Capture Feature

[gorflex]

I have a Sony DCR-SR200 Handycam. I have tried to capture my video clips from my video camera hard-drive through the "capture" feature of Video Studio. It doesn't work. It tries to pull from my Logitech Web Cam. I shouldn't have to use the Sony software (Picture Browser) to pull my video clips from my camera to my computer. Why can't I use the Corel Ulead Video Studio to do this?

Also, on page 19 of the Users Guide, it tells the user to make sure the DMA is enabled on my hard disk, disable write-behind caching on the hard-drive used for video capture, and increase the paging file size to wtice the amount of my RAM. How do I do all this. I went into Device Manager (Windows XP) and don't know what to do.

It appears that I can't use the DV-to-DVD Wizard since I don't have a camera that uses tapes. My camera has a hard-drivee.

Any information you could provide me would be most helpful.

Thanks!
email: gorflex@hotmail.com

[etech6355]

You don't capture from your cam, you either import or copy from your camcorder.
You probably should be using the Import dvd/-vr disk function.

Look in the manual under Importing DVD's.
When you plug your cam into the computer windows should assign a drive letter to the camcorder. You navigate to the drive letter and one of the folders on your cams harddisk.

[kebrinton]

Yeah, as etech says. You're lucky you DO NOT have to capture. It should be somewhat like copying from an external hard drive -- no?

K

[Ken Berry]

With a hard disk camera, you do NOT use the 'Insert DVD/DVD-VR' function. Instead, you use the general 'Insert Video' command, then navigate to the drive letter assigned to your camera by Windows. Open the folder on that drive and select the video you want to insert in either the timeline or library pane.

No, you can't use the DV-to-DVD wizard, not only because your camera does not use tape; but it also, importantly, doesn't use the DV format, but one of the varieties of mpeg-2.

To see whether you have DMA enabled, go to Device Manager > IDE ATA/ATAPI Controller and it will tell you whether or not DMA is enabled for the various devices.

Enabling or disabling write-caching is Device Manager > Disk Drives, then select each drive and the Policies tab. (For what it is worth, I have always left write-caching enabled on my hard drives and have never had any problems...)

I also leave my paging file alone. Windows tends to control all that automatically and increases and decreases the paging file size according to demand. You only need to worry if you start getting low memory warnings from Windows. You could also have found the answer easily enough by just going to your XP Help. But essentially, you get into the paging file settings by going to Control Panel > System > Advanced Settings > Performance > Settings > Advanced > Virtual Memory > Change. And of course you have to have Admin privileges to get that far. But really, I would leave it alone if I were you unless you are indeed receiving low memory warnings.

[etech6355]

Ken,
Depending on the harddisk camcorder they usually record in the -VR format.
So instead of having a VIDEO_TS folder it's a DVD_RTAV folder.
In the DVD_RTAV folder resides the main container with all the movie files which uses an extension of xxxx.VRO

[gorflex]

Thank you all for providing me assistance. This is what I found out after reading your messages:

It appears that I can only insert my videos through the general "Load Video" command which allows me to open the folder on the appropriate drive and select the folder and video(s). Thanks Ken!

etech6355, I am unable to insert videos from the "Import DVD/-VR Disk Function." When I click on this option, this is what happens:
- Select a DVD Title dialog box appears.
- I then click on the "Import from DVD Folder" button.
- I then click on the "browse" button.
- For every folder I selected, the OK button is not active (meaning that it will not allow me to select any folder)

etech6355, I don't have a folder on my computer hard-drive when camera is on that is labeled "DVD_RTAV." This is what I have:
- MP_Root (main folder)
- 101PNV01 (sub folder)
- All the various video clips are in the sub folder (XXXX-MPG)

==========================================
I will continue to go through the manual and evaluate this application. I am using a 30 day trial. I haven't yet decided to purchase. I am basically torn between this application and Pinnacle Studio Ultimate 11.0. The highest rating application according to Top Ten Reviews are:

1) Power Director
2) Corel Ulead Video Studio
3) Pinnacle Studio
4) Adobe Premier Elements

http://video-editing-software-review.toptenreviews.com/

Does anyone have any comments on any of these other applications?

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[MrA]

gawd, I long for the old days, when you had to send your film out to be devoloped. NOT!!

[Ken Berry]

While I am pleased my suggested method worked, I am honour bound to ask the following, in relation to your statement:

- For every folder I selected, the OK button is not active (meaning that it will not allow me to select any folder)

Did you actually get to the point of having a directory tree appear, broken down into chapters? If so, then the OK button remains greyed out until you tick the little boxes which appear to the immediate left of each folder or chapter.

etech -- I had been under the impression that DVD-RTAV folders were associated with mini DVD cameras, not hard disk ones.

[etech6355]

Ken,
Yes, when you record in the -VR format. If you record in standard dvd format they use the VIDEO_TS method. Some can also use +VR disk which ends up with the 2 directories.
I don't have a harddisk camcorder, I do have a Panasonic hard disk recorder and that records in the -VR format to it's internal harddisk, Linux Based interface.
I like the fact he can simply copy the files from the camcorder to his hard disk.

Even the HighDef AVCHD cams seem to use a different directory/file structure whether they record to a mini-dvd or internal harddisk. They also don't seem to use the same exact method, although still avchd compliant I guess.

[gorflex]

Ken,

Yes, a directory tree appeared just like the one you see in Windows Explorer (with plus signs and minus signs /collapse and expand). However, there are no little boxes that I can click to place tick marks. I assume this feature doesn't work for me.

[Ken Berry]

...or that that method is not meant to be the one to import from your camera. Stick to the one that works!