transferring DCP to flash drive
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cjackson526
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Sat Jan 09, 2021 1:37 am
transferring DCP to flash drive
First time DCP creator here!! I'm looking to transfer the DCP file onto a flash drive I can give to the theatre. When I format it to EXT2 I can no longer access it to move the files. I know there has to be a way to move and maybe format simultaneously? I feel like I'm missing something.
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carl
- Site Admin
- Posts: 2548
- Joined: Thu Nov 14, 2013 2:53 pm
Re: transferring DCP to flash drive
This is sometimes the hardest part of the process. DCP-o-matic has a tool in "beta test" to solve the problem, called "DCP-o-matic Disk Writer". You can try it out if you install the test release. This software is still being tested, so please make sure you have a recent backup of your machine, just in case anything goes wrong!
If you are using macOS there is a commercial option: DCP Transfer.
There are also a selection of more awkward methods that we can talk about if you tell us what platform you are using (Windows, macOS, Linux).
If you are using macOS there is a commercial option: DCP Transfer.
There are also a selection of more awkward methods that we can talk about if you tell us what platform you are using (Windows, macOS, Linux).
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Carsten
- Posts: 2804
- Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2014 9:11 pm
- Location: Germany
Re: transferring DCP to flash drive
@cjackson526: What operating system are you working on? How large/long is the DCP you intend to transfer?
- Carsten
- Carsten
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cjackson526
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Sat Jan 09, 2021 1:37 am
Re: transferring DCP to flash drive
Windows 10
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Carsten
- Posts: 2804
- Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2014 9:11 pm
- Location: Germany
Re: transferring DCP to flash drive
Just use NTFS. All cinema servers can read NTFS.
If you use a spinning disc or SSD for transfer, you have to make sure the drive is formatted using an MBR partition table (that is another important choice to make besides NTFS). As far as I have experienced, USB flash discs always come with an MBR partition table, and creating an NTFS partition is easy in WIN10.
The common default partitioning scheme GPT/GUID fails on many cinema servers. If you have a disc that already uses GPT/GUID, it is not so easy in WIN10 to get rid of it and repartition with MBR (google for 'DISKPART').
ext2 or ext3 is the proper way to do it if you distribute wide or commercially, or if you need to comply with e.g. certain festival submission rules demanding it, but otherwise, NTFS is perfectly okay. Never use exFAT!
Note, the default FAT32 on USB memory sticks will work just as well - however, only for short DCPs up to maybe 3-4 minutes, as it has a file size limitation of 4GByte, and a DCP of more than that runtime will easily run into that size limitation. You may overcome it with reel segmenting easily when creating the DCP, but, better just format the stick to NTFS.
- Carsten
If you use a spinning disc or SSD for transfer, you have to make sure the drive is formatted using an MBR partition table (that is another important choice to make besides NTFS). As far as I have experienced, USB flash discs always come with an MBR partition table, and creating an NTFS partition is easy in WIN10.
The common default partitioning scheme GPT/GUID fails on many cinema servers. If you have a disc that already uses GPT/GUID, it is not so easy in WIN10 to get rid of it and repartition with MBR (google for 'DISKPART').
ext2 or ext3 is the proper way to do it if you distribute wide or commercially, or if you need to comply with e.g. certain festival submission rules demanding it, but otherwise, NTFS is perfectly okay. Never use exFAT!
Note, the default FAT32 on USB memory sticks will work just as well - however, only for short DCPs up to maybe 3-4 minutes, as it has a file size limitation of 4GByte, and a DCP of more than that runtime will easily run into that size limitation. You may overcome it with reel segmenting easily when creating the DCP, but, better just format the stick to NTFS.
- Carsten