Help - Canopus Capture Problem

Jim Hall wrote on 1/26/2006, 5:03 PM

I'm a very new Vegas Video user! And could use some guidence.

I can capture digital video from a Sony DCR-PC7 camcorder just fine. I am also trying to capture analog video from VCR tapes. I bought a Canopus ADVC-55 thinking I needed it to import the video to Vegas. I've connected the device between the VCR and the computer and it doesn't seem to be passing any signal. I also get no Status Indicator light.

I am using a an ATI Rage Theater Video Capture Card 8500 DV.

Any suggestions??

Comments

Jacksmyname wrote on 1/26/2006, 5:40 PM

I just got the ADVC-110 last night. Hooked it up to my wife's computer and started capturing with Windows Movie Maker with no problems; my wife is using it right now.
How did you connect everything?
I have an old VHS camcorder connected to the inputs on the front of the ADVC unit with RCA cables, and the output from the ADVC unit is connected to a firewire port on the computer. The unit gets power from the firewire port on the computer, but it must be a 6 pin port. If it's a 4 pin port, you'll need to get the power adapter accessory which includes a 6 pin to 4 pin cable. The fact that you get no status light indicates it's not connected properly.
Also, be sure that the right input is selected on the unit, analog or digital. It's easy to miss that (I have several times).
Jack

Jim Hall wrote on 1/26/2006, 5:59 PM

Jack,

Thanks for the reply. I'm connecting to the computer with a six pin cable. For some reason, the computer isn't recognizing the Canopus.

Any other thoughts?

Jacksmyname wrote on 1/26/2006, 7:38 PM

Hi Jim. Don't know; as soon as I connected it to the firewire port on my wife's computer, Windows installed it; working fine here.
Only thing I can think of is to check in device manager and see if your firewire port is showing, and with no problems.
If there's a problem with it, you'll see a yellow exclamation point next to it.
Jack

MichaelS wrote on 1/26/2006, 8:29 PM

Jim,

This may or may not be relevant, but I encountered a similar problem a year or so ago on a Dell laptop.

It seems that there are "special" drivers needed for a Dell computers (possible others). You may want to do a search to determine if your system qualifies for this special attention.

Take a look here:

http://www.geocities.com/delldvinfo/BasicInfo.htm

Good luck!

Jim Hall wrote on 1/26/2006, 9:02 PM

Thanks for the replies!

Michael, my computer isn't a Dell, so I don't think I'm having the same problems as you did.

Jack, I looked for the firewire port in my device manager. I found the ATI 8500 DV listed in the Display Adapters. I didn't see any "firewire port" listed. The port does work with pure DV from a camcorder.

I did take my Canopus and tried hooking it into a firewire port on another computer of mine and the Status Indicator Light came on! So, the device seems to be okay.

Jacksmyname wrote on 1/27/2006, 3:44 AM

Hi Jim.
In device manager, look for an entry like this:
IEEE 1394 Bus host controllers
If you have it, expand it and you should get this:
OHCI Compliant IEEE 1394 Host Controller
Re-reading your post, I think you may be connecting to the wrong port on your computer. Firewire ports are usually on the front of the computer and/or on the sound card. Mine is on my sound card.
Also, the cable should be 6 pin to 6 pin, same on both ends. If you're connecting your camera to a DV input on your video card, it would work because the camera has it's own power supply. The Canopus doesn't. It gets power from the 6 pin firewire port. If that's the case, you would probably need the power supply kit for the Canopus device. It's an A/C adapter and comes with a 4 pin to 6 pin connector; cost is about $40.
Jack

Jim Hall wrote on 1/27/2006, 8:51 AM

Thanks Jack. I'll check that device manager again. I'm off to the radio station and will follow your lead when I return!

Jim Hall wrote on 1/27/2006, 5:14 PM

Thanks guys for the help. I finally got it figured out.

I found out my computer's video card has no AC power supply attached to it, so it didn't activate the status light and the video converter wouldn't work. I got a 3 port Firewire Host Card, installed it hooked the Canopus to it and it works fine!!

Thanks, I'm off and dubbing.

Jacksmyname wrote on 1/27/2006, 7:16 PM

Glad you're up and running!