Yup, this is a known issue, and thanks to Spot (I think it was Spot) there is a simple way to solve the problem. See this:

HDV Capture Driver Installation (for non-XP SP2 installations)

Phooey, the link is dead and I can't find the document via Google. The problem it described only applied to XP SP1 or before. If you have SP2, then you have another problem. However, if you have XP SP1, you have to install a driver for something other than DV. The link above that no longer works is:

http://hdvforever.com/hdv/hdrhc1/freecapture/default.htm

[Edit] I found a little more info -- see my continuation post below ...

OK, to capture from HDV camcorders when you are using XP SP1 or before, you need to manually add the driver, and you need to specify DVHS as the driver.

Oh good, finally, here's that post from Spot. It gives the step-by-step procedures.

Capturing HDV

But if you are on SP1 it's best by far to run windows update and get current for many reasons too numerous to mention. There is no point in not doing so.

Call me a curmudgeon, but I'm happy sitting here with XPsp1, and don't see much point in going to sp2. I did update one of our PCs to sp2 when it first came out, and didn't like the results, but I now can't recall exactly why. But everything is working very well at this point, and I've been through the pain of updating enough times to sense when it's best to leave well enough alone.

Next stop: Feisty Fawn!

But if you are on SP1 it's best by far to run windows update and get current for many reasons too numerous to mention. There is no point in not doing so.

My main computer has been running SP1 since I bought it. I never upgrade, unless I have a specific problem that will be solved by a specific update. If you subscribe to Brian Livingston's newsletter, which tracks all the idiotic Microsoft updates, you'll find that many of them cause problems, some of which are later fixed in subsequent updates.

Don't get me wrong, I have SP2 on later computers, and it works fine, but near as I can tell, there is nothing exceptionally better about it in terms of performance. There are some things better about the Firewire driver, but also some things that are worse (in terms of performance).

So, under the basic heading "if at ain't broke, don't fix it," a lot of people try not to upgrade unless necessary. I am one of those.

Finally, FWIW, I spent four hours last week, and will be spending two more hours on Friday, fixing my next-door neighbor's computer that got trashed when she decided to accept one of the nag prompts from Microsoft's "Automatic Updates." The computer is perfectly fine, except for the registry, which got hosed. Unfortunately, it is a SATA drive, and I don't have an external enclosure that accepts SATA, so I had to buy one (because I can't use the Recovery Console on her computer -- long story). Sooo .... just an example of why I am reluctant to upgrade.

Three and a half years with this computer and not one problem.

Ah, riredale, you posted just as I did. A fellow curmudgeon !!

Staying with an old o/s is OK if you stay with old programs, but if you have updated your MS Office and all your Macromedia/Adobe software to latest versions etc. and a host of other things the time will come when you will need something from a current MS issue. Even I had to update my Visual C++ before Vegas 7e would install.

I'm running XP SP2. Eventually figured it out. On the third reinstall of the device driver for the camera I saw an entry in the "sound, video and game controllers" in the Device Manager (rather than in "imaging devices" where DV devices show up) for "AV/C Tape Device." The "av/c tape device" is apparently the HDV device driver in Windows. When I went back into Vegas' internal capture I could pulldown the preferences tab and find my camera under the IEEE 1394/MPEG2-TS Device drop down...

I don't recall where I got this tip, but this fixed the problem for me:

The PC wants drivers for a "AV/C Subunit" device that doesn't seem to exist.

It seems that the solution is to install the Sony D-VHS Tape device.

After you've plugged in the camera cancel out of the "installing 'AV/C Subunit' drivers".
Go to Computer Management/Device Manager where you'll see a device named "AV/C Subunit" with a yellow exclamation point.
Right-click on the yellow exclamation point.
Select UPDATE DRIVER.
Select INSTALL FROM A LIST OR SPECIFIC LOCATION, click NEXT.
Select DON'T SEARCH, click NEXT
Select the "SOUND, VIDEO AND GAME CONTROLLER" category, click NEXT.
Scroll down to the SONY brand name, then select the "Sony D-VHS Device".

After installing this the deck works perfectly!

Steve,

that is what was in Spot's post that I linked to.