Capture from video camera

[canuck]

From page 81 of the manual:

USB Connect (SC-DX103/DX105 only)
Using the USB cable, you can connect the DVD camcorder to a PC or a printer.
You can copy your movie and photo images from the memory card to a PC and print your photo images in the digital
camera mode. You can use the DVD camcorder as PC cam in the DVD camcorder(disc) record mode.
Settings Contents On-screen display
Mass Storage Connect to a PC to use the DVD camcorder as mass storage in the digital
camera mode. (SC-DX103/DX105 only) None
PictBridge Connect to a printer. (SC-DX103/DX105 only) None
PC Cam: Connect to a PC to use the DVD camcorder as PC cam in the DVD
camcorder(disc) record mode. None

[arachiya]

i experimented with the card. that works. I can capture video with the camera over 30 seconds just fine. the disk itself refuses to finalize but it still does not explain why VS only records a few seconds of the play back when it records live video from the camera...

[canuck]

Recording live video from the camcorder (using the camcorder as a Webcam) is different then capturing the already recorded video.

There is no need to capture already recorded video, you simply copy it from the miniDVD or card to your hard drive. This has been explained several times.

[arachiya]

I went into Vs capture options and there is a selection to capture the entire video or a selected amount of time... unfortunately, i can not select these options. The only option it allows me to select is add to time line. What could be causing this? The capture seems to be locked on capturing about 8 seconds worth and not when i tell it to.

[Terfyn]

Are you missing the point here? You can use your camera as a webcam - that is one option but cannot be used for downloading a video recording from your camera.
Your camera will create a series of files on the miniDVD. These are complete files like any other computer files. You download these files from your camera either by reading the miniDVD using your PCs DVD reader or you download via USB. In both cases you create a folder on your PC and copy your files into it. In VideoStudio you open Capture and then click on Import from Digital Media A window opens and you tick on your newly created Folder and download from there.
What you do not do is try to get VSx5 to directly read these files from your camera, this will work only with the cameras that record onto a tape - the so called (DV) cameras. With miniDVD the files are created for you and you need to go through the process of transferring these files into your PC and NOT directly into VSx5.

Most cameras come with a DVD of software designed to help download from the miniDVD into the PC. If you have this, use it to download from your camera and leave VSx5 switched off until these files are in a Folder on your PC. It would seem that your video files are labelled SMV0001- SMV0099, have you tried transferring these files to your PC?
Have you played back video from the miniDVD via your DVD drive on your PC?

[arachiya]

I did not notice the replies went to a second page.
For some reason. the software and the computer, does not recognize the minicam when it is in the dvd mode so i can not simply transfer the footage to the HD. I see the playback in the capture window but that is all. When I switch the minicam to card, the computer immediately recognizes that. The minicam does not allow transfer from the dvd to the card, I already tried. It only allows card transfers to dvd.

I can not stress this any clearer, the Video Studio software is not allowing me to do the things you are suggesting. I have tried all the suggested options. I do not know why i can not access the dvd ( I get a disk error now especially when I try to finalize it again). It plays the video on the disk just fine, but none of the software i have tried will record and save all of the footage. It record only 10 seconds from each video segment and that is all. The options to change this on capture are blocked and would solve the problem if it would let me change it. I am trying the mass storage now, but I doubt that will work.

[arachiya]

VS5 imported from the dvds. But not from this one.. it worked before and is not now.

[arachiya]

In case it was not made clear.. the files will not copy over. It can be played but not copied.

[canuck]

In case it was not made clear.. the files will not copy over. It can be played but not copied.

How are you trying to copy the files over to the hard drive? I hope you are not still trying to use VS X5 to do this?

[Terfyn]

I did not notice the replies went to a second page.
For some reason. the software and the computer, does not recognize the minicam when it is in the dvd mode so i can not simply transfer the footage to the HD. I see the playback in the capture window but that is all. When I switch the minicam to card, the computer immediately recognizes that. The minicam does not allow transfer from the dvd to the card, I already tried. It only allows card transfers to dvd.

I can not stress this any clearer, the Video Studio software is not allowing me to do the things you are suggesting. I have tried all the suggested options. I do not know why i can not access the dvd ( I get a disk error now especially when I try to finalize it again). It plays the video on the disk just fine, but none of the software i have tried will record and save all of the footage. It record only 10 seconds from each video segment and that is all. The options to change this on capture are blocked and would solve the problem if it would let me change it. I am trying the mass storage now, but I doubt that will work.

We note what you are saying. You keep trying to use VideoStudio to download via USB. DON'T Stop using VS as a downloader. Use Windows to download the files from your miniDVD to your HD. Put them in a new Folder and let VSx5 read from that folder. In other words do the download in two steps.
I read the Instruction Manual for your camera and I could not find any clear references to downloading to a PC from the disk. There was a section for the card but not the disk. The disk section seemed to refer mostly to recording to a DVD recorder.
Have you tried reading the miniDVD in your PC? What is the file structure? Are they .m4ts or .m2ts files? These are the files that VSx5 will read. I repeat my suggestion not to use VS to download but to use the Windows operating system to transfer your files.

As I said before I use the software supplied with my Panasonic camera to download the files. I do not use VS. Both the video and still photo files are on card (in my case) along with a number of other files used by the camera software. The PC software sorts out these files into .m2ts and .jpg which I can then store into new Folders as required. It is only at this point that I open VideoStudio to read the video files in. A download in two steps and, more to the point, in my full control - I can see each step as it happens.