Computers are the ultimate file cabinets. My own Mac stores oodles files of all types—my photos, my music, and thousands of text and Word documents. With some simple optimization, you can better prepare your external hard disk for storing movies efficiently and effectively. Sure, but there are quite a few variables to consider, such as what the best hard drive format is for compatibility with the greatest number of devices, allocation unit sizes,.

If you are new to P2 card based camcorders, or you are using Panasonic HVX or HPX series like AG-HVX200 or AG-HPX170, you may find the saved files quite difficult get the P2 videos work on Mac directly and wonder the P2 workflow on Mac. If you got P2 files, but have no idea of how to deal with them on Mac, just keep reading. Let’s have a look at the P2 file folder structure on Mac.You would generally get a folder each time you press the record button on the camcorder.

There is CONTENTS folder for each recording. The subfolders include AUDIO, CLIP, ICON, PROXY, VIDEO, VOICE. So you get.CIP,.SIF,.XML,.MXF files within the folders.The.CIP,.SIF,.XML files are related to.MXF files under the AUDIO and VIDEO folder. Some people may think the.XML file is the video file. In fact, the.MXF files contain the video data and audio data under two separate folders. While storing/copying the files from P2 to Mac, we should keep the entire folder intact with the AUDIO folder and VIDEO folder.

MXF, the short terms for Material eXchange Format, is file container for professional recordings. It is a media file standard for wrapping video or audio and associated metadata into a single container file. A number of video formats can be stored within MXF files. For example, a DV movie with compression like DVCPRO HD can be stored within an MXF file.Final Cut Pro works with QuickTime media files, so you need to convert MXF data to QuickTime before you can start editing.

If you would like to, aPubsoft MXF Converter for Mac may help you finish perfect conversion of the P2 videos on Mac OS X. There are many ways to mount P2 card files on Mac, and here we list 2 methods: with P2 camcorder, or with P2 card reader. Mount P2 card with P2 camcorder like Panasonic AG-HVX200: 1. Connect the camcorder to computer via FireWire cable. Turn on camcorder and choose Camera mode, and then the Menu button. Choose Other Functions menu and highlight the PC Mode setting. Set PC Mode Setting to 1394DEVICE.

Press the mode button to switch from Camera mode to MCR/VCR mode, and then hold the button for several seconds so that the PC/Dub mode light is on. P2 card in the camcorder will appear as mounted disk on the desktop in the Finder. Note: You may skip step 3 if you have already set PC Mode setting to 1394DEVICE Mount P2 card with P2 card reader: If you have P2 card reader, P2 card driver, P2 Store for content management, just connect P2 card reader/driver to Mac, insert P2 card to one of the slots in the reader/driver. Then the P2 card will be shown as mounted disk named NO NAME.

To transfer P2 files to Mac, you can drag/copy the whole card into a folder on Mac after the P2 card is mounted on Mac. Make sure the CONTENTS folder and the LAST CLIP.txt are copied. If the direct Finder copy does not work for you, or you get files glitched/ruined footage, you may use P2 content management software (P2CMS) to copy P2 files to Mac. While there are many converters claiming the support of MXF files, how to get the right one for conversion on Mac? Below are some factors for choosing the. Complete conversion.

Some converters may crash or fail halfway, stop responding, or just take up to 2 days to convert large video. Make sure the video and audio are in sync. Even though some converters may seem to convert the P2 MXF files on Mac, you may finally figure out that the audio plays in correct/normal speed, and the video is double-speeded. Or the output is choppy.