User guide

XDCAM Workflow in Final Cut Pro

Working With Split and Spanned XDCAM EX Clips

An XDCAM EX device automatically saves video that exceeds 4 GB in size as multiple

clips. Clips that are divided in this manner on a single card are referred to as Split Clips.

Clips that are divided across 2 or more SxS cards are referred to as Spanned Clips.

For Split Clips, both XDCAM Transfer and XDCAM EX Clip Browser automatically interpret

the metadata necessary for the multiple segments to display and behave like a single

clip. No special interaction on the part of the user is required.

For Spanned Clips, XDCAM EX Clip Browser is used to join the segments, and does require

some user interaction, as described below.

Note: With the exception of file conversion and rewrapping operations, media segments

that comprise Split or Spanned clips always remain as separate entities. Only the

metadata is altered.

Identifying a Split Clip

A clip that has been split into two or more segments on the same card is referred to as a

Split Clip, and is identified by:

• When viewed in the Macintosh Finder, the presence of two or more similarly-

named folders, as below:

Note how the filename prefix is identical for the two clip folders above, with the last two

digits differentiating one clip from the other. If there were a third segment, it would be

named FISH0046_03.

• When viewed in the XDCAM Transfer application, the clip name has a “.SMI”

extension (as opposed to “.MP4”)

Split Clip

Normal Clip

Note a difference in extensions

5 – XDCAM EX

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