Direct capture info needed!

[WorldStuntTeam]

I want to direct capture from my HVX to one of my apple computers with FCP. I can see the live video feed from the HVX in the capture window but when I hit the capture/record button in FCP it doesn't capture? I have tried with a P2 card in the camera and without. What is the correct procedure/method for capturing directly to hard drive from a HVX? Thanks in advance...Jim

[WorldStuntTeam]

Does FCP have "Live capture" feature for this?

[mainstreetprod]

Yes, FCP can capture live in any mode except native. If you are shooting in
720pn, for example, the camera won't stream video through firewire. Since
you see video from the camera, it must be some other issue. Are you trying
to capture to an external drive? Unless you have a fast external firewire drive,
sometimes it is easier to capture to the mac internal drive.Capturing to the
internal drive has always been discouraged, but the Mac handles it unusually
well.

[jcoxshooter]

Is you device control set to non-controllable device?

[ullanta]

FCP doesn't have a capture/record button. It has three capture buttons: "Clip", "Now", and "Batch". Which one are you pushing?

For live capture, you need to use "Now". As above, use "non-controllable device". If your capture drive has spun down, it can take a little while for the capture to start.

[JimSlaton]

Yes, it is set to "non-controllable device". I can see the live video in the capture window of FCP and then I click "now". It starts to record for 1 second and then stops saying...

"capture now has reached the end of the tape. All existing footage between where you started the capture and the end of the tape was captured successfully".

I have tried recording to a external firewire drive and even directly to the 500 gig drive inside the Mac. Why am I getting this error? How can I get FCP to capture all the way through with my shot? Please help shoot coming up in L.A.

[David Saraceno]

Let's start with the version number of Final Cut Pro, and QT, and which Mac you are using?

What settings for the HVX200 to capture and what settings in what version of FCP?

Those are essential for troubleshooting.

[JimSlaton]

I have four macs in the studio and I have tried them all. mainly on my G5 but just bought a 24' imac 2.8 GHz that I am running the new FCP 6. I open FCP, open the "log & capture" window and have the HVX200 running with 720/24.

I have tried all different frame rates and settings and doesn't change anything. I start recording in FCP and it immediately stops saying it reached the end of tape? Why won't it just continue recording until im ready to end the scene?

[gunleik]

720/24?
hmmm...

SHouldn't that be something else?

Could you, just for kicks, test 1080i 60/p30?

Gunleik

(Not an NTSC guy)

[JimSlaton]

I tried 1080i as well and only records first second or two and then stops saying it reached in of tape! I am so damn frustrated I almost pitched the HVX over the balcony on the 20th floor.

Does anyone know why FCP6 will not capture directly to hard drive? I have even tried setting the HVX to "live" recording but it does the same thing. Who else does this on these forums?

What settings should my HVX200 be on to record directly to FCP6 hard disk and what are the FCP capture settings?

[JimSlaton]

PROBLEM RESOLVED!!!!

I found this previous thread with these basic instructions...
General instructions. It was step 4 that I was missing:

1. Attach the firewire to both devices with the camera OFF.
2. Power on the camera.
3. Put the camera in the mode you want to record.
4. In the HVX menus there is a setting for the format of the firewire output. Make sure this is set to 720 or 1080 appropriately.
5. In FCP, choose an "easy setup" that matches your intended recording format. It should find the camera with the proper size/format.
6. Start the Capture window.
7. You may need to go to the device control tab, and select "non-controllable device" or "none". Normally FCP waits for a signal from the camera that it is "playing back a tape". When you want to record live streaming video, there is no "playback signal" sent. So you need to bypass this process and go to manual control.
8. Return to the first tab, make destination changes, and then choose [capture now]. You should now be capturing to disk.

[ullanta]

Okay, Jim, many of us do this all the time. What we need, in order to help you, is more and more precise information.

For capturing 720p24 from the HVX, the capture preset should be DVCPRO HD 720p24 48k.

Open FCP's User Preferences, go to the "General" tab, and de-select anything that says "abort".

Go to System Settings:Scratch Disks and uncheck the botom two items starting with "Limit", and make sure that your capture disk is not below/near the minumum available space specified in the third item from the bottom.

What recording mode is the camera in? Make sure it's not 720p24N. No N! Doesn't sound like you're using N, though...
In any case, tell us what your RECORDING MODE is (in camera setup) and what your FRAME RATE is (in the scene file - should be DEFAULT).

Just out of curiosity, what's the time code on the camera set to?

[David Saraceno]

1. Attach the firewire to both devices with the camera OFF.
2. Power on the camera.
3. Put the camera in the mode you want to record.
4. In the HVX menus there is a setting for the format of the firewire output. Make sure this is set to 720 or 1080 appropriately.
5. In FCP, choose an "easy setup" that matches your intended recording format. It should find the camera with the proper size/format.
6. Start the Capture window.
7. You may need to go to the device control tab, and select "non-controllable device" or "none". Normally FCP waits for a signal from the camera that it is "playing back a tape". When you want to record live streaming video, there is no "playback signal" sent. So you need to bypass this process and go to manual control.
8. Return to the first tab, make destination changes, and then choose [capture now]. You should now be capturing to disk.