Will Picture Controller 300 software be Vista ready?

[videoroy]

I understand that the current version of the Picture Controller software that comes with the ADVC300 is not compatible with Vista. Is that correct and if so, are there plans to release a new version that is compatible?

BTW, I know that I can control everything (I think everything) from the hardware but that is much less convenient.

Thank you.

[GrassValley_KH]

It is correct that the Picture Controller software is not Vista-compatible. Unfortunately I don't have an ETA as to if/when a new version will be available which works with Vista.

[THoff]

It is also incompatible when run using the "Windows XP with SP2" compatibility option in Vista?

[Markus K.]

Well, but then how could this ad be true if there are no exact plans on supporting newer operating systems with the Picture Controller software?:

"Long Product Life
The broadest video equipment and editing software compatibility ensures ADVC300 provides a long product life and a high return on investment."


There is also no word on the Canopus website that the software is not Vista compatible!!!

[Zorro]

There is also no word on the Canopus website that the software is not Vista compatible!!!

The product site clearly states the following:

Windows® 2000 (requires Service Pack 3 or higher), Windows® XP Home or Windows® XP Professional (requires Service Pack 1 or higher)
DirectX 8.0 or higher

Furthermore, the ADVC300 can be controlled without software.

[Markus K.]

The product site clearly states the following:

Windows® 2000 (requires Service Pack 3 or higher), Windows® XP Home or Windows® XP Professional (requires Service Pack 1 or higher)
DirectX 8.0 or higher

The product site states this for the MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS, so it is not clear that the Picture Controller will not run under Vista.

Controlling the ADVC-300 without the software is not very comfortable.

[Zorro]

The product site states this for the MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS, so it is not clear that the Picture Controller will not run under Vista.

I, for my part, understand that the absence of the word VISTA means that the Picture Controller software is not Vista compatible.

And the ad, of course, is correct: the ADVC300 provides a long product life and a high return on investment. It's all about the unit, not the software.

[Markus K.]

And the ad, of course, is correct: the ADVC300 provides a long product life and a high return on investment. It's all about the unit, not the software.

Except fot the TBC problems with unsynchronized analog material and the up to 40ms audio offset. But that is going off topic now.

But I'm wondering what the problem is in releasing a new version of the Picture Controller? It is still the same old version and there never was a bugfix (the black level enhancement bug) or added features like saving the parameters to a file or numeric values for the sliders.

As this is only a "small" piece of software and no big dinosaur like Edius this would be a quick and easy work for more consumer satisfaction... I just don't understand it.

[videoroy]

I agree that Grass Valley should update the software to be Vista compatible and fix what ever bugs there are. Yes, you can use the ADVC300 without the software but it is significantly less efficient and easy to use.

Let's face it, it is the Picture Controller software (and the less convenient hardware controlls) that give the ADVC300 a reason for being. Without it you would buy the cheaper ADVC110 or just use your DV deck or camera to do the conversion.

BTW Markus, what is this Black Level Enhancement buy you speak of? I also like your idea to add the capability to save settings.

[Markus K.]

BTW Markus, what is this Black Level Enhancement buy you speak of? I also like your idea to add the capability to save settings.

There is a bug with the black level enhancement which makes the blacks brighter at the weak setting instead of darker. The other settings (medium, strong) work like they should.

[kbosward]

saving the parameters to a file or numeric values for the sliders.

I wrote a little utility last year which allows you to save and load Picture Controller 300 settings. It also lets you turn on slider tick marks! (But no numeric values, sorry).

It is called PCtrl300 Settings.

Regards,
Ken.

[Markus K.]

Thank's Ken, great work.

[adondeeres]

I wrote a little utility last year which allows you to save and load Picture Controller 300 settings. It also lets you turn on slider tick marks! (But no numeric values, sorry).

It is called PCtrl300 Settings.

Regards,
Ken.

That is an awesome program, Ken. I'm very thankful for it as I had to previously "estimate" my settings each time I ended a capture session for the day. I've been using it shortly after you put the link up on the old canopus forum. I noticed that this new version might have a bug in it (but it could be my computer). When ever I am viewing the "filter" tab and choose to restore/load a profile, it gives me an error message saying that ADVC 300 didn't start up correctly or something like that. However, when I switch back to the old version, it doesn't do that. I know, it sounds strange. This happened regardless of whether I used my old PCtrl300Settings.ini or start creating a new one by making new profiles.

Although not a big deal, I couldn't create a shortcut to the older version of your program one of my keyboard shortcuts...it would only work if I made the shortcut to the newer version.

[kbosward]

Hi adondeeres, it looks like the wrong copy of the configuration file got into the package. If you look in the file PCtrl300Settings.cfg you will see the line Text=Basic. Change this to Text=Default. It should then work as you expect. (I have updated the download package).

As for the keyboard shortcut, I've had all sorts of trouble defining those in Windows XP so I don't use them. They only work for me if I create the shortcut directly on the desktop. If I create the shortcut in a folder and then move it onto the desktop it doesn't work. If I move the shortcut off the desktop it doesn't work. Even if I leave it on the desktop it sometimes doesn't work. I just pin all my commonly used shortcuts to the Start Menu so they are only two-clicks away!

Ken.

[adondeeres]

Hi adondeeres, it looks like the wrong copy of the configuration file got into the package. If you look in the file PCtrl300Settings.cfg you will see the line Text=Basic. Change this to Text=Default. It should then work as you expect. (I have updated the download package).

As for the keyboard shortcut, I've had all sorts of trouble defining those in Windows XP so I don't use them. They only work for me if I create the shortcut directly on the desktop. If I create the shortcut in a folder and then move it onto the desktop it doesn't work. If I move the shortcut off the desktop it doesn't work. Even if I leave it on the desktop it sometimes doesn't work. I just pin all my commonly used shortcuts to the Start Menu so they are only two-clicks away!

Ken.

Windows and it's shortcuts. Agrrr. :)

That fixed the problem. Thank you for the work you put into this program. :)