Recording Video: 1394 Firewire Problem
 

I am using Windows XP Professional and Adobe Pro 1.5.
My capture device is the Pinnacle Studio 9 Movie Box Deluxe.
I am using a Panasonic DVC80 DV camcorder.

My problem is the computer will not recognize the DV cam.
When I open Adobe, and the capture window it will not
recognize it and I can't capture.

However there are times it WILL recognize it and I can capture just fine.
Most times if I leave it sit all connected, eventually it recognizes it.
This could be 5 minutes or half an hour.

I have started the computer with everything connected and powered up.
I have also tried waiting until the system boots and then
connecting the camera.

SOmetimes in the middle of capturing it will suddnly
stop recognizing the camera. A few minutes later, it finds it again.

I have checked all compatibility lists. I downloaded the XP hotfixes
and patches. I updated the capture software drivers at Pinnacle's site.

Still no luck.

My last recourse is I downloaded XP Service Pack 2 and am
installing now. As I do this, the cam was suddenly recognized
after being connected for over 25 minutes.

Anyone out there have an idea?

Thank You,

Bruce

Hi Bruce,

It could be a driver problem, or a faulty Firewire hardware :!:
First, try uninstalling any Firewire drivers you have, and reinstall them.
If that fails, try to get (borrow?) a Firewire PCI card, and use that instead of the one you are currently using.

-kwag

Thanks Kwag!

I installed Service Pack 2 and all seemed fine. I did several restarts
and the cam was recognized everytime.

While capturing, the system locked up. When I restarted it, it no
longer recognized the camera. I am now REINSTALLING SP2
and it has just installed. I am restarting as I type this.

Now we will see if the cam is recognized.

I do have a firewire PCI card in there. However
Adobe does not recognize it. It's there and the sound
beeps when I unplug the wire. I don't know why this is.

OK...it's rebooted and I am opening Adobe's Capture window...

Nope. It does not recognize it.

Any ideas?

Bruce

Hi Bruce,

(1) Uninstall all Firewire drivers.
(2) Remove PCI card and change it to another slot.
(3) Reinstall drivers and try again!

-kwag

As always, thank you, but your last suggestion didn't help.
Would it have something to do with the authenticity of the XP OS?
I am wondering if the person who assembled my computer put an
authetic copy on there?

I am trying to find compliance with the cam wth Adobe but they don't list
it yet I know sometimes they change the model #'s and the cams
are compatible.

All I know is I have pretty much tried everything I know of.
Any help would greatly be appreciated. The whole thing simply is
not consistent.

In additin the Adobe capture will not allow me to use the 1394
firewire card. I uninstalled, changed slots...nothing.

Here's a thought...I have just discovered that my copy of Windows XP
is not a registered copy. It is unlicensed. I tried to validate it
and MS said it was not a valid keycode. Would this have anything to
do with it?


Bruce

Anyone
 

KWAG or anyone able to help with this? Aside from a hardware problem
with Pinnacle's Moviebox...is it an XP issue?

Hi Bruce,

Have you tried any other programs, other than Adobe?
Just to see if it's the program that messes up the Firewire driver somehow when it runs?

-kwag

I think I may have narrowed it down to the camera hardware. I have access to an almost identical system, with same Pinnacle hardware. Did the same thing.

Now, when I tried to capture, the same things happened on the entirely separate system.

When I connected the SVHS and analog audio cables to the Moviebox Deluxe USB housing and THEN connected the 1394 firewire cable, it recognized everything and I captured just fine.

Kwag, thank you for all your help because it made me go through and make sure all software was correct and I discovered, through your help, I had downloaded the wrong Studio 9.4 patch from Pinnacle.

This site is great.

I hope anyone with similar issues gets something from these 1394 posts!

Bruce