capturing video

tkleinmd wrote on 12/11/2004, 11:15 AM
I;m using Vegas Movie Studio and am trying to capture video from a Sony DCR-IP7. I get an error message that reads "The device 'Microsoft AV/C Tape Subunit Device' could not be opened. Please make sure that it is turned on and is not being used by another application or user."
Sometimes I don't get this error message but still can't capture the video. I know this is basic stuff, but I can't get past this first step. Thanks for any advice.

Comments

IanG wrote on 12/11/2004, 3:13 PM
This question's been raised a few times before, but I don't think anyone's come up with a solution. It looks like MS isn't compatible with Sony's micromv format cameras.

Ian G.
tkleinmd wrote on 12/11/2004, 8:11 PM
I think I answered my own question. From the Sony media software support page there are FAQ's re: Vegas Movie Studio 4.0 One of the FAQ's was very pertinent. You are right, the answer is that Vegas doesn't support MicroMV. Why a Sony software product doesn't support a piece of hard ware made by the same company is beyond me. Apparently, I have to capture the video with MovieShaker which was supposedly bundled with my MicroMV camcorder. Once I capture it with MovieShaker I can then open the captured file in Vegas 5.0 or Movie Studio 3. 0. Vegas 4 does not support .mmv files. Of course, I have Vegas 4.0. Essentially, I bought a program that was obsolete the day I purchased it. I'm not a happy customer!
Chienworks wrote on 12/12/2004, 3:24 AM
When did you purchase Vegas 4? If you got it after Vegas 5 was released then you may be entitled to a free upgrade. Contact SONY's customer support.

Also, please understand that while both the camera and the software say SONY, one came from SONY Electronics and the other from SONY Pictures Digital media software. Aside from them both being under the SONY corporate umbrella they're two very different companies. Generally SONY Electronics goes about doing it's own thing without much (or maybe any) correlation with the Media Software folks.
Steve Grisetti wrote on 12/13/2004, 8:22 AM
Note also that MicroMV is actually an MPEG-2 format, not unlike the format used in DVD camcorders. Unfortunately (and I wish this information was more widely available) these formats are convenient for shooting and playback, but they're highly problematic for editing.

The MPEG format uses a compression method that uses key frames followed by several frames that use the key frame for reference -- and, if you break up the sequence (by editing) you often get flickering, uneven video.

A possible workaround is to bring the MPEG files (you may need to change the suffix from VOB to MPG to get this to work) into MovieMaker or a Virtual Dub (a free download) and then exporting that file as a DV-AVI. This seems to work for many people.
Former user wrote on 12/13/2004, 1:04 PM
No. You got a camera that will be obsolete. The MicroMV format is a strange format not really designed for editing.

If you want to do serious editing, consider getting a MiniDV or Digital 8 format camera.

Dave T2
IanG wrote on 12/13/2004, 3:14 PM
It's worth trying to edit the files as grisetti suggests, but chances are it wont work - it's the wrong sort of mpeg-2 for most editors.

Ian G.
Steve Grisetti wrote on 12/14/2004, 6:42 AM
I just saw, on another forum, that our friends at virtualdub.org have released another piece of freeware designed specifically for converting VOBs and MPEGs to editable AVIs.

Check out Virtual Dub-MPEG2 on their site.