Link to instructions for live capture to HDD using FCP?

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emart

Member
Anyone have a link to a tutorial or instructions for managing FCP (5.0 currently) when directly capturing HVX DVCPRO HD footage via firewire to HDD using a Mac? It doesn't seem to be complicated, but I'm having some difficulty and can't find specific instructions for this situation. Format is 720p/24p.

Thanks.
 
What kind of problems are you having? Maybe we can help. Whats your setup?

As a note, I wouldn't recommend you capture directly to a drive that has your boot OS on it. Much better off capturing to a secondary or external hard drive.
 
Setup: New HVX 200 w/ 2 8g P2 (hated to do that w/ 16g on the way), firewire to my IMac 2.33/2G/500, then firewire 800 to G-Tech 500g drive, using FCP 5.0. (once I prove that this live capture can be done, I wil buy a MacBook Pro to do it) Can't find any instructions in the FCP manual for direct capture, and the HVX user manual doesn't appear to address it either. I have Green's book on the way, and I'm hoping this eventually helps, but I'm really short on time.

FCP recognizes the camera (except when I try to record native) and in log/capture the image comes up and on record the counter moves (when recording). I find partial files on the G-drive (after recording) but nothing I can access. When I use the 'capture now' FCP feature I get an error message that says- "Capture now has reached the end of the tape. All footage between the point where you started the capture and the end of the tape was successfully captured." Not using tape, and these micro clips end up being less than a second long - regardless how long I record.

This is purely an operator error (ignorance) issue I realize, but any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
emart,

In the Log and Capture window, on the Capture Settings tab, make sure that Device Control is set to No-controllable device. While you're there make sure your Capture Input matches what you have your camera set to.

I have recorded quite a bit this way, mostly to a G5 PowerMac, and more recently to a MacBook Pro. If you get a MacBook Pro to do it, I would also suggest you purchase an ExpressCard Firewire 400 adapter. This will allow you to plug your camera in to it, then you can free up your FW800 port for a capture drive (I use the G Raid mini). I'm not saying it won't work if you have the camera and the drive both plugged into the main ports on the computer, but the 2 ports on the MBP share a bus, and that will decrease the bandwidth going to the ports.
 
Excellent - thanks very much. Saved me lots of reading.

Interesting that while monitoring on the Mac the motion is very slow and choppy. Is there anything I can do to resolve that?

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Interesting though, just checked my P2 card (to erase). Conducted two one-minute tests and each test produced four separate clips on the P2 card. Is that normal?

Should I remove the P2 cards when capturing directly as discussed?
 
emart said:
Interesting that while monitoring on the Mac the motion is very slow and choppy. Is there anything I can do to resolve that?
Click to expand...
Not much except to plug an external monitor or tv into the camera via one of the many outputs (composite, s-video, video).
 
emart said:
Excellent - thanks very much. Saved me lots of reading.

Interesting that while monitoring on the Mac the motion is very slow and choppy. Is there anything I can do to resolve that?

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Click to expand...

To resolve what? That is always the nature of the l/c window in FCP.
 
emart said:
Interesting though, just checked my P2 card (to erase). Conducted two one-minute tests and each test produced four separate clips on the P2 card. Is that normal?

Should I remove the P2 cards when capturing directly as discussed?
Click to expand...

This is pretty much unclear.

Could you explain where you are trying to erase the p2 card?

Not on the Mac, I trust.
 
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