Recording to digital video tape

HarryG1959 wrote on 12/10/2002, 9:34 PM
I'm new to VF, and I haven't been able to send my first project back to my Sony TRV 340. Each time that I attempt using Video Capture I get the message file format (.avi) is not correct for device, or invalid device was specified. I have the camera connected via USB cable, not firewire. There were no problems capturing video. Is it the USB that is the problem, or am I missing something else? Thanks for the help.

Harry

Comments

Chienworks wrote on 12/11/2002, 6:49 AM
As far as i know, Print To Tape will only function through firewire. You must also render your .avi file using the standard DV NTSC or DV PAL templates with no changes at all.
Simmer wrote on 12/11/2002, 9:18 AM
Harry

What OS are you running?
I may be wrong but I don't believe that VF contains a native 1394 driver (port level or class driver). Most apps rely on the drivers supplied in the driver stack (driver supplied by the card manufacturer or native to the OS as is the case for XP (Win98 has no native mass storage class support for USB, only HID)).

I believe that VF would simply open a handle to a multi-media device (in this case a registered DV type device) and communcate with it via the standard read/write/open (FileCreate())/close/status protocol established under Windows irregardless of interface.

One thing to remember though is that if you are talking USB 1.1, that protocol may not lend itself well to streaming video (like PTT) since, by definition, USB 1.1 can only transfer (for full spead devices) up to a max of 10Mbs (mega-bits/second).
As apposed to 1394 (or firewire for the MAC fans) which maxes out at 400Mbs or even USB 2.0 which is 480Mbs (numbers are valid only at the spec level).

To be safe though (as Chienworks mentioned), those of us who have been fortunate enough to have had some success at PTTing so far have used 1394 so perhaps that is your best bet.

-Mike

HarryG1959 wrote on 12/11/2002, 1:23 PM
Thanks for the advice,I'm running Windows XP. I'll pick up a 1394 cable and see if it resolves the problem. I'm just wondering now if the quality of the video that I captured will suffer from the USB connection. I don't relish the idea of starting the project over, but I guess that we learn from our mistakes!

Thanks again,

Harry
IanG wrote on 12/11/2002, 5:21 PM
You'll also need a firewire card if there isn't one already in your system. I don't know if the quality of your captured video will have suffered (I suspect not), but if you move your existing captured video to a new location and then capture again, using the same location and file names, you shouldn't need to do anything more than re-render and PTT.

Ian G.