Problems with breakout box, problems with cameras & vtrs...problems!

[MetalMike]

Hey folks,

I called technical support but I'm an impatient clod so I figured I'd try this avenue as well in hopes of garnering a quicker response.

In any case, I just finished building my Edius SP system complete with breakout box but I am having a really difficult time capturing footage from my Canon XH A1 and the Panasonic DV Deck. I had the Panasonic deck running fine in capture mode but then I plugged in my XHA1 and XP went through its plug-n-play deal and of course it said hardware not successfully installed. I tracked down the Console software from Canon (which I do not want to use) and managed to grab the drivers from it. I rebooted and lo and behold I could control the camera's VTR options through Edius but no picture came up.

I've gone back and forth between the XHA1 and the Panasonic deck and now they both refuse to work. What worries me is that when I jiggle the Firewire cable I'll get audio and then video and then it'll freeze and the audio will quit and it goes back and forth like this, sometimes displaying a green screen.

Ideas peoples, I need 'em - I'm going to lose it!

[MetalMike]

This should also be noted:

When I pull the DV cable directly from the back of the PCI card into my camera that is when I am able to control it through Edius. If I connect it through the breakout box the camera keeps telling me the DV is connected and then disconnected. It just keeps doing that.

[antonsvideo]

I always connect my DV devices to the SP board direct

full install of Windows SP2 (200mb) is required for successful capture from HDV devices

[MetalMike]

I've got about 900GB left on the system drive using Windows XP SP2, so that shouldn't be an issue.

I suppose I will simply negate using the breakout box for DV capture, although it does seem like somewhat of a waste having it on my desk without using it for DV Capture. Does the box simply act to extend or reroute the range of the DV module on the SP-card or is there more to it?

[antonsvideo]

I have not tried the DV connector on the breakout box because I am a believer in "the shorter the better" meaning board to deck distance

[biopic]

I do use the DV connector on the BOB - in fact on occasions I have different sources connected front and back, and switch between the two. I have never experienced a problem. How long are your DV connectors, and are they of good quality?

[The Dane]

I have stopped using the firewire connection on the SP board.
For me it is unstable, units keep loosing connection.
My solution was to install a dedicated firewire card. Now everything works fine..
There must be some conflict between the firewire port on the SP card and the analogue capture device, on the same card.

[MetalMike]

The DV cables I am using were the ones included with the Canopus hardware, and they appear to be of fairly decent quality.

It seems like we have the same problem The Dane, but I'm not ready to call it quits as I paid enough money for this hardware it shouldn't be unstable or ever lose connectivity.

[antonsvideo]

The DV cables I am using were the ones included with the Canopus hardware, and they appear to be of fairly decent quality.

It seems like we have the same problem The Dane, but I'm not ready to call it quits as I paid enough money for this hardware it shouldn't be unstable or ever lose connectivity.

when you connect the DV device, is your ref set to external, or incoming video, or internal free run?

for DV capture, set to internal free run

for editing, always leave on internal free run, otherwise you will edit as slow as a snail (a snail was raped by a turtle and the snail reported to police, the police officer asked if the snail got a good look at the turtle, the snail said no, it all happened too quick)

for analogue capture, use external or incoming video as ref

[MetalMike]

Where am I setting these options?

[antonsvideo]

Hardware settings/system settings

http://www.videoproductions.com.au/edius45/ref-input.gif