My Video Problems

NorthernExposure · Joined: 04 Oct 2008 Posts: 11

Hi there! I have been referred here from the Movie Makers Forum. I have an issue that is remarkably like the one here; (edit) Drat! It won't let me post a link...
Mine is somewhat different though... I am copying my question from the MMforum.

Hello all! I am new to MM so please excuse my ignorance. I have a Canon ZR800 MiniDV Camcorder and opened MM on my laptop for the first time three days ago. I have been attempting simply to capture the footage from the camera with very limited success (In any format). I get brief snips of footage all bunched together. Sometimes it simply locks on the first few frames and does not "capture" any further. The longest stretch of capture I have gotten is at most two seconds before jumping ahead to more choppy footage. It has yet to capture more than 5 seconds of various bits from the camera in total! The program does not freeze up; just the capture seems be freeze frame then stop completely. (The camera continues to play back and responds immediately to commands through MM)

I should state that I am using a firewire (new) to connect to my MSI MX660 Megabook, Intel Celeron M 440 1.9 Ghz. CPU, 1 Ghz. RAM, 100 Gigs free (defragmented) space on HDD. XP Pro Sp3 v.3264 Movie maker v.2.1.4026.0 I have tried reducing hardware acceleration and if anything, it works better at full. I have also tried stopping unneeded processes to no avail. I have not seen any other posts that have these symptoms, and am hopeful someone can show me the error of my ways. I have noted that it works "best" when I try and capture as DV-AVI. It will generally not capture more that one "frame" at the default (recommended) setting.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

I have checked my HDD settings and they are ultra DMA 6 (primary) and Ultra DMA 2 (secondary). I show the firewire controller as installed and working. I don't have access to another system that has a firewire card, so I can't try it elsewhere...

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks.

skierhughes · Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 7:07 am Post subject:

Ok, before we start emssing with other settings, we really need to ensure that teh three main items in the chain are working correctly, that is the firewire port on the pc, unfortunately device manager only tells you it is set up correctly, not that it is physically working, the cable and the camcorder firewire port.

To do this, you need to beg/steal/borrow another set of 3 items that you KNOW are working because you can see them working together.

Maybe take your cam and cable to a pc shop and ask them to try your items on a pc as you are looking at buying a pc that can capture and edit video as yours is not up to the job, cheeky but it's one way if you don't know anyone with a pc.
If it works ok, you know the cam and cable are ok, then it's maybe off to a photography shop to sdee about buying a "new cam" that will work with your pc as your old one doesn't!!!!!

Once we know all these are working ok, then we can start making changes to the pc.
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www.myvideoproblems.com
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NorthernExposure · Joined: 04 Oct 2008 Posts: 11

Darn. I guess I missed your reply... (Mea culpa) I have been getting advice at the MM forum and have made several changes with no improvement. I am going to follow your advice and take the cam and firewire down to my local supplier and test them there. I did take the cam down to the place I bought the firewire and they hooked it up to a Vista machine and it worked fine. I need to compare apples to apples though, right? FWIW, I was sold this stuff with the assurance I could do simple video projects. Laughing

Guess I should have made them show me first! (I may find another local supplier)

Thanks for the help! Very Happy

I look forward to your response.

(Later edit) I wondered if perhaps it would be a good idea to pick up a firewire card for my "big box" system... It has an Athlon 2.4 gig processor with a 7200 rpm HDD. (Only 1 gig of ram though) It also has a decent graphics card as opposed to a chipset like this laptop. Only prob is the big box is running Win2k Pro.
Just a thought...

(Even later edit) Razz

(Love this time difference!) I am being told by the computer guy at a very reputable store here that this laptop doesn't have the power to run WMM 2.1 From what you have seen, would you agree? I can provide you with the report from Sandra lite if you wish...

Cheers again!

skierhughes · Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 5:58 pm Post subject:

NorthernExposure · Joined: 04 Oct 2008 Posts: 11

NorthernExposure · Joined: 04 Oct 2008 Posts: 11

Here is something I have posted over at Movie makers forum.

skierhughes · Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 5:24 am Post subject:

You should be able to post links, but not too worry.

First thing I need to know is have you tested all 3 components now?

I know you have successfully had a vista machine work with your cam and cable, so we know the cam and cable are ok, but have you been able to get any other cam to work with your pc?

