User Guide

Chapter 7 Working With Sony XDCAM HD and Video Disk Units 109
XDCAM HD Formats Supported in Final Cut Pro
Final Cut Pro has Easy Setups for the HQ (35 Mbps VBR) and LP (18 Mbps VBR)
XDCAM HD:
 XDCAM HD - 1080p24 (35 Mb/s VBR)
 XDCAM HD - 1080p25 (35 Mb/s VBR)
 XDCAM HD - 1080p30 (35 Mb/s VBR)
 XDCAM HD - 1080i60 (35 Mb/s VBR)
 XDCAM HD - 1080i50 (35 Mb/s VBR)
Note: LP (18 Mbps VBR) XDCAM HD footage is edited, rendered, and exported using
the 35 Mbps (HQ) codec. However, this format is ingested at a data rate of 18 Mbps, so
it still requires less disk space during ingest than the 35 Mbps format.
Three additional XDCAM HD Easy Setups are available if you install the XDCAM Transfer
(PDZK-P1) software from Sony:
 Sony XDCAM HD - 1080i60 (25 Mb/s CBR)
 Sony XDCAM HD - 1080i50 (25 Mb/s CBR)
 Sony XDCAM HD - 1080p24 (25 Mb/s CBR)
Installing Sony XDCAM Software
Final Cut Pro requires Sony software to mount XDCAM devices, ingest media from
them, and export Final Cut Pro sequences back to MXF-wrapped footage. You can
download the XDCAM Transfer (PDZK-P1) software from the Sony XDCAM HD website:
http://bssc.sel.sony.com/BroadcastandBusiness/markets/10014/xdcam_info.shtml
Complete instructions for using the XDCAM Transfer software and the corresponding
Final Cut Pro XDCAM import and export plug-ins are included with the software.
Connecting XDCAM HD Devices to Your Computer
You can connect XDCAM HD devices to your computer using a standard FireWire cable.
When the appropriate Sony XDCAM File Access Mode (FAM) driver is installed, the
XDCAM HD device mounts in the Finder.
Important: Although it is possible to directly copy the MXF-wrapped media from the
XDCAM HD device to your scratch disk, Final Cut Pro won’t recognize the MXF files.
Use the Sony XDCAM transfer software instead (see “Ingesting XDCAM HD Media” for
more information).