Hello Avid Lovers,
 
In the last week I have had the pleasure of getting to grips with P2 - AVC-I files on a shoot. After a weekend of struggle, I thought I would share with you a workflow that works both online & offline, off hard drives that have P2 contents.
 
The first proviso is that the P2 copies are intact. I suggest that you use the Panasonic P2CMS app (both mac or PC) to download the P2 cards, rather that just copying the contents. Via this app you can already change the file info which is useful if you get into trouble later. YOU MUST COPY ALL THE FOLDERS including the xml & bmp into seperate folders i.e. The first P2 card is 001, 2nd P2 card 002 etc (just like tapes).
WHEN DEALING WITH ANY DISK BASED MEDIA FORMAT, YOU NEED TO BE ORGANISED AS ANY ERROR CAN BE VERY COSTLY. (I recently trashed a folder that I thought was redundant but actually had rushes in it. I am still trying to get back all the info) DO NOT MANIPULATE THESE FILES IF YOU ARE TIRED, UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL OR NARCOTICS OR WHILST DRIVING YOUR AUTOMOBILE.

Now that you have loads of rushes in seperate folders on a hard drive (better still ,3 archives as you never know), you do the following:

 
1. Create an HD project.
 
2. Click File Menu/Import P2/ Clips to bin. (You must open the rushes folder at its root level; do not go to the video folder.) This will open your P2 card in the avid. You can edit this directly but ...
 
3. Once you have checked that all the files in the bin have video attached & defined your media management setting, select the contents of the bin and go to File Menu/Import P2/ Media. This action will consolidate the AVC-I files as AVC-I and not DNXHD into the avid. This is important as it is this process that will allow you to relink the offline material back to the HD, as the avid seems to create the info that is needed to do this, which is not the case it you just copy the MXF files directly into the 'avid mediafile'.
 
4. BE PREPARED FOR A LONG AND LABORIOUS PROCESS AS YOU HAVE TO DO IT FOR EACH CARD. (Depending on how much rushes you have.)
 
5. Once all the P2 consolidating is done and checked, you will notice that you have AVC-I media in your project and you can archive your P2 rushes in a nice dry cupboard.
 
To do an offline version:
 
6. Create a new SD project.
 
7. Open the HD project rushes bins in the SD project and DUPLICATE the masterclip files into a new bin. Close the HD project bins when finished.
 
8. Select all the masterclips and select the TRANSCODE function. IT IS VERY ADVISED THAT YOU TRANSCODE THE OFFLINE QUALTY MATERIAL TO A DIFFERENT DRIVE.
If you have alot of files, transcode in small batches, as the avid seems to get into trouble with large numbers of master clips. THIS IS ALSO A LONG PROCESS!!!
 
9. Once finished, hide the HD media from the avid, cut a sequence in SD, close the SD project. Hide the SD media from the avid and show the HD material, opening the HD project.
 
10. Open the SD sequence in the HD project. Normally, the sequence will show that the media is offline. With the RELINK function, the HD material becomes attached.
 
This has worked for me. It is rather laborious but it works and saves loads of time later in post-production.

PS.  I did this on a mac, so I presume a PC is the same.

Cool.

I'm having issues with the forum displaying you post however. The right hand side of yor thread seems to be cropped, meaning I can't see the last parts of some of the sentances. Could you re-post without formating please.

Thanks tho!!

Thanks for the encourage

 Hello Avid Lovers,
 
In the last week I have had the pleasure of getting to grips with P2 - AVC-I files on a shoot. After a weekend of struggle, I thought I would share with you a workflow that works both online & offline, off hard drives that have P2 contents.
 
The first proviso is that the P2 copies are intact. I suggest that you use the Panasonic P2CMS app (both mac or PC)
https://eww.pavc.panasonic.co.jp/pro-av/sales_o/p2/cms/index.html
to download the P2 cards, rather that just copying the contents. Via this app you can already change the file info which is useful if you get into trouble later. YOU MUST COPY ALL THE FOLDERS including the xml & bmp into seperate folders i.e. The first P2 card is 001, 2nd P2 card 002 etc (just like tapes).
WHEN DEALING WITH ANY DISK BASED MEDIA FORMAT, YOU NEED TO BE ORGANISED AS ANY ERROR CAN BE VERY COSTLY. (I recently trashed a folder that I thought was redundant but actually had rushes in it. I am still trying to get back all the info) DO NOT MANIPULATE THESE FILES IF YOU ARE TIRED, UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL OR NARCOTICS OR WHILST DRIVING YOUR AUTOMOBILE.

Now that you have loads of rushes in seperate folders on a hard drive (better still ,3 archives as you never know), you do the following:

 
1. Create an HD project.
 
2. Click File Menu/Import P2/ Clips to bin. (You must open the rushes folder at its root level; do not go to the video folder.) This will open your P2 card in the avid. You can edit this directly but ...
 
3. Once you have checked that all the files in the bin have video attached & defined your media management setting, select the contents of the bin and go to File Menu/Import P2/ Media. This action will consolidate the AVC-I files as AVC-I and not DNXHD into the avid. This is important as it is this process that will allow you to relink the offline material back to the HD, as the avid seems to create the info that is needed to do this, which is not the case it you just copy the MXF files directly into the 'avid mediafile'.
 
4. BE PREPARED FOR A LONG AND LABORIOUS PROCESS AS YOU HAVE TO DO IT FOR EACH CARD. (Depending on how much rushes you have.)
 
5. Once all the P2 consolidating is done and checked, you will notice that you have AVC-I media in your project and you can archive your P2 rushes in a nice dry cupboard.
 
To do an offline version:
 
6. Create a new SD project.
 
7. Open the HD project rushes bins in the SD project and DUPLICATE the masterclip files into a new bin. Close the HD project bins when finished.
 
8. Select all the masterclips and select the TRANSCODE function. IT IS VERY ADVISED THAT YOU TRANSCODE THE OFFLINE QUALTY MATERIAL TO A DIFFERENT DRIVE.
If you have alot of files, transcode in small batches, as the avid seems to get into trouble with large numbers of master clips. THIS IS ALSO A LONG PROCESS!!!
 
9. Once finished, hide the HD media from the avid, cut a sequence in SD, close the SD project. Hide the SD media from the avid and show the HD material, opening the HD project.
 
10. Open the SD sequence in the HD project. Normally, the sequence will show that the media is offline. With the RELINK function, the HD material becomes attached.
 
This has worked for me. It is rather laborious but it works and saves loads of time later in post-production.

PS.  I did this on a mac, so I presume a PC is the same.