VS Pro X2 - Capture Video from a Panasonic DVX100

[Mike-Mat]

Hello All,

I'm running VSproX2 and I'm trying to capture video from my Panasonic DVX100 camera. I have some Christmas stuff I want to edit. I cant seem to get VS to recognize the Camera. I dont know if it's a setting in the camera or a bad firewire (4pin) port.

Does the camera need a driver to be loaded?
Should the PC have recognized the Camera when it was plugged in (like USB devices)?

I have the camera set to VCR mode. In VS, I go to Capture and select Capture Video. It says "Either no device is installed, or the device is not connected". Nothing is listed in Source or Format.

Any and all help is appreciated.

Mike Mattera

[teknisyan]

Hello Mike-Mat,

I'm from Corel Support. If you want to use the capture feature of VS X3 with your Panasonic DVX100 camera, I would suggest that you use a firewire connection than use a USB Connection.

[Mike-Mat]

I am using the firewire (as stated in my post).
+ I'm using X2 not X3
Any other suggestions?

Mike Mattera

[Ken Berry]

Mike -- unlike Abiel, I read your post as indicating that you *were* using Firewire, and that your reference to USB was only a comparison with the usual computer reaction when you plug in a USB device.

However, as you may be aware, your camera, though now a little old in the tooth, was pretty advanced in its time. While it can certainly film in standard definition DV/AVI format, it can also do a few others things, and I am wondering if you have inadvertently set it either to film in 24p mode, or whether you were using the camera's then revolutionary progressive mode. It is also possible that the camera may have been modified -- perhaps before you bought it, if you bought it second-hand -- to be able to film in a pseudo high definition using this progressive mode. This was apparently regularly done with your camera, though the company responsible for it -- Reel Stream -- has apparently now now disappeared. But in any of these three cases, VS may not be able to recognise the camera if it was set to do any of these things. I imagine that you would need to change the filming settings using the camera's own internal menu to select regular DV/AVI format.

Other than that, though, no, nothing special should be needed to capture DV from a camera which uses a mini DV tape and Firewire. Windows since at least XP comes with Firewire drivers built in. (Windows ME I seem to recall needed a service pack to give it this feature...) Normally, you just connect the camera to the computer via a firewire cable, turn the the camera on to PLAY mode (I am assuming this is what you mean by VCR mode), open VS and set the capture format to DV/AVI, and the computer should recognise it after a few seconds. Sometimes, though, it is worth trying a slight variant: open VS first, then switch on the camera rather than the other way round...

[BrianCee]

Does your PC itself recognise that you have connected the camera Mike - that is if you plug in the firewire in first - then switch on the camera does your PC do the 'Ding/dong" showing it has recognised a hardware device has been connected - do you then get the "What do you want to do window"

Can you see the camcorder in Device Manager

[Mike-Mat]

Thanks for your help guys!

Ken: Dont see anywhere where you can set 24p mode.

Brian: No "ding". That's what I was wondering. I've never used Firewire, so I wasn't sure it it detects the device like a USB would. No Camcorder in the Device Mgr either. I can see the 1394 ports, but no device connected to them.

Tried another PC with Firewire ports on it. Tried to input the video using Media Studio's Capture, but no camera device is listed. Tried a couple of other video capture programs (Power Director Express, Windows Movie Maker) and the camera does not show up in the device list.

I dont see any other settings in the camera. Do you think it's a bad firewire port?

Mike Mattera

[BrianCee]

It *could* be a faulty firewire port but it is quite unusual, although not impossible as it does only comprise very bendy small pins and soldered connections both of which can give problems. If your PC or the other one you tried does not 'see' the camcorder it seems to point to the camera itself, have you read Kens points about settings in the camera - does any of that apply ??

The next thing I would try would be to borrow another DV camcorder and put your tape in that and try it - I always use a different camcorder for the transfer to that which has been used to film as I have a camcorder permanently connected to my PC for transfers and it does not seem to matter what camera did the filming or whether is was 4:3 or 16:9 it all seems to transfer perfectly. Can you do that ?

[Black Lab]

Did you use the same cable when you checked with the other pc's? Aside from that, it sounds like it could be the camera's firewire port.

[BrianCee]

SNAP - Jeff and I posting at identical times on both sides of the world - yes I didn't consider the cable - they have been known to fail - can you check that out as well

[Ken Berry]

And a footnote re 24p, I don't know where it would be hidden, but your camera certainly has that capability. It was a pro-sumer model, and one of the first to have 24p capability, which gives it the capacity to make video which plays like cinema film. It you have -- or have access to -- the camera manual, I am sure you would find it listed.

[Black Lab]

SNAP - Jeff and I posting at identical times on both sides of the world

Still amazes me.

[Mike-Mat]

Found the 24p mode. It was not in 24p mode.

Cable: Used a different cable on the other PC. So it not the cable.

Dont have another minidv format camera/device to try.

Talked to the Panasonic service center in California. They said it could be anywhere from $150 to $800. the higher being a complete board replacement. The estimate is free, I just pay shipping both ways. I paid $1350 for it 1.5 years ago and never really used it for the intended purpose. It only has 100 hours on it. So what do you think... is it worth getting it fixed?
Seems like a nice camera.
Can I get something that will take the minidv tape and let me convert this into my PC for less?
Any suggestions for that?

Thanks,

Mike Mattera

[Black Lab]

If it's $150 I'd say go for it. If it's $800, you can surely find a cheaper mini-dv on e-bay. But of course that is always buyer beware.

[BrianCee]

Well thats where I got my permanently connected camcorder from - it was going very cheap because something had happened to the lens and it would not focus - after checking that playback was fine I placed a ridiculous bid - and got it - and as promised by the seller it plays back perfectly just does not focus.

do you not know anyone Mike who would just lend you a camcorder for a couple of hours - even hire one from a hire store for a day.

[Ken Berry]

Yes... Don't go looking for repairs to the camera just yet until you have eliminated the possibility that the firewire card in your computer could be at fault. That occasionally happens, and is often just that it has come a bit loose from the motherboard. You could open the computer case and make sure the card is firmly seated, or even put it into a different MB slot. And if you do manage to find a mini DV camera to try it out on your computer, and then find it is the computer card which is the problem, at least that is very cheap to replace (probably under $20).