Looking for a little help--trouble capturing video

Aaroneous

Member
HI all,

I just bought a DVX-100b and am having trouble capturing video onto my computer using a firewire cable. I am not the most computer savvy person so I am looking for a little help. Right now, until I can invest in better editing software, I am using Windows Movie Maker. Every time I try to capture video a window comes up saying that a video capturing device was not detected. I connected everything like it says in the users manuel but nothing shows up on my computer--like I haven't plugged anything in at all. I am working on a PC with windows xp. Any advice or guidence would be most appreciated.

Aaron
 
Does that little box pop up when you turn your camera on after its connected saying like "New device - Camera - What would you like to do with it?". Maybe the fire wire card is screwed up and it is not recognizing the camera.

You could try going to the Device Manager and checking to see if IEEE 1394 or Firewire is in the line up. Right click My Computer on the desktop and go properties. Somewhere in there I think you can get to the Device Manager.

Or maybe its a setting inside Windows Movie Maker. I know Sony Vegas makes you identify your camera and stuff so it can read it.
 
No box pops up at all. It is like i haven't connected anything even though I have. Neither the computer or WMM responds when I connect it and turn it on. I'm pretty sure I went to the device manager (it may have been somewhere else, i can't remember) and I made sure that the ieee 1394 was activated, and it says it is working properly. I'm going to start troubleshooting by checking it on other computers and trying to connect other camers to my computer to figure out where the problem lies. Thanks, i appreciate the response.
 
First question -- was the computer turned on when you connected the firewire cable? If so, then you may have blown the firewire port on your PC. Maybe on your camera too, but hopefully not. Go buy a firewire card -- they're pretty cheap. Install it and see if you can capture with the camera connected to that card. (NEVER connect the firewire cable with either the PC or the camera turned on. Both must be OFF, or you risk damage.)

Good luck!
 
I made sure both units were turned off when connecting and disconnecting. What is a firewire card and how does it differ from a ieee 1394 port?
 
Not likely to have blown the port with a Windows machine. Possible, but not likely.

I sure as heck blew the port on mine. And I've read threads here from others who have done the same. Lots of cautions about not connecting the camera when the PC is turned on.

Aaroneous, an IEEE 1394 port IS a 'firewire' port. Two different terms for the same thing. Go to Best Buy or Circuit City and tell them you need a firewire card -- they'll fix you up.
 
I sure as heck blew the port on mine. And I've read threads here from others who have done the same. Lots of cautions about not connecting the camera when the PC is turned on.

Windows FireWire ports are usually not powered. 4-pin ports definitely aren't.

It's always a good idea to be careful, of course, but it's also rare to blow a firewire port on a Windows machine.
 
I've never heard of a blown FW port with a PC turned on. With the camera turned on, yah it happens alot. Not when the comp is tho.
 
Thanks everyone for your input. I found another port on the front of my computer and tried the whole thing over again. And it worked! perhaps the port in the back just isn't working or is blown/fried/stubborn. Thanks again.
 
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