Print to tape a pixelated mess

mrp wrote on 2/9/2002, 12:35 PM

When I Print-toTape, the output is pixelated, the audio is garbled, and the picture cuts in and out. In short, it is completely unwatchable.
Curiously, the avi file plays flawlessly on my computer. Video Capture recognizes my DV camcorder and is able to control it through the software.
I am using a SIIG 1394 2-port CardBus with a Canon Elura MiniDV.
The camcorder does not seem to like the signal it is receiving from the computer as it is making all sorts of weird sounds and the picture (if you can call it that) is jumping all over the place.

I don't know if the following situation is related to my Print-to-Tape problem but I will described it for back story:
Initially, when I clicked "Make a Movie" in VF, I got the error message that "VF has detected it was not shutdown properly. Would you like to reload the prvious project." I clicked Yes. But then, I got the error message that "An error has occurred during the current operation. An exception has occurred." And then VF would crash. I was able to work around this problem by going into "Video Capture" from the File menu, instead of clicking "Make a Movie".

Comments

mrp wrote on 2/11/2002, 11:41 PM

Here is additional information regarding my problem.

When I used the "Print Your Movie To DV Tape" feature, I was able to render and print to tape several short clips, 5 to 20 seconds each. However, if I tried to render and print my movie which is 3 minutes long, it would not print.
The weird thing is that if I tried to later print the short clips "from an existing file", it would not print.
So, in summary, I can not print to tape a previously rendered file, and I can not print to tape a 3 minute movie. I can, however, print to tape short clips, but I can only do this once.

Finally, when I close Video Capture, I now get the message asking if "I want to save changes to default sfvidcap?" I respond, "No". I don't even know what that means.

FYI, I am using a SIIG 2-port 1394 cardbus. On their website, they caution that their card does not work with DV AVI type 2 or Video for Windows - there is no codec to support type 2. Therefore, I rendered all my clips by unchecking the option to "Create an OpenDML (type 2) compatible file".

jimcho wrote on 2/12/2002, 11:46 AM

This really sounds like a driver issue.

Did you
1) Flash the latest bios for your motherboard?
2) Install the latest chipset drivers for your motherboard?
3) Install directX 8.1?
4) Install the latest video drivers for your video card?
5) Install the latest VideoFactory 2.0c (full version)?

mrp wrote on 2/12/2002, 1:26 PM

I have installed the latest bios for the motherboard. I do not know about the chipset drivers for the motherboard, though. Nothing is available on the Dell website regarding updating this. The motherboard is listed as:
Compal Electrornics
440 BX Desktop Reference Platform

DirectX 8.1 is installed.
The video driver is up to date.
Video Factory is ver. 2.0c (build 125).
--
Michael

jimcho wrote on 2/12/2002, 1:40 PM

Here's a link to the chipset updates:
http://appsr.intel.com/scripts-df/Product_Filter.asp?ProductID=129

If that doesn't work, here is a link to an interesting troubleshooting guide:
http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/ieee-1394_support.html

smdyer wrote on 5/6/2002, 3:50 AM

I have followed with interest this topic, as I have been having an almost identical problem with print to tape. I am very keen to know MRP, if you resolved this issue and whether it was acheived by updating the various drivers that JIMCHO suggested, or if you resolved it in some other way.
I am desperate to hear of advice re: print to tape, other than enabling DMA, closing all background programs and defragging hard drives.

Thanks in anticipation.
Sandra

Terry25 wrote on 5/6/2002, 8:48 AM

Perhaps your card is sharing its IRQ with too many other things.

To check:
Start Menu-->Program-->Accesories-->System Tools-->System Information

In that program go to Hardware Resources and click on IRQs
Find your card and see what its sharing its IRQ with. Try and isolate it to its own channel(which can be quite an exercise). Or disable anything it shares it with.
See if that helps.

safari_tim wrote on 5/6/2002, 10:54 AM

Doesn't the firewire card have to be OHIC complient? If its not compatible with video for windows, isn't that a problem?

-Tim

Terry25 wrote on 5/7/2002, 1:52 AM

Thats a funny problem isn't it. I tend to think of Firewire as just a data stream that doesn't care about what it sends out.

From Microsoft:
"...the type-2 file format requires a small amount of additional processing to split and multiplex the DV stream during the functions of capture and transmit to IEEE 1394 DV devices."
I guess they just can't be bothered making a driver.

But the rabbit hole gets deeper on this one... according to that camera's specifications:
"DV Terminal: Special 4-pin connector (based on IEEE1394)"

Uh oh it said SPECIAL! Can't find anything more about what makes it special but special can be very bad.

But the problem doesn't sound like information isn't getting through, it sounds like the information simply isn't getting there fast enough.

Grazie wrote on 5/7/2002, 2:41 AM

I've been reading this thread with alot of concern & interest. I don't know that what I have to say will add to an enlightened solution or what. I just can't sit by and see another VF user struggling. I've been given a lot of support over the past weeks and ...Okay here goes:

1. I have a Dell Inspiron laptop

2. It came with a specific "Qualified" OHCI Firewire 1394 4 pin port

3. Dell issued a users guide saying that this port had been "Qualified" for use with their Movie Studio Solution package.

4. Way prior to this thread appearing, I'd done some research to see if I could use same port for adding a large external Maxtor firewire hard drive (60gb).

5. In the responses I recieved, from various sources, it was blatantly obvious I would not be able to use this "4-pin" port for anything else other than DV - in or out.

6. I therefore plumbed for (chose) leaving this port alone to its own devices (no pun intended!).

7. What ports do I have left that could handle the bit rates for DV activity? I am successfully employing just 1 of my two PCMCIA Type II slots with a Maxtor firewire card to access the flow of data (DV, all files etc) to and from an external Maxtor 60gb hd.

