspx#582545

That is why Sony added the line to their site:

At the current time, Avid Media Composer (Windows) displays an "out of memory" error when certain assets (i.e. .JPG files) are dragged into a project bin if the XDCAM Drive Utility is running. Exiting from the XDCAM Drive Utility will prevent this from happening.

http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/micro-xdcam/resource.downloads.bbsccms-assets-micro-xdcam-downloads-XDCAMSoftwareDownload.shtml#apps

But this is more detailed info on the use of the V3.0 driver!!

thanks

I see version 3.1 of the VFAM driver has been released for windows:

http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/micro-xdcam/resource.downloads.bbsccms-assets-micro-xdcam-downloads-XDCAMSoftwareDownload.shtml#apps

I don't think it resolves the problem of not importing graphics in Avid though, the line is still there, and no mention of it in the release notes...

This is generally what changes
XDCAM Drive Software (VFAM) Version 3.1 for Windows has been released to fix a bug in the version 3.0 driver when discs are formatted in PDW-U2 and PDW-U1 drives using VFAM 3.0. A version 3.1 update for Mac is also coming soon.

and this line is still there:

At the current time, Avid Media Composer (Windows) displays an "out of memory" error when certain assets (i.e. .JPG files) are dragged into a project bin if the XDCAM Drive Utility is running. Exiting from the XDCAM Drive Utility will prevent this from happening.

We'll make a test with the new VFAM 3.1 until christmas and give a reply here...

Hi Chris,

I'm especially interested in your #5 above. I've been exporting on a Mac using a PDW-U2 and the network is telling me that the audio won't play until about 1 minute into the program, which seems consitant with what you're saying about it working once the Essence Marks are gone. I find that I am unable to edit the XML on the disc - I'm getting Error -36 (data access) errors which makes sense because I normally cannot write to any part of the disc except the USER DATA part.

The essence marks are visible in the Sony XDCAM Browser software, but I cannot delete them there, either.

A disc that we verified as playable on a local deck (PDW-1500) would not play back at the TV network.

I appreciate your note.

--Don 

Hi Don,

it sounds like a similar effekt we had doing this workaround on a win7 system. If you want to make the modifikations on win7 you have to run the VFAM in a XP-compatible state and restart your system to see all folders on the disc and having write access for modifikation.

In your case it'll be necessary to do somethinge like that on your mac. Unfortunately I'm not used with mac, sorry. But you can install the VFAM on every windows system and work like described. You don't need USB3 or win7...

A very good programm for editing the XML is Notepad++.

Greets

Chris

Thanks Chris - good to hear that there are others with this audio issue. I think our short-term solution is going to be to simply add an extra 90 seconds of bars and tone at the head of each disc. This will force the extra essence marks to run out before the program begins.

VFAM driver v 3.1.1 has been released!

http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/micro-xdcam/resource.downloads.bbsccms-assets-micro-xdcam-downloads-XDCAMSoftwareDownload.shtml#apps

-- already tested, no more memory problems when importing image files

ok, in the release notes it states:

XDCAM discs recorded using XDCAM Drive Software v 3.0.0 cannot be mounted using older versions of the XDCAM Drive Software

So, that got me thinking, if I export from MC to an XDCAM disc, with V3 of the VFAM driver, anyone who doesn't have that driver can't read that disc... so I did the test:

-I installed V3 of VFAM
-in MC I exported a clip to XDCAM device
-I uninstalled V3 and installed V2.3.2 of VFAM
-I loaded the disc with the clip I just created and guess what...
-When trying to open in Windows Explore it says: The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable.
-neither MC can open or AMA link to the disc.

Soo... I am going back to V2.3.2, for reading and writing discs on my PDW-U1.

If I ever get a disc in my edit that was made in a PDW-U2 or with V3 VFAM, I can install V3.1.1 for a while...

Thanks to Sony for not being backward compatible... Just to warn you all.

hth

wim

CMPDon:

The essence marks are visible in the Sony XDCAM Browser software, but I cannot delete them there

One of my clients just got a PDW-U2 to supplement the PDW-U1 they already had.  Of course, we had to update the firmware on both because discs made on the U2 won't work on the U1 without the new firmware.

We saw the Essence Marks issue and have been able to delete them successfully using XDCam Browser software.  You just have to make sure the disc tab is not set to write-protect.  That may be why you're unable to clear the marks?  

It also appears to be a limit to the number of marks it will add because I was trying to actually add my own new marks to a disc today and it wouldn't let me until I deleted some of the ones it had auto-added.

We likely would've gone on happily without noticing this problem as all of the discs we write to with the PDW devices have Black/Slate at the head of the clips, so there is no audio on those.  It was when I was making a playback master for an event last week when I noticed it because I only allowed a 5 sec pre-roll of black on that disc.  

It's a PITA, but for now easily worked around by deleting via the XDCam Browser.