iLink with Sony FX1

tcbetka wrote on 10/24/2008, 3:34 PM
Ok, apparently I am a moron...

Having recorded some HDV footage with the FX1 earlier this week, I am now trying to capture it onto the PC. I am using the HDV capture utility in Vegas. I've read the instructions in the FX1 manual about 8 times--and even searched the forum archives here and on the DV Information Network forum, just to make sure I understand the process. I just installed a firewire PCI card, and the computer even recognizes it...so I've got *that* going for me, which is nice. When I bought the camera I got a 4-pin to 6-pin firewire cord included from the seller. He told me it worked flawlessly with FCP, and while the camera is about 10 months old (he bought it from B&H last December), he only used it for 4-5 hours--and the thing looks brand new. Many of the accessories in the box hadn't even been unwrapped yet.

So I set-up the camera first: HDV mode (not Auto or DV) and iLink CONV to OFF. But nothing; the camera is simply not recognized by Vegas. I do get an option for "AJA Video Device" under the Device Type now, whereas all I got before installing the firewire card was "IEEE 1394/MPEG2-TS Device." But I do not see anything under the Devices.

So what am I doing wrong here? There must be something. I don't really have anything to test the new firewire port, other than that XP gave me a message telling me that the new device was ready to use. I suppose I could hook my Windows laptop, which has a 4-pin firewire port. At least I could see if I could connect the two machines together and verify that the firewire port is working on the video PC.

I would appreciate any tips someone could send my way.

Thanks in advance.

TB

EDIT: Although I cannot seem to get my laptop to sync up with the Video PC, the Device Manager in XP tells me that the firewire PCI card is functioning properly. I'll try to find another firewire device to connect to the PC though; just to verify that the card is OK.

Comments

CorTed wrote on 10/24/2008, 3:40 PM
Can you connect the camera to the laptop with your cable to see if it recognize the camera, at least you know the cable works then.

It seems to me there is something wrong with your firewire card. Windows should pick up the camera before Vegas vidcap does

Ted
tcbetka wrote on 10/24/2008, 3:44 PM
Well...if I had a Mac, that would work fine! But my laptop only has a 4-pin firewire port, and the only camera firewire cord I have is 4-pin on one end, and 6-pin on the other. So, no...unfortunately. I cannot connect the two.

I suppose I could go downtown tomorrow though, and pick up a 4-pin/4-pin firewire cable though. Then I could test it. I thought of that this morning actually, before my wife picked up the PCI firewire card for me. The place she went only about 100 of them, I'm sure...lol.

TB
winrockpost wrote on 10/24/2008, 3:45 PM
sounds to me like you are doing all correct,, its either card, cable or hopefully not my old fx1, which had blown firewire
tcbetka wrote on 10/24/2008, 3:49 PM
Just got off the phone with the store where I got the card. I am going to take it back and they'll test it and exchange it. That way I'll know for sure.

Back in a bit.

TB
Serena wrote on 10/24/2008, 4:01 PM
You select device preference IEEE which should take you to HDR-FX1 if the connection is correct. If not, download HDVSplit (free) and try that for capture. If neither of those work, we need more discussion. Don't despair!
tcbetka wrote on 10/24/2008, 4:10 PM
Thanks Serena...I read about that one.

I sort of think it's a PCI card problem, because at first Vista didn't recognize it. I specifically asked the store if it would work with Vista 64, before I bought it this morning. They researched and said yes it would. But still, I though maybe it's not supported so I rebooted it into XP 32. But XP didn't recognize it in the first PCI slot either. Now I am not saying I am perfect, but I have installed more than a few PCI cards in the last 15 years of messing with computers--and I re-verified that it was correctly installed. It was.

So I installed it into the PCI next to the first slot I tried, and XP finally recognized it. But XP did NOT recognize the camera when I turned it on after plugging in the cord. But the device manager did say it was functioning properly though, so I am just not sure. That's why I'll get it checked by the store--and pick up a 4/4 firewire cord as well. I'll get to the bottom of things.

Thanks for the tip on the correct Vegas setting though--that'll come in handy when (if) the time comes!

TB

kairosmatt wrote on 10/24/2008, 4:31 PM
I had the same problem with my A1 which is very similar in terms of setup and capture. Twice in fact.

Turns out its the cable itself. Before yous start taking things apart and back, grab another cable and give it go. Might be the easiest solution, and if not, then start digging!

Also, glad to hear that on your deathbed you will receive total consciousness.

kairosmatt
tcbetka wrote on 10/24/2008, 5:13 PM
Nope. It was the card...

I got a new PCI card and installed it--it was recognized by BOTH operating systems, and both OS also recognized the camera immediately, as soon as I turned it on. So I then started up Vegas and hit the vidcap button...low & behold there it was, in the device window. So it does indeed capture HDV, which is pretty nice considering what the camera cost!

But oddly, I do not get a preview of the video being captured. It says "video preview unavailable." So I must have missed a check box somewhere. A small problem compared to the one that just got solved...

Thanks for the help folks.

TB

tcbetka wrote on 10/24/2008, 5:41 PM
OK, I give up here. Anyone know if there's a button to toggle video preview on/off in the vidcap window? I cannot find one in the preferences area, nor can I find anything in the forum archives.

Vegas is capturing just fine now--I just can't see a preview of what's going onto the hard drive, except on the LCD screen of the camera.

TB
Serena wrote on 10/24/2008, 6:09 PM
Sorry TB, darned if I can answer that. My Vegas has the preview window working -- in the capture panel.
tcbetka wrote on 10/24/2008, 6:15 PM
Well, this is version 8.1...so it might be an "undocumented feature" that I am not aware of. Never though of that.

I will try to capture some video in 8c next, to see if I get a preview. In the meantime, I will look search the forum for the bug list for 8.1. It might just be a bug.

Thanks Serena.

TB

EDIT: Yup...another undocumented feature in 8.1 I think. It previews just fine in version 8c on Vista 64. I've posted it in the 8.1 bug thread, and will watch to see if anyone else has seen this issue. I can't believe I'm the first one to notice.