Capturing HDV with Canon XH A1

[harveylexton]

Can anyone please help.
Camera output via firewire HD 50i into HD OHCI on Edius 5 5.50 capturing via win 7.

I have tried every HD OHCI setting and it won't see the camera. It will see the camera if I use OHCI SD and it will control the camera but of course won't capture because it is an HD signal.

How do I get E5 to see HD, I am obviously doing something wrong because I have captured from the camera in the past and it worked.

[Ron Evans]

Not sure about the Canon but my FX1 has settings for output as DV, HDV or auto. It needs to be HDV for the PC to recognize as HDV in auto or DV it will not see the camera as HDV.

Ron Evans

[harveylexton]

Thanks the canon will output it's signal from firewire providing you switch via the menu to DV out. in HD or SD it is automatic it recognises the signal.

[pjsssss]

Do you have the legacy firewire driver?

[T. David]

HDV capture issue with Windows 7

I have the same problem and I have been looking into the reasons why this is happening. Capturing HDV from my XH-A1 on Edius (a version just prior to 5 or 6) through their own dedicated card on Broadcast 4++ SP had been working flawlessly, until the following:

After years of flawless capturing with an updated version of Edius (just prior to version 5) on an XP based operating system, I upgraded my system to Windows 7 to upgrade a CS3 suite and I also wanted to increase the available RAM to 8G to take full advantage After Effects rendering with the new CS5 software suite from Adobe, over a little less than 4G available on an XP operating system on my same duo-quad core system.

As you mention below (and other forum topics on HDV capture issues with versions of 5 and 6), you have tried all the different project settings, making sure that the project and capture settings are the same. And followed all the Edius 6 instructions and made sure the camera was added as an asset. Many of the reported issues also involve Canon camera products. I don't know if it is just Canon cameras, but what I have been able to learn is:

There seems to be a Windows 7 compatibility issue with many 1394 Firewire cards that may now not be complient with Windows 7. Below is a link to a Windows forum that talks about several HDV capture issues with several other softwares and cameras as well. While there seems to be a slowly growing awareness to the issue and calls for driver updates for Firewire cards, any real solutions from Windows as far as driver updates do not seem available at this time.

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-pictures/unable-to-capture-hdv-video-with-canon-vixia-hv40/48bca32e-011b-4025-a119-539bad52c389

And I also tried to capture the same HDV footage with Premier Pro and Sony Vegas 10 with no success either. It appears it is equally a Windows 7 support issue. What I am going to try is switching the file type of the camera. Errant reports that a "mpeg2ts" file type may also be a culprit warrant a shooting test of other file types on the XH A1 to see if they capture.

[pjsssss]

I have the same problem and I have been looking into the reasons why this is happening. Capturing HDV from my XH-A1 on Edius (a version just prior to 5 or 6) through their own dedicated card on Broadcast 4++ SP had been working flawlessly, until the following:

After years of flawless capturing with an updated version of Edius (just prior to version 5) on an XP based operating system, I upgraded my system to Windows 7 to upgrade a CS3 suite and I also wanted to increase the available RAM to 8G to take full advantage After Effects rendering with the new CS5 software suite from Adobe, over a little less than 4G available on an XP operating system on my same duo-quad core system.

As you mention below (and other forum topics on HDV capture issues with versions of 5 and 6), you have tried all the different project settings, making sure that the project and capture settings are the same. And followed all the Edius 6 instructions and made sure the camera was added as an asset. Many of the reported issues also involve Canon camera products. I don't know if it is just Canon cameras, but what I have been able to learn is:

There seems to be a Windows 7 compatibility issue with many 1394 Firewire cards that may now not be complient with Windows 7. Below is a link to a Windows forum that talks about several HDV capture issues with several other softwares and cameras as well. While there seems to be a slowly growing awareness to the issue and calls for driver updates for Firewire cards, any real solutions from Windows as far as driver updates do not seem available at this time.

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-pictures/unable-to-capture-hdv-video-with-canon-vixia-hv40/48bca32e-011b-4025-a119-539bad52c389

And I also tried to capture the same HDV footage with Premier Pro and Sony Vegas 10 with no success either. It appears it is equally a Windows 7 support issue. What I am going to try is switching the file type of the camera. Errant reports that a "mpeg2ts" file type may also be a culprit warrant a shooting test of other file types on the XH A1 to see if they capture.

As I suggested, y0ou need to change your firewire driver to the legacy driver. It has been discussed here quite a bit. Do a search if you need step by step instructions.

[T. David]

"And followed all the Edius 6 instructions and made sure the camera was added as an asset.."

The corect term is "input device", not asset..

[harveylexton]

Thanks for the info, I have gone to get the training course and when I click start it goes to a screen with an oblong with gobbledegook letters and I can't use it. Also where do I find the the firewire legacy drivers please

[T. David]

How to install the Legacy driver into Windows 7 to solve HDV capture issues

Thanks a lot. I should of been able to figure it out, but if it helps save someone some time, this is how you update the Legacy driver. It only takes a moment to do. And I've plugged the camera back into the 1394 Firewire and everything is good again. Back to perfact capturing.

I didn't actually have to download the Legacy driver. It's sitting somewhere in the Windows 7 system waiting to be installed. Open the PDF in the link below and follow the simple steps. It takes less than a couple minutes.

http://digitaleverywhere.helpserve.com/index.php?_m=downloads&_a=viewdownload&downloaditemid=13

Cheers!!

[harveylexton]

Thanks again, I have done the legacy driver bit and still no go.

I have tried most if not all of HD settings and what I have noticed when I click apply the player/rec windows buttons flash as though the setting was ok then they grey out again.

I walked into this one as a fellow videographer has blown the firewire port on his sony camera and asked if I could put his mini dv cassette (HD) onto a hard drive, like a fool I said no problem I will capture to edius using the Canon XH-A1 and transfer the files after capture to a external HDD. Well I can't.

I use Pana HMC151 cameras so it is AVCHD and I have no problems.

[Khoi Pham]

Thanks again, I have done the legacy driver bit and still no go.

I have tried most if not all of HD settings and what I have noticed when I click apply the player/rec windows buttons flash as though the setting was ok then they grey out again.

I walked into this one as a fellow videographer has blown the firewire port on his sony camera and asked if I could put his mini dv cassette (HD) onto a hard drive, like a fool I said no problem I will capture to edius using the Canon XH-A1 and transfer the files after capture to a external HDD. Well I can't.

I use Pana HMC151 cameras so it is AVCHD and I have no problems.

Make sure the camera is in HD and switch the power switch to camera and then back to VTR and see if it can pick it up, sometime I have to do that with my XH-A1 if the computer see an DV signal before it see a HD signal.

[harveylexton]

Many thanks, I did not have the HD setting on the Canon not thinking I would need it to play out HD, even so having done this I can now get E6 to play the camera but I can't see any video on player window in e6

[dpalomaki]

I use Canon HDV with Win 7 and Edius 5.51. No problem capturing HDV.

The tricks include as mentioned above:
Recording must be confirned to be HDV (I've made that mistake - trying to do HDV capture of a SD 16x9 signal).
Use the leagacy firewire driver.
In the camcorder set [Playback Standard] to [HDV] and [HD DownConvert] to [OFF] (page 109 of the XH A1 manual).
In E5, Set Input device set to Generic HDV.
I set format of capture to 1440x1080/59.94i (HDV in the US).

[harveylexton]

Thank you I tried that and still can capture, I can control the camera, but it wont capture, so I captured through Win Movie Maker and converted the files to mpeg2 for editing.