ADVC55 Capture Question

[edmoran]

I just bought a ADVC55 and so far everything seems to be working well, but there is minor annoyance/oddity. I'm using Sony Vegas 8 (Sony Video Capture 6.0) as the capture program, and when I plug the ADVC55 into the pc's IEEE port the capture application starts running the timeline immediately, even if there is no video input from the VCR yet. It's like it senses a DV signal from the ADVC unit and assumes there's something to capture. This doesn't happen when I plug my DV camcorder in to the IEEE port.

When I actually start the VCR the video is captured, but there is a short "blank" section at the beginning of the .avi file corresponding to the time it takes me to push the play button on the VCR and begin streaming the video signal to the ADVC55.

Like I said at the beginning, this is only a minor annoyance/oddity, but I'd like to eliminate it if possible.

PC specs: Dell E520, 2.4GHz Core2Quad cpu, Vista Ultimate 32bit, 4Gig ram with a PCI bus TI OHCI Compliant IEEE 1394 card.

Thanks in advance!

Ed

[GrassValley_BH]

The NLE software is probably looking for running timecode. If the ADVC started up with a video signal present or is otherwise set for Analog-to-DV mode, then it may already be in Play mode (which runs free-run timecode).

[edmoran]

I think you're right...If I connect the ADVC55 without the VCR connected (or turned on) the status light stays red and the clock doesn't run in the capture application. When I switch the VCR on, the light goes green and the clock starts.

Thanks for a great, easy to use product! Now I can spend all my free time dubbing decades of home movies to the pc...;-)

[GrassValley_BH]

It's nice to hear when customers are happy. Thank you.

[mrveronn]

I have the same issue. The ADVC55 did not do this 'free-run' timecode the first time I connected it to my computer. For the first day I was able to capture several VHS tapes...and the process was simple. All devices were on (PC, ADVC55, VCR) and then I would click on the record button in my NLE (Magix Movie Edit Pro) and press the play button on my VCR at the same time. At the end of the tape I stopped the NLE capture and rewound the VHS tape. Then I inserted a new VHS Tape and started capturing again. Finished the tapes, logged off the computer and shut down the VCR and went to bed.

Next day, I log onto the computer, open up the recording dialog box in MEP for DV capture and as soon as I turn on the VCR the timecode starts running (LED shows green on the ADVC55). I press record in my NLE and the LED goes RED. When I press play on the VCR the LED flickers green and then goes RED and the footage is not captured. Of course I was under pressure to get footage captured for a client.

After extensive uninstalling and re-installing of software, I accidently discovered that I have a 'wordaround'. The process to capture footage now is: 1) click on record button in NLE, 2) click on VCR play button, 3) quickly click on "Play" button in NLE transport window (DV Capture Dialogue screen). The LED is green, turns red when I click on the record button in NLE, turns GREEN and then RED when I press the play button on my VCR, but then flickers back to GREEN when I click on the "Play" button in my NLE.

The capture proceeds normally at that point...but I wish I could get this to change back to the "day one" process...my clients often have footage that starts right at the beginning of the VHS tape (whatever happended to leaving a 30 or 60 second buffer at the start of a VHS Tape) and the process is a bit hectic to not loose too much footage at the start of a tape.

Perhaps there is some obsure setting in Windows that changed...but I notice (after doing a google search for "ADVC55 Red Light") that there are a significant number of postings out there for people who have experienced this problem, and there does not appear to be a "solution". My 'workaround' may only work in Magix's software as I am not familiar with other NLE's DV capture options.

I'm going to check on one suggestion that this could be a 'windows firewall' setting for the 1394/firewire port on the computer, but the posting that suggested this did not have a reply back from the person experiencing the problem...so its just one idea at the moment. It would be nice to have another few ideas...

[dpalomaki]

What happens if you put the source VCR in play Pause mode first so you start the capture form a paused image rather than what ever signal the VCR puts out in stop mode?

[GrassValley_BH]

Also make sure DV Device Control is enabled in your capture software, if possible.
In other words, do not tell it you have a "media converter" - instead tell it you have a Sony camcorder/deck.