SD Card Video Not being Read

I am working on a Mac Pro Dual Intel Core with 4G of memory. OS X 10.5.8 FCP 6.0.6

I work primarily with Sony EX-Cam but recently we have added Sony's Handycam HDR CX550V which we record to SD cards. Typical work flow is using card readers to get the footage ingested and once it's logged the project is backed up.

I have one card that I can not get any video from. It looks to have all the same folders and files that are created when video is recorded but when I open up FCP and launch my log and transfer window nothing comes up. Additionally, when I put the card in camera, it recognizes it's locked, however when I try and play it back it gives me the icon that there is no card.

Any ideas are helpful as I have not found much troubleshooting help for this.

Thanks,
Jackie

Update:

Okay so I have figured out that I have the MTS files which are the video files created by the camera and I am able to convert them. Now I need to find a good converter. I usually end up with Apple Pro Res 422 files from the log & transfer window in FCP and the converter I have tested makes these files H.264. Any suggestions on preserving quality?

H.264 is absolutely the wrong way to go. It's very compressed, and is not an editing codec. Never, ever use H.264 except at the very end of post-production -- when you're actually delivering files for the web, e-mail and so on. Or as temporary screeners.


www.derekmok.com

I agree, which is why I am looking for some way to convert these mts files for use in FCP for editing.

ProRes would be just fine. It's pretty much the one-size-fits-all editing codec these days.

Make sure you copy all the contents of every card you shoot, including the folders that appear to be blank or of indeterminate purpose. You need to preserve the entire directory structure for Log and Transfer to find the files properly.


www.derekmok.com

Yeah I know but that was the core issue. As far as I know nothing had been touched with the folders as the cards get locked after shooting and come to me for ingest. One of the cards would not transfer the video, nothing was coming up in FCP. The files were there but I was having issues converting the .mts files to the default in FCP (Apple ProRes 422). The solution: Toast (Version 9 or higher) I upgraded to 10 and was able to select the codec I wanted and customize my video & audio settings. Now the converted mts files match the rest of the footage from the shoot.

> the cards get locked after shooting and come to me for ingest. One of the cards would not
> transfer the video, nothing was coming up in FCP.

Wait a minute...you're running Log and Transfer directly from the cards?

Bad, bad, bad. Always, always copy the card contents to a drive first, then back that up twice to two different backup drive locations. Then run Log and Transfer on the drive folder that represents the card.


www.derekmok.com