Video Preview and Capture

Glenn L wrote on 7/8/2012, 12:11 PM
This is a second post on basically the same issue as before, but I wanted to see if this post with new information would help.

As soon as I try to capture video from a DV camera, the capture process ends and the software goes back to the main timeline view. My issues have progressed from bad to worse, and I can't make any sense out of the pattern. i have the preview box checked in the preferences.

I have uninstalled the software (twice), cleaned temp files on hard drive, moved the software to my "d" internal drive instead of "c" to get a fresh start and before doing this tried to delete the old Vegas folder on the "c" drive but the system would not let me saying some files were shared with other programs.

I've used vegas studio for years. I've had capture issues in older versions of the software, but I have captured many hours of DV tape in Vegas Studio 10 without issue. Now, I've tried so many things I can't think of anything to do.

I tried a new tape and have changed cameras. I am using a firewire, which is what I have always done. What is amazing is that the problem has gotten worse. The software used to at least capture video, but it would not move the clips to the media folder. The box that shows the captured files would disappear. Now I am not getting that far.

Can it be the external hard drive--it seems to be working fine--but I have run out of sources to think of for the issue.

Is it worth paying for Sony's help? I'd pay the $30.00 to get this resolved but I would like to know if others have found real expert help using the paid tech support.

Comments

rdandrea wrote on 7/8/2012, 12:16 PM
Before spending $30, have you tried searching the Knowledgebase? Click the Support link above.
richard-amirault wrote on 7/8/2012, 5:23 PM
Capture can be tricky and the problem may actually have nothing to do with Vegas.

I have one computer that worked great for capture ... then, all of a sudden, it would drop frames like crazy .. 30 or 40 per minute .. completly unusable.

It was not my main editing computer so I ended up capturing in Windows Movie Maker and importing the file into Vegas.

Never did figure out the problem, It may have something to do with some program I installed ... but I'll never know.
musicvid10 wrote on 7/8/2012, 6:31 PM
You've given no information about your system or your firewire interface (which chipset, etc).

Many folks with Windows 7 have had to uninstall the firewire drivers and install legacy drivers in order to get video capture to work. As was suggested, I would focus on hardware and drivers, less on the Vegas capture utility.

Scenalyzer (an external capture application) is still available, so you may want to give that a spin.
Kimberly wrote on 7/8/2012, 10:23 PM
Glenn:

Are you able to capture with HDVSplit? Some 4-5 weeks ago I had the same issue on my computer, i.e., could not capture in Vegas OR HDVSplit. Then my computer died completely and I had to do a clean install of Windows, etc., when I got home to bring it back to life. Now it works fine again.

Like other users, I never did figure out why the capture ceased to function and why it now works. Wish I could tell you more that would help.

Kimberly
Glenn L wrote on 7/10/2012, 1:51 PM
I have not tried HDSplit but will look in to it. Thank you for the suggestions.

My computer is getting old. I've hung on to it because it ran Vegas fine. I had to have the hard drive wiped clean and new operating system installed 18 months or so ago, but the machine is getting old. So, I've looked for a replacement, but I use firewire with my Sony cameras and am not finding a new desktop with firewire, but I've just started looking.

I've have worked in Final Cut Express too, so I'm weighing the move to Pro X, which means buying a new Mac Pro. I know it sounds nuts to go from my caputure problem to a decision to make such a big investment, but Apply has firewire and Pro X looks like a lot of capability for the cost of the program (and it looks like I'm on the path to a new computer either way). When all is said and done, I love Vegas, but my attempt to get tech support through the paid system has not gone well so far, and I am dead in the water.

Maybe one more try on the existing box and see if there is an OS issue! But that new Mac Pro and Pro X seem to be calling me away from Vegas, which I regret because I have years and year invested in Vegas and simply like the workflow.
Glenn L wrote on 7/10/2012, 2:01 PM
I'll look at the areas you've commented on and appreicate the areas you've suggested to think about. The reason I've focused on Vegas is because there have been no changes in my computer. OS is XP. I use firewire with Sony cameras on a Sony computer (that is getting old). No changes in cameras, firewire, OS or anything except a series of morphing capture issues.

While a virus seems unlikely to be the issue, and I do have a virus program, that is something to consider too.

Again, thanks for taking the time to give me suggestions.
Glenn L wrote on 7/10/2012, 2:02 PM
Yes, have searched and searched and google the issue too.

Thanks for commenting and making the suggestion.
Kimberly wrote on 7/13/2012, 12:20 AM
Glenn:

You will find firewire on laptops if you check the "workstation" class of computers. Not sure if you are looking for a new laptop or desktop, but that's where you'll find it.

I too have a couple of older Sony HDV cameras that require firewire. I'm going to retire these to back-ups soon, but I still want to be able to capture.

You may find that a clean install of Windows and your programs will speed up your system. Your system may support an upgrade to Windows 7, which I prefer over Vista and XP. I did a clean install on my older Dell Inspiron. It runs really fast now that I've scraped off all the barnacles!

If you love Vegas and you are proficient, maybe you should try the clean install as well as HDVsplit and see if that helps. That would minimize your learning curve on new software plus save a ton of $$$. If that doesn't help you can always spend the $$$ later : )

Good luck.

Kimberly
MSmart wrote on 7/13/2012, 12:48 AM
Are you launching Video Capture from inside VMS (Project > Capture Video) or launching it directly? If through VMS, try launching it directly. I always use it outside of VMS. It might not make a difference, but worth a try.

Do you have "Stop capture on dropped frames" selected? If so, uncheck it to test.

Is your D drive a separate drive or a partition of C? If a separate, have you tried capturing to it?