EDIUS 6.06/Sony Camcorder

[wkiess01]

Hi All,
I'm using EDIUS 6.06 on a WinXP Pro SP3 box. When I connect my camcorder to the PC whilst EDIUS is running, I loose control of the PC, no mouse clicks, no keyboard entry. As soon as I stop the camcorder, all is well again. No problem if EDIUS is not running, can view files on camcorder HDD OK.
This did not happen on a friend's PC running EDIUS 6.05 and Win7.
Has anyone come across this issue? Anyone know a solution?
Thanks,
Walter

[Jerry]

I don't know if this will work or not but plug the camera in before you open Edius and see if it recognizes it and/or makes the controls go funky.

[dpalomaki]

Sounds like a nominal default set-up thing with the PC and what ti does when it senses a IEEE1394 connection. IEEE1394 is only sort of hot swap/plug in. Best to make the connections before you start Edius (and perhaps even the PC) to be sure it is properly recognized.

[John Hooper]

Speaking from experience, it is so easy to fry the IEEE1394 chip in either/both the camera and PC if connecting whilst there is power on. Switch both off before connecting.

[wkiess01]

Thanks to all who replied.

I should have mentioned that the camcorder/PC connection is via USB. This works flawlessly with winExplorer and the Sony PMB software, before or after I connect and activate the camera.

I did try to connect and activate the camera before starting EDIUS only to find that EDIUS would not complete the startup process. The usual splash screen comes up goes thru some motions, but then disappears and nothing further happens. Checking the Task Manager shows that EDIUS IS running as a process, but not as an application. Only when I disconnect the camera does it continue and finally come up. Hence my feeling that it's a problem with EDIUS.

[UlfLaursen]

Would it be possible for you to transfer the footage from the harddrive of the camera to to your PC's harddrive before you start Edius, and then import from the PC's harddrive instead of the camera. I think I would do this anyway, also for you to have a backup of your footage.

/Ulf

[SoundFreak_HD]

I also changed to tapeless a while ago and tried some different workflows to find the most comfortable one that suits me best.

It seems that Edius works great with P2 and other pro formats but due to the restrictions on consumer and some prosumer cam's it's advisable to use the intended / supplied software that came with the cam.

I have a CX 700 that works fine using windows explorer but takes extremely long to copy, about 10Gb per hour.
As I don't like the supplied software I held off for what seems now the wrong reason, it performs really fast (PMB) my last transfer was roughly 10Gb in 10~12 minutes and after using the software it ain't that bad after all.
I assume that JVC and Panasonic have their own software, use it :)

Once files copied to the hard drive double click the Edius bin and select the source clips, it will create search info files and wave data files but you can use the video instantly on the Edius timeline.

Using this workflow Edius or any NLE plays nice with no freeze or crash in sight.

[Ron Evans]

I too have the CX700 if you have the current vintage of Sony cameras they include a mobile version of PMB and when plunged in will load this software and view the PC as a hard drive on which to transfer the files. If you have PMB also on the PC you will be given the choice of which to use.

How many hard drives on you PC ? Maybe PMB mobile is taking a higher priority than Edius. As you can see I too have a lot of Sony cameras and always use PMB or CMU to transfer to the PC. That way I can define project directories for archiving the AVCHD files. Then add these files to the bin from the Edius bin command for any Edius projects when I am certain they are backed up first.

Ron Evans

[wkiess01]

Again, Thanks to those that replied.

I don't have PMB running in the background monitoring the USB ports waiting for a camera connection. I do use the Sony PMB software (by manually starting it) to download all files from the camcorder to the PC, then click and drag the clips I want from PMB into the EDIUS bin. Works fine. I can also open the clips fine from within EDIUS using the Open dialog.
As I said in my initial message, it's not a big deal. I was just unclear as to why I could use the camera as an external drive without a problem on my friends machine, but not with mine and was hoping to get some clarification. Maybe it's a WinXP issue as my friend uses Win7. Maybe it's a processor issue as I only have a Q6600 and he has an i7. Or maybe it's the motherboard, or EDIUS, or ... The list is(almost) endless.
Anyway, it seems no one else is having this issue, so I'll just forget about viewing files direct from the camera. I don't miss it now and won't in the future.
So many more other important things to find out and learn about EDIUS than to dwell on this issue.
Thanks again to all those who responded.
Regards,
Walter

[SoundFreak_HD]

My reason for holding off PMB was the running in the back ground.
After closer investigation it is indeed possible to connect manually and it works fine.
I have never tried using Edius to directly import as this will give you a 4 digit file number and not a proper recording date which is vital (for me) for archiving and finding it back real fast.

I do have to mention that the MP4 footage is very processor intensive, it imports and plays back very smooth on my i7 but it is an complete other story on my older dual dual core Xeon, even my recent system that just past to the eternal hunting grounds was a Quad Xeon that had issues with AVCHD, it was running at 2.83Ghz and had 12 Mb cache, knowing that I assume your Q6600 is also having trouble with the task.

[Ron Evans]

The newer Sony cameras with PMB Mobile( this is in the camera not the PC) will respond to connection depending on the USB settings in the camera. Default is auto so with this setting the responses will depend on the motherboard and OS. So there may well be a different response from different PC's. These are set up so that the camera can use a USB drive for backup without a PC etc.

Ron Evans

[SoundFreak_HD]

I even tried to delete that folder but the mobile software is wel protected :)

[Ron Evans]

Sony set it up so that the average consumer can't mess it up. The downside is it will always work, even if you don't want it to !!!! I think for the consumer the intent is one does not need a PC at all. Use the Sony disc burner to backup and in camera editing including music backgrounds. The auto USB of course will know when its connected to the Sony disc burner, can compare files already transfered and backup only new files etc.

Ron Evans