Print to Tape (camcorder) problem

RichMitt wrote on 2/18/2005, 4:17 PM
I have compiled a movie in Movie Studio 3 and have rendered it as an AVI file. Now I want to export the AVI file back to the camcorder. As per the manual, I went to Capture Video, selected the Print to Tape tab, and opened the file.

It came up just fine and plays okay on the Capture Video preview window.
The manual seems to indicate that it will also be showing at the same time on the camcorder screen (the camcorder being in the VTR mode). But it isn't.

There is also a "Preview on Device" button on the Capture Video/Print to Tape screen. The manual doesn't mention that button, but I clicked on that anyway and got the following message:

"An error occurred while previewing the file on the device. The file format is not correct for the current device."

What am I doing wrong?

I assumed that the AVI file generated by Movie Studio would be the correct format for inputting into a camcorder (in this case a 1-year-old Sony DCR-TRV350 digital camcorder). This is the same camcorder that produced the video clips I used to prepare the movie, which were imported via firewire and Video Capture with no problem.

Comments

Chienworks wrote on 2/18/2005, 6:58 PM
What format is the AVI file? Did you use the DV template (either NTSC or PAL as is appropriate for your camera) when rendering it? If you used any other template, or if you changed any custom settings in the DV template, then you don't have a true DV file and the camcorder can't accept it.
RichMitt wrote on 2/19/2005, 1:04 PM
Good point, Chienworks. I thought I had rendered to DV-NTSC, but I did it again just to be sure.

Now I have a new problem. As soon as I connect the camcorder and turn it on in the VCR mode, Video Capture comes up and wants to download FROM the camera. The Capture Video screen comes up in the "Capture Blank Tape" mode, and I can't get it to change to the "Print to Tape" mode.

I have a Sony DCR-TRV-350 digital camcorder, and as I recall, when I capture FROM the camcorder, Movie Studio/Capture Video controls the camcorder from the computer. Would this have anything to do with it - that is - is it possiblethe camcorder will only download when it sees Movie Studio? According to the camcorder manual, I should be able to record on the camcorder a tape from a VCR that has DV inputs using the i-link (firewire) cable. So why can't I record from Movie Studio?

Any clues as to what I should do?
scifly2 wrote on 2/19/2005, 11:11 PM
are your menu settings on the camera set to record thru firewire? Also is device control turned on in Movie Studio?
RichMitt wrote on 2/20/2005, 2:08 PM
Thanks for the good suggestions, scifly2. I'll check them out. But I can't seem to find the "device control" in Movie Studio?
IanG wrote on 2/21/2005, 4:24 AM
Enable / disable device control is in the video capture program.

Ian G.
RichMitt wrote on 2/21/2005, 9:37 AM
Thanks, IanG. I have found the Enable DV Device Control switch in the Preferences menu, and it is checked. What is the purpose of this control, and do I want it checked or unchecked if I am exporting to the camcorder?

The manual doesn't seem to be very helpful in describing the switches in the Preferences menu - or at least I haven't been able to find the documentation.
RichMitt wrote on 2/22/2005, 5:41 PM
Still have not been able to print to my camcorder. I've submitted a detailed e-mail to Sony Support. I'll let y'all know if they can solve my problem.

In the meantime, I have found a satisfactory explanation of the items in the Preferences menu. The trick is that one must be in the Video Capture mode before going to Help. Then do a Search for Preferences. The first hit - "Prefernces" gave a fairly detailed explantion of the various switches. The second hit - "Troubleshooting" - also had some helpful information - but unfortuntately, nothing to solve my immediate problem.
IanG wrote on 2/23/2005, 1:09 AM
I don't know your camera, but is it a European model? There are some taxation laws over here that make DV IN too expensive to include as a feature. It may be that your camera can't record from firewire.

<edit>

I've just noticed you're using NTSC - another theory bites the dust!

Ian G.
RichMitt wrote on 2/24/2005, 9:12 AM
According to the camcorder manual, it is supposed to be able to "record a moving picture from external equipment" using the i-link/firewire connection.

My wife took the camera back to the shop where we bought it, and they successfully imported video to the camcorder from another device (I believe it was another camcorder) using tirewise. So I think the camcorder is okay.

I believe the problem is somewhere in the computer - either in Movie Studio 3 or in the firewire setup on the computer side. Somewhere there is a setting that needs to be changed. At least that's my current theory.

No word from Sony yet, except that they acknowledged my message.
RichMitt wrote on 3/10/2005, 4:28 PM
I should report that I have now been successful in printing my project to the camcorder and then from the camcorder to the DVD recorder. I'm not sure if it is possible to go directly from Movie Studio to the DVD recorder, but going through the camcorder works, and the movie came out looking and sounding just fine.

I'm not sure what my problem was. My wife took the camcorder in to the dealer, and he verified that he could upload into the camcorder from another source. It's possible that he changed a setting that was causing the blockage, but he didn't say anything about it. Or, I might have had a loose firewire connection at the computer.

Whatever the problem was, it seems to be solved. And I didn't have to do the firewire fix to Windows XP Service Pack 2, which looked scary to me.

Thanks to everyone who made suggestions.