Hello,

I'm relatively new to working with Media Composer and very new to this forum.  I'm hoping you can help me clarify some questions I have about Media Composer working with generic compliant MXF file.

I've been asked to write a small app than generates a generic MXF file that will need to be brought into Media Composer.  In the process of working on this project I've been given two sets of sample files.  Some were, I've been told, generated by Avid (no information on which application just that they were "received from Avid") and some that are generic and compliant to the MXF standard.  I've tried to bring into Avid Media Composer v 2.7.2 and am receiving errors when trying to bring both sets of files into Media Composer.

To bring the files in I have copied them into the Avid MediaFiles/MXF/1 folder and, via the Media Tool and in both cases I receive an error.

For the Avid generated file the error I receive is:

"Exception: 'AComposition::ConvertFromAAF - unable to convert media descriptor for media file essence data.' An error occurred scanning the file <mxfFilePathname>"

For the generic compliant mxf files I receive this error:

"Unable to scan the file <mxfFilePathname>. The file may not be a valid/supported MXF file."

My questions are:  Is this the proper process to bring these file into Media Composer?  Is my understand incorrect, does Avid ONLY read some kind proprietary or augmented MXF format? If this is the case is there some documentry source that explains what Avid needs in an MXF file generated outside of Avid.

Thank you

J

Hi "J". Welcome to the forums.

You've stumbled upon the great conundrum that all developers have faced with Avid. Their OMF and MXF wrappers are VERY proprietary and they do not license the code easily.

It's one of the things that we're hoping changes with the new execs.

As for the file that you have that SUPPOSED comes from the Avid, it sounds as if that's an AAF file. Could that be? It would help to know how the file was generated.

Thanks for the welcome, Blkdog.  I am still trying to get more information on the supposed Avid files.  If I get any more info I'll post it here. 

J

Dog, thank you for saying that. I've been working with some 3-rd party asset managers for FCP and I have to say that if Avid would open their media format a bit, they could get some amazing workflows out of it. I have clients who are teetering on the edge of a switch and I think asset management will be the final straw.

I'd like to see what folks think about this. Used to be, we had big guys who had big sans and lots of money and they bought big systems to do it all with. Now we have small shops with 4 edit systems and 10-20TB of storage and no way to deal with it all. They bought their rigs all in for under $75k. There's no way they're going to double that money for management and archive. So this market is growing for the lower end asset managers and workflow help with no way to serve it on the Avid platform.

I don't think the "buss error main thread" will take down Avid. ;)  I don't think it'll even be FCP directly.

In the end, my Avid clients will collapse under the sheer weight of the media that is being created by their MC Softs and Mojos and Adrenalines with no way to effectively manage it.  It won't be the editorial process that makes the difference, it will be what happens before and after the edit. We all know that that's where the hard work is anyway.

FCP's media management inside the app is horrible but... it's all quicktime so other apps can step in and take up the slack. Avid's database system is vastly superior but because it's closed, when you hit it's limitations, there's no where to go and no inexpensive tools to help you out.

I think the company is missing the fact that it's users are growing bigger for less money and we have to give them "big boy" workflows for under six  figures. Heck, for under $10,000!  The fastest way to that is to let 3rd party folks do it for you and you keep your user base and system sales.

"Mr. Purple Triangle, tear down this wall... (around your media format)"

- © hidefcowboy 2008 (with apologies to Pres. Reagan)

;)

Oh yeah, about the thread? Sorry, got distracted.  To be brief: MXF is totally a scam, every company makes their own flavor. Try sending from a Panasonic P2 camera to Avid to Final Cut to a video server of any flavor and see how that metadata holds up when you go to archive. People have made fortunes coming up with translators. (Telestream...anyone?)

Can't we all just get along? - © Rodney King 1992

I promise I'm not an angry guy, although as I read back, it might sound that way. I just get wound up about this stuff. I guess I like post a little too much. peace...

hallj,

Take a look at ingex developed by BBC r&d : http://ingex.sourceforge.net/
This generates Avid compatible MXF files and you should find the information you are looking for.

janusz

hallj:

For the Avid generated file the error I receive is:

"Exception: 'AComposition::ConvertFromAAF - unable to convert media descriptor for media file essence data.' An error occurred scanning the file <mxfFilePathname>"

 

This nearly caused some major damage for me, but luckily tragedy was averted.

Going File->Import and than selecting MXF Documents in the dropdown menu did the trick for me.

Seeing as this is the only thread re this error I could find, I had to post something.

Hope this helps

I also get this message when I export from the SONY clipbrowser (MXF for NLE's) and I'm able to import the clip into AVID MC but what is happening and how can we avoid this message?

Or is it better to export from the clipbrowser as AVID AAF? I'm still very unsecure about what the best way could be?!

 

BLKDOG:

You've stumbled upon the great conundrum that all developers have faced with Avid. Their OMF and MXF wrappers are VERY proprietary and they do not license the code easily.

I have to respectfully disagree, all the information you could need is available to developers. Its a matter of signing up for the program: : http://www.avid.com/thirdparty/developers/

Hans Treffers:

I also get this message when I export from the SONY clipbrowser (MXF for NLE's) and I'm able to import the clip into AVID MC but what is happening and how can we avoid this message?

Or is it better to export from the clipbrowser as AVID AAF? I'm still very unsecure about what the best way could be?!

This might not be the correct thread for this question but we're going to need a lot more information on the problem.

What version of the clip browser are you using?

What frame rate and codec are you using?

What project type are you importing the clips into?

What OS are you using?

Sorry, The SONY browser is version 2.0. The framerate is 25. I'm not sure about the Codec; do you mean XDCAM EX 35Mbits? I'm importing the clips into a project 1080/50 PAL and My OS is Windows XP prof

So is the clip importing and you're receiving this error or not importing with this error being the result?

Is this a 1080p/25 clip that you're importing into a 1080i/50 project? Do you have Avid Hardware?

How long is the clip?

Do you receive the error using the AAF/OPatom method?

When you have a chance, could you fill out the system specs in your profile? It really helps so I don't have to post a reply with just a bunch of questions.

I’m very new to this CXDAM-EX story. We just bought the camera and upgraded to MC and sorry if I’m not very clear. I’ll try again.

 

We shot on 1080i50 (PAL) and we want to import the clips into a 1080i50 project.

 

When I export one or more clips (short clips as well as long clips) from the SONY clipbrowser v 2.0 (Using the option  MXF for NLE’s) AVID provides the message: "Exception: 'AComposition::ConvertFromAAF - unable to convert media descriptor for media file essence data.' An error occurred scanning the file <mxfFilePathname>"

 

After I hit “Ignore all”, AVID scans the disk where the MXF file(s) are located and without any further problems I can import the clip(s) into MC.

 

With this project we export the clips from the SONY browser using the MXF for NLE’s option, as you describe in your tutorial “How To Edit with Media from a Sony XDCAM EX Camera”

 

* In a previous project we exported the clips using the other option: AAF AVID. This also worked well, but we could not relink the edited material in the end in case the source media was erased. So now we try your other suggestion. In some tests we did, using MXF for NLE's we could relink the audio of the erased media. Now we hope to find a way to relink the image as well. (If you have any suggestions?! )

 

Hans Treffers:

In some tests we did, using MXF for NLE's we could relink the audio of the erased media. Now we hope to find a way to relink the image as well. (If you have any suggestions?! )

 

ve found that "relink all non-master clips to selected online items" works if you temporarily move your sequence (with the offline media) into the bin that the online HD media is in. (Select all the clips, then shift + select the sequence)

 

Trying to relink via any method from different bins has generally been unsuccessful.

kmac