Graham
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Working far too hard to keep you lot happy to be worrying about when to have the next party

www.myvideoproblems.com
www.dvds2treasure.com

NorthernExposure · Joined: 04 Oct 2008 Posts: 11

That is the one thing I am having trouble doing. No-one is willing to let me hook up their camera to my laptop! (Claims of virus' etc.) I tried all three outlets in town to no avail. (the "try before buy" gambit) I could go back to the computer place I bought this thing from, but they have already claimed there is no reason this won't work. They huffily said that they could "book it in" for a few weeks to "check it out" when I pressed them to at least watch while I hooked my camera to it. ("We didn't sell you that camera and cable! That's the problem!!!" they exclaimed as they hopped about indignantly. I think you can get the picture) I would find going in that store very offencive after the way I was treated. Although the sight of two corpulent, 500 pound plus twins hopping about can be rather amusing!

I guess I'll have to go door to door pan-handling for a DV camera... Wink

I beginning to wish I had bought a mac...
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skierhughes · Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 11:53 am Post subject:

If we don't do this test we will be messing around with things that could make matters worse.

Hitching up a camcorder to a pc won't get any viruses anywhere, I mean somebody somewhere could welll have written a virus that will infect a specific camcorders firmware, but the chances of you having it, when nobody else has heard of it is well 99.999999999999999999999% unlikley.

Try a new shop which sells camocrders and say you need a cheap minidv camcorder to get your tapes onto your pc before you buy a nice new HD cam. The lure of two sales may well get them to let you try one on your laptop.

Otherwise it is trying to find someone else with a cam that you can borrow.
_________________
Working far too hard to keep you lot happy to be worrying about when to have the next party

www.myvideoproblems.com
www.dvds2treasure.com

NorthernExposure · Joined: 04 Oct 2008 Posts: 11

I managed to convince the guys that sold me this thing to spend some time checking it over. Result; They want me to leave it with them. They didn't have a camera for testing, and I am still unable to find another camera to test on this thing. They flashed the bios as he thought MSI might have made changes to how the firewire port works, but that made no difference. I now have 32 bit sound though! The camera/cable also worked on his Viao/Linux laptop. The camera is definitely not the problem. They think this MSI laptop has some kind of problem accepting the feed. He ran Linux on this thing and it still didn't work. They said that the firewire cable may not be supported by MSI?

Does that make sense? It has a 4 pin fire wire port on the side.
_________________
Son, the only time you're going to see the inside of a space shuttle is if you're cleaning it.

skierhughes · Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 10:15 am Post subject:

Ok, it makes sense adn doesn't, if that makes sense.

firewire was designed by Apple, they sold the rights to use it to the IEEE an it became IEEE1394a.

This has certain standards.

Not everyone follows these standards, which is why Sony have i-link, connect two sony items no problem, connect a different make adn all may not be as well. Canon had terrible firmware in some of their cams, just loook at my cannot capture since I've installed SP2 page, which breought problems as Microsoft became more compliant with the standard and stuff then didn't work.

So whereas firewire is firewire, it isn't always firewire, which is why we have to do this testing.

Let's wait to here back from them, and if they can't get it working, then you have a problem, but let's wait and see.

Graham
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Working far too hard to keep you lot happy to be worrying about when to have the next party

www.myvideoproblems.com
www.dvds2treasure.com

NorthernExposure · Joined: 04 Oct 2008 Posts: 11

Thanks Graham. You have stated it precisely! That is exactly the issue they were talking about. I appear to suffer the same problem as this system when trying to explain what I manged to observe them doing.

I will post back some bedtime reading for you later!

Cheers!
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Son, the only time you're going to see the inside of a space shuttle is if you're cleaning it.

NorthernExposure · Joined: 04 Oct 2008 Posts: 11

Well, the long and the short of it is that they figure this chipset is unable to properly communicate with my camera. Canon does not appear to provide any drivers that might work for the ZR800. Another much higher end Canon worked fine. They have said that a PCMCIA card? will "go around" the on-board chipset, and then they say it will work. I am reluctant to spend money just to find out though. What say ye to this proposal?

Thanks Graham.
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Son, the only time you're going to see the inside of a space shuttle is if you're cleaning it.

skierhughes · Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2008 7:59 am Post subject:

If they still have the pc, see if they can apply the firewire patch for you, so install the older driver.
If not, then I was going to suggest you try a pcmcia card.
Surely they ahve one, so get them to show you it working first, then buy it off them!!!!

Graham
_________________
Working far too hard to keep you lot happy to be worrying about when to have the next party

www.myvideoproblems.com
www.dvds2treasure.com

NorthernExposure · Joined: 04 Oct 2008 Posts: 11

I think that is a more than reasonable thing to ask of them. I'll give them a ring when they open.

Thanks for the help Graham! I'll let you know if it works.
_________________
Son, the only time you're going to see the inside of a space shuttle is if you're cleaning it.