[VS X4 with SP1] Crash on MiniDV import

[BillMGreen]

Hello folks!

First of all I wanted to post my problem to Corel e-mail support but after all the work for filling out the form the website showed my a message after submission of the form that the requested page changed its location - nice! After using the back button of the browser (to try it again) all form fields were empty again.

So I am trying here before returning the product. I am using Videostudio Pro X4 with the Sevice Pack 1 and no more updates are found by the internal updater.

I try to import videos from my Sony HC96E MiniDV cam using FireWire. I am importing into a Lenovo ThinkPad system with Core i7 2nd Gen and 8 GB RAM. First of all when using the program's DV Quick Scan method I can see no preview picture in the preview area. Also I here the video's sound for about 1 sec and then it stops. I can use the PLAY, STOP, FF, RW etc. buttons and they control the camera as usual with FireWire and MiniDV cams. But: As soon as I start the importing process with Quick Scan or the normal Rec-Mode Videostudio crashes. Nothing happens - trying to use any of the programs buttons and controls only leads to Windows telling me that this application no longer answers and has to be closed.

This happens all the time. I haven't been able to import a single scene from the MiniDV tape, yet. I also tried another legacy firewire driver but this didn't improve the situation at all. For a test I also installed Windows Live Movie Maker 2011. With this program everything works perfectly: preview is there with sound and importing of the whole 60 mins tape worked flawlessly.

So where is the problem with VS X4? Any hints? Otherwise I will return the product as it doesn't fulfill my expectations.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers Bill


My system: Lenovo ThinkPad T420 | Core i7-2 | 8 GB | 500 GB | NVidia NVS 4200 | onBoard FireWire

[Ron P.]

Welcome to the forums,

This may be a problem due to Microsoft changing the driver for Firewire (IEEE1394). Read this post for more information... http://forum.corel.com/EN/viewtopic.php ... 08#p217708

[BillMGreen]

Thank you, Ron. But as I already wrote above: I have already replaced the driver with the legacy one. Did not help, unfortunately! At the moment the legavy version is installed and Windows Live Movie Maker uses it correctly w/o flaws while VS X4 in the same environment just crashes.

I also tried another legacy firewire driver but this didn't improve the situation at all.

[Ken Berry]

Otherwise I will return the product as it doesn't fulfill my expectations.

I can understand your frustration, but does the program not meet your expectations in other ways? Many of us here use a variety of programs in any one project: for capturing, for titling, for adding filters, for adding audio/narration/music, and the list goes on. In others words, I am suggesting that you need not think that everything has to be done by just one program. Quite a few of us here use a small freeware program WinDV (www.windv.mourek.cz) to capture DV -- and not because of any problems with legacy drivers. It's mainly because it allows you to set the name of your captured files, whereas VS uses rather arcane naming procedure. Once captured, though, you can easily open them in Video Studio for editing. And the same can happen with the DV files captured via Windows Movie Maker...

[BillMGreen]

Well, Ken, I bought this program as an all-in-one solution. Capturing is part of the program and this part doesn't work on my system although the hardware itself meets all necessary requirements. So I am disappointed and I don't want to use Freeware software for capturing before importing the clips to VS because I have a commercial solution which I already purchased that should do flawlessly what Freeware and other tools like Movie Maker seem to do fine.

In this case I have a narrow view on this - I just don't want to accept that a part included in this commcercial package just doesn't work at all in my setup. I wouldn't accept this in other Corel programs which I also own like CorelDraw. Imagine Picture import wouldn' work in CDR - but i could still import them using the clipboard. Not satisfying although working. - But not really acceptable for commercial software. Just to illustrate my pov.

I would - at any time - have accepted an easy workaround like the usage of this legacy windows 7 FW driver. If this proposal had worked in my case / setup I would immediately shut my mouth and just use the software. But unfortunately there doesn't seem to be an easy solution in my case - and I also got no idea how to take another approach on the problem - which means where to dig deeper for the reasons of the crash. Other software captures correctly using always the same driver as VS.

You are absolutely right that I could combine VS with many other tools to reach my goals - but don't get me wrong but this is purely not what I expected from the software. Firewire and MiniDV isn't an over-the-top standard where we now live in the time of AVCHD, 1080p etc. - AVI import should just work. Probably I am expecting too much.

