Capturing Video

MonaYoga wrote on 8/18/2009, 6:04 PM
My software is not allowing me to capture my video from the camera. The capture function is grayed out and my project media tab has disappeared.

I have been able to capture previously- i don't know what happened that it will not allow me to capture now. I did play with the settings on the camera, but don't know if that had anything to do with it. i use a Canon HV30 camera.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
The software is Movie Studio 9 Platinum.

Thank you
Mona

Comments

Himanshu wrote on 8/18/2009, 6:27 PM
Does Windows recognize the camera when you connect it?
Did the HV30 come with any software? If so, does that recognize the camera?

If yes, VMS may be the source of the problem. If not, you should look at the camera, cables (I'm assuming FireWire), or your FireWire card/port, or camera driver software as a possible source of the problem and rule them out one at a time.
MonaYoga wrote on 8/18/2009, 6:46 PM
Thank you for your reply. The HV30 does not come with software and i have called Canon tech support today and explained the problem and they said it was the software. there is no problem with the fire wire.
Himanshu wrote on 8/18/2009, 6:51 PM
Certainly, what Cannon said is a possibility. Question is, can you confirm that? First I would connect the camera as you normally do, and see if Windows recognizes it - you should hear a "ding" and some indication that new hardware was connected. Maybe a popup asking you want you want to do next. Do you get anything like that?

If no, then Windows isn't seeing the camera, in which case VMS cannot be suspect until you check out the camera, firewire cable, port & driver software (which based on what you said, there isn't any, so it's using default Windows drivers).
MonaYoga wrote on 8/18/2009, 7:04 PM
I just did the updates for this software that was just posted. Where would i find the drivers for this software? I am a novice at this --my questions will be basic. i don't think the software is recognizing the camera.
Himanshu wrote on 8/18/2009, 7:12 PM
No worries for being a novice...we all learn somewhere, somehow.

If I understand your reply, when you say "this software" you are referring to VMS. If you'd like to try what I'm suggesting, then ignore VMS for now. Exit out of Vegas Movie Studio, then reconnect your camera, and observe if Microsoft Windows recognizes your camera. Based on that, follow the next steps in my previous post.

Good luck. I'll check in tomorrow.
MonaYoga wrote on 8/18/2009, 7:28 PM
Thank you ! i will do that and let you know what happens.
MonaYoga wrote on 8/19/2009, 10:23 AM
I was able to capture the video last night using Windows Movie Maker- it worked fine- so the problem must be with VMS. Should i deinstall and reinstall it? If i do that will that affect any projects i have done? Thank you so much for your help.
Mona
Himanshu wrote on 8/19/2009, 4:02 PM
Uninstalling & reinstalling doesn't affect any projects you already have on your system. However, I'm not sure if there's enough reason to do that yet (feel free to do it if you'd like though).

It's good to know you can capture using Windows Movie Maker - rules out any issues with your camera, cable and drivers.

Can you confirm that you are connecting your camcorder via FireWire and not USB? I don't know if the HV30 has a USB port at all, but it would work work if you did connect via USB.

Next take a look at SCS's knowledgebase article on Camcorder not recognized by Vegas.
MonaYoga wrote on 8/19/2009, 5:06 PM
forgive my ignorance- the cable is silvery in color and does connect to a usb port on the back of the computer
Himanshu wrote on 8/19/2009, 5:59 PM
The color of the cable can vary so it doesn't definitively indicate what it is, but if you say it connects to the USB port on the back of the computer, then it is a USB cable.

If indeed you are connecting via USB, VMS will not "see" the camera. So now the question is, does the HV30 camera have a FireWire port? If so, connect it to the computer with a FireWire cable (assuming your PC has that port...didn't see your system specs in your user profile), and then VMS will recognize it. I'm surprised that no HV30 owner has replied to this thread yet!

FYI - FireWire is also known as IEEE 1394 and may have an "a" or "b" tacked on to the end of it, i.e. 1394a or 1394b.
zigip wrote on 8/20/2009, 10:29 AM
I had problems with windows xp and hv30. After much trial and tribulations, here are my lessons learned
1. windows movie maker only captures DV (standard defintion) video. I was not able to capture HDV video with windows movie maker.
2. The output is determined by a playback menu option (output, options are hdv, dv or auto). i never got auto to work (maybe cuz i never tried a program what can capture both on the fly).
3. you can only change the mode when the camera is in play mode AND the firewire cable is not plugged in; make sure you unplug the firewire before you change the playback mode.
4. Recap DV - record in DV., playback dv, windows movie should work fine. If the camera is in HDV mode, windows movie maker wil not recognize teh camera

5. HDV - i never go vidcap to work well (lots of dropped frames),so i use HDV split. HDV split ONLY supports HDV format. If you have the camera setup for DV (for windows movie), then HDVsplit will NOT recognize HV30. Make sure you change the mode with the cable unplugged

6. VIDCAP - i am under the impression that vidcap is only for hdv, but i coudl be mistaken; if that is the case then see rules for #5.

Basically - windows is DV only, hdvsplit (vidcap?) is hdv only, and your playback mode on the hv30 must match.


And..HV30 does not come with video capturing software, and there are no drivers for video cameras.