VS9 Capture problems with JVC GR-DX67EK

andrewdavies · Post by **andrewdavies** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 11:49 am

Hi,

My first post here having just bought VS9, so sorry if this is a schoolboy error on my part.

Have got the JVC GR-DX67EK DV camera. using the bundled JVC software (Imagemixer 1.7), I can connect to the camera, control it, capture video etc. So it im[plies that the drivers are working ok. This is via a USB connection by the way.

With VS9, I go to Capture, and after a second it registers a JVC hardware in the Source, then replaces the Split by Scene box with a TV Channel = 0 option.

Have tried various things over the past two days. Today have started getting an error :
Unable to switch to Capture mode
Check if your video capture driver is working properly
Failed to build a preview graph.

There seems to be a lot of expertise in this community. Would be grateful for some pointers. My wife is exerting considerable pressure to get our wedding and honeymoon films onto DVD!!

thanks
andrew

Post by **lancecarr** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 12:02 pm

At a guess I would say that VS9 is not going to capture from the cam using the USB connection. You really need to use an Ieee1394 cable and capture card otherwise known as Firewire. Your cam may be setup to capture using USB but I would say only the included software will do that for you. You could capture using Image Mixer then import the files into VS9 for editing and DVD production.

Post by **Ken Berry** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 10:23 pm

I am pretty sure this is an older model JVC -- one of the blurbs I found for it boasted how you could use the USB connection to burn your video direct to VCD!!! But in addition to what Lance has already said, it is virtually certain your USB connection on the camera is only USB 1.0. As such, at best it can copy streaming-quality video to your computer. In other words, it is just not fast enough to be able to transmit high quality (i.e. DVD, not VCD quality) DV to your computer. To do that, as Lance has said, you need to use the Firewire connection (sometimes called iLink on certain cameras).

The problem is that camera manufacturers always seem to include a USB cable with the camera, thus giving the user the idea that they should use that cable for everything. But the reality is that if your camera is a mini DV model, then the best -- and for all intents and purposes, ONLY -- way of transferring high quality video to your computer is via Firewire

The problem is, though, that no camera manufacturer of which I am aware ever includes a Firewire cable. Needless to say, your computer will also need to have a Firewire port into which you can plug the connecting cable. But if you don't have one at the moment, the good news is that you can buy a Firewire card pretty cheaply these days (here in Australia they cost only around US$25 -- though you may have to pay to have it installed if you don't feel confident enough to do it yourself). They also usually come with a Firewire cable. Getting the right cable, though, is important, since the Firewire connection on your camera will normally be a small 4-pin one (a bit smaller and slightly different shape to the mini-USB connection). The Firewire connection on the computer, on the other hand, will normally be the larger 6 pin variety. So make sure you ask for a 4 pin to 6 pin Firewire cable.

andrewdavies · Post by **andrewdavies** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 7:43 am

Thanks Ken and Lance for your replies.

Looking at the specs for my camera I only have a usb out connector. Newer models have the Firewire connection. Guess I have an older model - although I only bought it a year and a half ago. Feeling duped.

Anyway, what do you think about trying to use this camera? If I say, capture using the JVC software / USB connection, or even do something like go via video, or try to find some sort of mini-USB to firewire connection, am I just going to automatically lose digital quality? Sounds like the only real option is to upgrade the camera to get one with the right connections on?

Post by **lancecarr** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 9:01 am

Are you absolutely sure about the USB? Is there a port right next to or above or below the USB port that looks a little similar to the USB port?
I ask because the manual for the Image Mixer software mentions DV capability.

Trevor Andrew · Post by **Trevor Andrew** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 9:02 am

Hi Andrew

Look at the link below.

If this is your camera then the page indicates that you have a DV output terminal.

This is the terminal on your camera that connects to the firewire card on your pc.

http://www.6thplanet.com/store/technica ... splay.html

From Video Studio press F1 for help, from the index tab search for dv/d8

Hope this Helps

Trevor

andrewdavies · Post by **andrewdavies** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 12:01 pm

You're absolutley right. It's hidden away in different bit on the camera to the USB port. I consider myself a complete spanner.

Thanks all for your help. If you think that was bad, wait 'til I actually get going with VS9!

andrew