Sony XAVC Format Settings - Import

The following settings apply to XAVC footage shot with Sony cameras.

Tips when importing Sony XAVC:

• Preserve the original XQD-card structure when using these media files. That is, only browse to the XDROOT folder, and import the clips from there. Do not browse within the folder hierarchy to import the essence directly.
• A split clip, that is a clip recorded over two XQD cards, is not seen as a single, continuous, clip, but as multiple clips.

Sony XAVC Spanned Clips

Sony XAVC spanned clips are supported when conforming AAF from Avid Media Composer.

In Avid Media Composer, Sony XAVC recording over multiple SxS cards can be imported as single clips using the Nablet media plug-in.

• A marker is placed in the conformed sequence at every transition between segments recorded over multiple cards.
• Support includes decoding clips recorded over more than two cards.

For precise conform matching, use Source Timecode and Source UID Match Criteria. This is because Sony XAVC content in Avid Media Composer does not contain a Tape Name and the Clip Name is not the same as the name displayed in MediaHub.

You can also use the Name Match Criteria, but in this case you need to set the Advanced Match Criteria option to 17 characters to get a match. For example, the AAF might show an XAVC clip name as A014C002_230428R8U1 but MediaHub will see A014C002_230428R8M01. Limiting the Name match to 17 characters (A014C002_230428R) matches with the correct clip.

Metadata Settings

Tape Name box

Select an option to determine how the tape name is set when importing clips.

Select:	To:
Enter Tape Name	Activate the Tape Name field where you enter the tape name. When selecting multiple files for import, this tape name is used for all imported files.
Tape Name from File Name	Use the name of the imported file as the tape name.
Tape Name from Directory	Determine the tape name from the detected directory structure. Use the Level field below to configure the relative path to the directory from which the tape name can be determined.
Tape Name from Essence	Use the tape name inferred from the directory structure of the clip.

Level field

Set from which directory the tape name is taken, relative to the location of the clip in the directory structure.

Although available for all types of files, the Level field is intended for directory structures output by film scanners. A typical image file directory structure looks like this: ./<tape>/<resolution>/clip.######. In this case, selecting Levels Up 2 in the Level field identifies the directory that corresponds to the tape name (./<tape>). Enabled if Tape Name is set to Tape From Directory.

Tape Name field

Enter the name to use as tape name when importing the clip. Enabled if Tape Name is set to Enter Tape Name.

Clip Settings

Clip Name box

Select how the clip is named when the file is imported.

Select:	To:
Enter Clip Name	Activate the Clip Name field so that you can manually enter the clip name. When selecting multiple files for import, this name is used for all imported files.
Clip Name from File Name	Use the name of the imported file as the clip name.

Clip Name field

Enter the name to use when importing the clip. Enabled if Name is set to Enter Clip Name.

Image Settings

YUV Decoding box

Select the YUV colour space used by the clip to import. Because Flame works in the RGB colour space, it needs to translate YUV information into RGB. This setting ensures that the right decoder is used for this. The Auto setting selects the colour decoder based on the resolution of the clip: Rec. 601 for clips with a resolution lower than 720 lines, Rec. 709 for everything else. Specifying the wrong colour space results in colours that are off.

Per Recommendation BT. 2020, UHD media should use the Rec. 2020 colour space. But this is rarely the case at the moment: UHD clips use Rec. 709. The Rec. 2020 option is there is case you come upon a correctly encoded UHD clip.

Include YUV Headroom button

Enable Include YUV Headroom when importing a full (legal, extended) range clip, but disable this option when importing a legal range clip.

QuickTime ProRes is legal range and requires that you disable Include YUV Headroom.

Content from cameras is usually shot at video levels. In this case, disable Include YUV Headroom. Some cameras can record at full range and require you enable Include YUV Headroom. Refer to the manufacturers documentation for details.

Finally, you should enable Include YUV Headroom when importing from grading systems content that has not been legalized. On the other hand masters or final grade media are usually legal range.