Years ago in Media Studio 7 all this worked - now as FireWire 400 is a rather old standard it should be easy to be handled by a modern program on a far superior system than I ever had in the times of MS7. Or FW is just too old for W7 and VS X4.

I am in negotiations with the retail shop concerning returning of the product as an essential part is not compatible with my setup (or not working in my setup). This isn't a catastrophy - ok, i found out that there is some incompatibility between the Corel software and my system / setup. Now i have to check for alternatives. If I had found a solution here this would have been great - but if there is non available i'll have to find another way.

Perhaps anyone has an additional idea of what to do besides the use of the legacy FW driver? I am still interested in just solving the problem!


Cheers Bill

[Ron P.]

Hi Bill,

I'm not trying to change your mind. Just letting you know something I noticed going through VS X4 and comparing it to earlier versions. It seems that starting with VS X3, they removed the option of Changing Device Control, and the Capture Plugin. It was present up through VS X2.

vs12_tools_select device control.png (8.43 KiB) Viewed 3328 times

vs12_device control.png (4.88 KiB) Viewed 3328 times

vs12 capture_plugin.jpg (16.48 KiB) Viewed 3328 times

As you can see with the Device Control, you should have some different options. In the screenshot it shows MS 1384 Device Control & TI 1394 Device Control, as well as the HDV. The other 2 should work for my SD Sony (DCR-TRV120) digital-8. However only the MicroSoft D.C. would. Anyway long story shorter, VS X3 and X4 do not give us the option to select the Device Control. I'm thinking that by doing so, for some with Win7, VS will not allow the use of the Legacy 1394 driver. I have no idea why it works for some, and others like you it doesn't.

I apologize that I can't test this on Vista or Win7. My Vista machine is a el-cheapo Compaq laptop that does not have a firewire card, and no ports to plug a card into, so I'm restricted there. My desktop is an older HP, that runs WinXP. I've found no reason to upgrade the OS on it. In fact I think I would have problems running Win7 on it.

Good Luck.. I hope you can get a refund from Corel.

[BillMGreen]

Thank you, Ron.

I have been talkting to the hotline and they asked for a system report generated by WinAudit. I did that and I hope they will find something...

Just to be sure I tested yesterday all of the 3 FireWire drivers Windows 7 offers (with reboot after changing driver):
- 1394 OHCI-Hostcontroller
- 1394 OHCI-Hostcontroller (legacy) - this is the one suggested as solution but doesn't help in my case
- 1394 OHCI Ricoh Hostcontroller - this was Lenovo default for this system

With all three Videostudio fails to capture and crashes in the Capture window. And with all three Windows Live Movie Maker works fine. So for me this looks like you're on the right track concerning Capture Device Control. A pity it has disappeared...

So I am hoping the best - no reaction yet on my report.

[skier-hughes]

Previously I've done a lot of work with MS and firewire drivers in my role as an MS MVP..
I'm unsure what else to tell you to try to get VS to work. We know the hardware is all fine, as you've used WLMM, well windows live video acquire wizard, as WLMM no longer captures from minidv, as you say, it is becoming old hat

What I would suggest is, totally remove all traces of VS using the corel tool to ensure it is all removed.

Then one by one trial the other options you have, such as Adobe premiere elements, Pinnacle studio etc.

You may find that they all have the same problem.

You may find the others all capture ok and work fine - problem sorted

Or you may find they have other problems which aren't as easy to sort as using a 3rd party app to capture.

[BillMGreen]

I am TOTALLY frustrated by the answer of the support I got today. They sent a link to the MS Windows 7 compatibility list and said: "Your camera is not compatible with Win 7 and that's why VS X4 doesn't work." - That other capturing tools work flawlessly with this camera in the exact same Windows 7 environment is a proof that this support reply is just not hitting the point.

This so called "incompatibility" of Sony HC96 with Win 7 x64 arises from the fact that the USB live video streaming of the cam needs a suitable driver. And there is none from Sony or MS for W7 x64. But for FireWire transfer there is no special driver necessary besides the FW controller driver itself which is supplied - and working as the successful usage in other applications illustrates.

So I think I can forget about further help from Corel as they just continue referring to this MS list...

Nevertheless thanks for your help & proposals in this thread.


Cheers Bill