8. Whether I can now USE this (PCMCIA) setup for piping DV though my Dazzle DV-AV convertor I haven't tried. I guess I won't bother.

9. This is the thing - I only use the 4-pin "Qualified" OHCI 1394 firewire port for getting my DV in(capture) and out (post production) of my laptop and leave the Maxtor PCMCIA card for production and editing purposes.

10. Question: Is the port in question "Qualified" as such a DV only port? Do you see anything in the above that can give you a clue?

I think I've applied myself to carefully deciding "If Dell say I can't use this port for anything else other than DV stuff... then I wont!" - It maybe an ugly solution but it does work. I am not clever enough to look under the bonnet/hood of this particluar vehicle and come up with a "smoother" solution.

As I said at the start, I don't know if this will be of any help, but I can't see a VF colleague struggling and not getting on and use this remarkable, function-rich and (now) becoming for me, intuitive SW for DV NLE.

Tarah

Grazie

smdyer wrote on 5/7/2002, 4:30 AM

Thank you Terry, Tim and Grazie for taking the time to add to this thread.

I have taken on board your suggestions and have to date tried shuffling my firewire card around and will keep trying to 'isolate it to it's own channel'.
Grazie thank you for highlighting the need to only use the OHCI Firewire 1394 4 pin port for capture and print to tape. I too have not had other pieces of hardware running off this card.

As MRP had mentioned in the original posts, I am able to render, then send short piece of video - 60 seconds or less - (AVI Pal DV), back to my camera, but anything
longer is a problem. Your suggestion Terry, that 'the information is not getting through fast enough', makes sense.
It's all a little confusing, so I have appreciated your ideas.
Happy editing,
Sandra

Grazie wrote on 5/7/2002, 4:38 AM

Sandra - Please let us know how you get on. I'm out of ideas and would be truly impressed (not difficult for me!) if you come up with a solution, which in turn would add to my kowledge bank, in the likelyhood I too get a "similar" issue.

One last shot at it though! Have you tried to do a search on this Forum - around your issues? Another thought is try Computer Video website - http://www.dvdoctor.net/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi?action=intro&BypassCookie=true/

Yer never know! And in any event you may even pick up some really useful editing and NLE instruction and general ideas....

Tarah

Grazie

Terry25 wrote on 5/9/2002, 12:07 AM

Here's my little story I neglected to mention...

I recently had a computer motherboard burn out on me. (And shortly there-after an AC box that went out with a bang and a brilliant blue flash. Me thinks I got ghosts in the house wiring) The chip was still good so I just replaced the moboard. I discovered I could not print out a perfect glitch free video. I had a short four minute thing and every time I tried it either there'd be some garbled frames, or a bit of audio would cut out. Nothing too big, just small little annoying things.

After trying just about everything I could (most of it mentioned here, some of it reduced the glitches) the thing that solved it was having a hard drive on its own IDE cable. As mentioned, just wasn't getting there fast enough. Funny I forgot about this.

smdyer wrote on 5/9/2002, 3:05 AM

Grazie, if I ever solve my video editing glitches, I will shout from the rooftops and though "Down Under", you will certainly hear. Yes I have checked out this forum for similar issues, and that was why this particular thread was of interest to me.
I will also check out the computer video website included in your response. Thanks.

I suspect Terry, that I will have to consult a techno whizz, who can help me with my computer setup. I am running Windows ME with two hard drives and can only enable DMA on the second (my video captue and editing) drive. I then have to disable DMA in order to be able to edit without my files becoming corrupted. I render, then enable DMA again, but though I can save to CD, Print to tape is no go and is just as mrp, described at the beginning of this thread. The Microsoft hotfix for this issue, did not help. I have spent lots of time shuffling around the cards that I can, sound and firewire cards etc, updating drivers, (am not yet game enough to update the bios), defragging, and searching for tips etc, but I suspect that my limited technical knowledge is stopping me from getting to the bottom of my woes. I'm not familiar with slaves/masters etc. etc. , but checking out how my harddrives are set up, gives me another course of action.
Like everyone who contributes to this forum, I really enjoy working with Video Factory, and am thinking that it would be excellent to use at school with some of the older kids.
I have appreciated your ideas and will not give up.
Thanks again,
Sandra

Grazie wrote on 5/9/2002, 3:55 AM

Smdyer, glad to be of some use.

Just a note... I had trouble running my DVD player. Stuttering, audio out of sync etc etc. My DMA was enabled and I'd checked out other possibilities blah blah blah! Now get this, it was while I was searching on the, I think the DVDoctor Forum, that I stumbled across the following. An Aussie chap was having DMA probs. He noticed that when he, yes, disabled DMA he found DVDs started to play again! Yeah right! I gave it a go and yup Nicholas Cage worked again! My DVD player keeps on warning me that DMA isn't enabled and that to make it work it would be a reeeealy good idea to do so. I ignore this now, and my DVD plays well. If I come acros other DVDs that don't play so well I just enable the DMA on my DVD settings. It seems that not all DVDs [ie media or production] play happily with DMA enabled. The Aussie carried on saying that some BIOS settings have something called SDMA or UDMA which tends to get "in front" of subsequent DMA settings and this causes conflicts with certain repeat certain, DVDs. Now I realise this is a far cry from what we are writing about... however and I am not suggesting for one moment you do this, I'm no techie, but maybe there is a clue here... don't know... just a thought.

Regards

Grazie

laz wrote on 5/9/2002, 7:53 AM

This is just a long shot and could be completely offkey, but are your 'project properties' under 'file' the same as your output? It's just a thought... and I do have silly thoughts sometimes.

smdyer wrote on 5/10/2002, 3:06 AM

Long Shots and possible clues are always welcome.
Thanks again.
Sandra