Failed to build a preview graph

[kedaniels]

I'm new to this whole video capture so forgive my newbyness. I purchased VideoExpress to capture video from my (dinosaur) Sony Video8XR Handycam. It came with VideoStudio9.

I used Movie Wizard once and managed to create a short video (audio is too fast but that is for another post). The next day I tried to do the same thing but I got the message "Failed to build a preview graph" I've rebooted and tried to change a bunch of settings to no avail. Which format should I be using (if I try DV it bounces back to AVI automatically). I don't remember what I used the first time (it was default settings) and can't figure out how to make it work.

The video does play in the VideoExpress viewer so I know that I'm getting the video streaming.

Any ideas / suggestions? It's getting a bit frustrating.

[sjj1805]

You get this error when VideoStudio fails to detect or recognise your capturing device. This could be a camcorder or even a TV card.

If you are using a camcorder you need to check your method of connection, the preferred method is by way of a firewire cable. If you connect by other means you may need to check for updated or alternative capture device drivers.

If you can capture with some software that came with your camcorder or capture device then use that to capture to the hard drive and the use the VideoStudio import video function to get it into your editor.

[Ken Berry]

Video Express will not capture to DV format. It will revert to full, uncompressed AVI if you try (files of around 65 GB per hour of video).

The most common format to capture to through Video Express is DVD-compatible mpeg-2. So set it for that. The things you need to look out for are that VS9 chooses the MPEG plug-in to use for capture, and that the field order in the captured files is Upper Field First (reflecting their analogue origin). You can check this by right clicking on one of your original captured files within VS9 and looking at Properties. Normally, VS will change the Field Order automatically when it detects the device it is trying to capture through. It will also normally set the capture plug-in automatically when you select DVD/mpeg-2 as the capture format.

All that being said, Video Express should have come with the Adstech software capture program CapWiz. That does a good job of capturing mpeg-2. Once captured, you then open it in VS9 for editing.

[kedaniels]

Originally I thought that I had to start InstantVideoExpress (to capture) before I started VideoStudio. Now I discover that if I don't start InstantVideoExpress that I can indeed capture in VideoStudio. I can capture but without audio. When the camera is running and I have VideoStudio up I can see / hear the video in the preview window. The minute that I click "Capture Video" I lose the audio. I still have video and it captures and saves but without audio.

Below the preview window in the "Information" box the Audio line has an "i" in a circle. Does this mean that there is an audio issue?