I'm having difficulty understanding how AVID treats P2 media.  I can import "P2 Clips to bin" with no problem from a folder on my computer (eg. e:\Video Project X\P2 Card 1\) and the files come in great.  But when I shut down AVID and re start it, all the files are "Offline" and I have to re-import them all over again to get them back.

I have a project where I have multiple P2 cards and I don't want to have to re-import each of them separately every time I go to edit them.  Anyone have any advice on what I can do to fix my work flow?  I can move the raw MXF files out of the P2 folder to the "Avid MediaFiles" folder and use the media tool to import them, but that does not help me if I want to keep things organized and not move all my separate P2 cards into that massive folder of media files.

I'm new to working with P2 media and welcome any tools or suggestions people might have on working with P2 media from any stage of their work flow before or after importing... but my main concern is an answer to the issue in the 1st paragraph above. 

Advice anyone?

P2 Media (sans AMA) is a two-step process.

First you Import Clips to Bin, then you must Import P2 Media.

The MXF files in the P2 folders are not the same "flavor" of MXF that Avid will create when you Import the Media, so once you've done the actual P2 Media Import - the Avid MediaFiles will be just like any other media files that are created when you import or capture material.  

If you're using AMA, that's a whole different workflow.

Does the "Import Media" step create new files in the AVID Mediafiles folder?  Or just rename/rewrite the original MXF files to be the right "Flavor" for AVID?  I started to do this 2nd step, but it was going to take 3 to 4 times realtime to convert (or I guess the correct verb is Consolodate) the files.  i.e. 15 minutes of footage would take 1 to 2 hours to convert when doing the "import media" step.

So... a) is this normal to have such a long conversion time?  It seems to defeat the whole reason for a speedy workflow using P2 media and b) does it create new files or just modify the source MXF files?

Yes, new media files are created -

jpottenger:

It seems to defeat the whole reason for a speedy workflow using P2 media

The "speedy" part of using P2 goes out the window if you're in a situation where you are re-booting (ie, ending an edit session at the end of the day to resume at a later day and time) - if you're in that boat, which it seems you are, then why don't you just set it up to Consolidate the media at the end of the first day?  It'll all be done by the time you come back to the project.

So, you take the footage directly off the card (Import P2 clips) and begin editing material right away (that part is "speedy").  Then at the end of the first day of work, select the clips in the Bin and do the P2 Import Media (ie, Consolidate) overnight.  The next day all your clips will now be Avid media and won't go offline when you reboot. 

In other scenarios exemplifying the P2 workflow, such as news, the edit session for that particular media does not carry over to another edit session and time is not a luxury, so they can shoot and begin editing nearly instantly without having to capture or import files (other than the P2 clips)

If you want it to work differently, then you'll have to upgrade to at least version 3.5 to take advantage of AMA. 

As far as the conversion time, I'm not sure - but it sounds about right.  It does take some time, but you should also make sure that your project settings and everything is set up correctly.

Yes, that method creates new media.  If you upgrade to v3.5, you can use the new AMA feature which will link to your exisiting P2 media directly.

Kenton

Wow thanks for all the great advice.  I was worried I was going to have to call AVID and fork out a fortune in support tickets ($$$) to get some answers, but you've come to my rescue. : )

If you could help me with one last issue.  I've not upgraded to 3.5 (I'm on 3.2.2 or whatever the last version before 3.5) because I didn't see enough benefits to the upgrade.  However it sounds like AMA is something that I "Need" in my work flow (i.e. weddings and plays that require multiple days to edit).  So here's where you can help (if you are willing). 

Can you explain the work flow and/or changes in using AMA?  Will using AMA allow me to fix my problem and edit P2 media in a folder I specify outside the AVID MediaFiles folder without having to consolidate clips? 

Thanks again for everything!

John

Just saw your post Randall.  Must not have refreshed my screen to see your reply in time.  Still any info on AMA would be helpful.  Looks like I'll be upgrading soon based on that though. : )

The pre AMA 2 step method is, in my expeience, fool proof. As you (presumably) back your cards up to a harddrive anyway the import clips and then the media takes suprisingly little time and gives you another back up of your media in the Avid format.
Personally I would not (have not) be fronting for the upgrade cost based for the minimal (IMO) benefits of AMA.

Check this out:

http://provideocoalition.com/index.php/ssimmons/story/kicking_the_tires_on_avid_media_access_part_1/

and this:

http://www.avid.com/p2/

Thanks for the links Kenton.  Exactly what I was looking for.

AndrewAction - Good point.  Although I'm actually transcoding from an AVCHD file to P2 so my backup is the AVHCD files.  So the extra step of creating yet another backup wasn't my ideal solution... though your suggestion is a good one in many cases.  Thanks for the tip!

Import P2 clips to bin allows displaying your clips online while the P2 card is connected. This is a temporary arrangement to allow you to start editing immediately without importing. However, to keep these clips in the project permanently, you must consolidate the clips and/or sequences to an Avid media drive using "import P2 media."

{EDIT} Sorry, thought this was an unanswered thread.