How to capture video?

SpywareShooter · June 2005

Yesterday I got a Panasonic PV-GS31 video camera. I filmed something last night and I am trying to figure out how to put it on my computer. I have a DV cable and a USB2.0 cable. I can connect them fine but when I go to capture with Windows Movie Maker it says "unknown error" and when I try to capture with WINDVD it gives the regular windows "this program has caused an error and must close" message.

I tried to just open it through My Computer but when I do that it says to make sure the camera is not in use.

How can I import the video to my computer? Do I need to use something like Pinnacle 9? I have it but it's just not installed yet.

SpywareShooter · June 2005

I found out how to capture it from Pinnacle but it never creates the file. I've tried twice and it finishes the capturing process but when I go to find the file it's not there. How do I get it to save the file?

TheHeartSmasher · June 2005

Did you set up the folder in the option's or settings in Pinnacle to save to a folder on your harddrive that you can find easily.

c:\Captured HDV\Nameof whatever you want.

I don't use pinnacle and with the Windows Movie Maker make sure your camcorder is ohci compliant, and you have the Microsoft DV player installed. Without this I had the same problem. I don't even use the stuff that came with my DV camcorder because everytime a used it I got an error so I just uninstalled everything, drivers, software, etc. and everything works fine.

I use Avid DV Pro, Sony Vegas 6, Adobe Premier and Affter Effects.

If it doesn't work with pinnacle download one of adobe or Avids demo's and see if it will let you capture and save files from there.

SpywareShooter · June 2005

Thanks. I tried capturing it to C:\Video\ but it wasn't being created. Where do I get the Microsoft DV Player?

bothered · June 2005

I started with pinnacle 9 yesterday so I'm very new to it but with the video I imported you tell it where to save it, as mentioned above. When you've finished playing with it, click save as and choose a format. It has saved mine like that, then I can open them in media player to view full screen. Once it's saved you can do whatever you want with it. Also, did you upgrade it? There are patches available from http://pinnaclesys.com/docsupport1.asp?division_id=1&langue_id=2&product_id=1501&product_name=Studio%20version%209%20&page_id=987

TheHeartSmasher · June 2005

What version of windows media player do you have and do you have sp2 or even winxp/pro

SpywareShooter · June 2005

I haven't upgraded Pinnacle yet. What do you mean by "When you've finished playing with it, click save as and choose a format."?

President Pain: I have WinXP SP2 Home Edition

Trumandrummer · June 2005

yea yesterday i tried to capture a video from my sony handycam (pluged into USB) with windows movie maker, and it said an error for me to.

TheHeartSmasher · June 2005

One reason you may have gotten an error is because most Video Editing programs(NLE) don't use usb at all only iLink, Firewire, or DVlink (all the same thing)

for format make sure you are importing it as AVI, Mpeg, or Mpeg2, Dvix, HDV. If those programs don't work download ulead video studio it seems to not have that many problems for you new guys in the video editing game.

bothered · June 2005

SpywareShooter wrote:

I haven't upgraded Pinnacle yet. What do you mean by "When you've finished playing with it, click save as and choose a format."?

I mean you have the video in the album window, top left? Then you drag it down to the timeline and 'mess with it' transitions, audio etc. When you've done click file, save as, pick a format and place to save it.

SpywareShooter · June 2005

President Pain: I have it plugged into a DV Cable (plugs into a firewire port). I tried ripping it in MPEG and AVI but they both had the same result.

Bothered: The video doesn't come up in the album window.

profdlp · June 2005

Do a search for *.avi and *.mpeg, you might want to do *.mpg as well.

This will find all files of those types on your computer. Maybe they're being stashed somewhere weird and you just don't know it and/or can't find them.

TheHeartSmasher · June 2005

That might really help good idea. Then download ulead video studio it may help solve all of your problems.

and make sure you have updated all of your windows drivers, installed windows media player 10 and all of the dv encoder plugins

bothered · June 2005

SpywareShooter wrote:

Bothered: The video doesn't come up in the album window.

I had mine conneted through the Svid cable and it was only in black and white. I used the RCA cable and it's now in colour. I start the VHS, click start capture, click stop capture, then a box pops up saying 'detecting scenes' then a frame from the vid appears in the album window, go to edit mode and I can drag that frame to the timeline and start editing it. I have just burned my first 'test' DVD. I added a menu to scene selection and it works brilliantly. It took about an hour to render and compile the disc at full, 100%, quality but the results are very good, better than the original vid.

SpywareShooter · June 2005

prof: I've tried that but I'll give it another shot.

President Pain: Everything is up to date on Windows and WMP.

Bothered: I don't get a message saying detecting scenes.

Trumandrummer · June 2005

hmmm, see i keep having the same problems, it just wont capture it. but i have a handycam so im thinking if i just put the cd into my cd drive i might be able to take it off the disc because the handycam makes dvds not regular vids, but they have to be finalized in the computer, i think im gonna try that.

TheHeartSmasher · June 2005

Use Ulead and take a screenshot of the error or problem.

Trumandrummer · June 2005

ummmm ill try but im not sure what ulead is but i press print screen and then go to paint and press Ctrl + V to copy the picture then i save it and open it with my picture editor, the prob is the pics always turn out fuzzy. but i think i got a good pic hopefully my photobucket album dont fail while uploading it.

Trumandrummer · June 2005

<img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y74/Trumandrummer/more/error3.bmp" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com"> <img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y74/Trumandrummer/more/error5.bmp" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com"> ok there it is ^^^^ its alittle hard to read but as clear as i could make it. i have no clue what a 1394 cable is but i was connected to usb while doing this and my handycam does have a usb driver installed. idk if this is the same error as spyware shooter was getting, but when i tried to capture it with windows movie maker it gave me the same error but only told me "your device isnt connected, make sure it is pluged in correctly and turned on" or something like that.

primesuspect · June 2005

Looks like pinnacle is ONLY looking on the 1394 port for a device (1394 == firewire == iLink == all the same thing). Perhaps it won't support USB video?

Trumandrummer · June 2005

im not sure but why would i get the same error on windows movie maker?

bothered · June 2005

SpywareShooter wrote:

I found out how to capture it from Pinnacle but it never creates the file. I've tried twice and it finishes the capturing process but when I go to find the file it's not there. How do I get it to save the file?

When it is capturing does it show the vid in the preview window?

SpywareShooter · June 2005

No it doesn't but it says under the preview window that it has captured so many minutes of the video, which increases in real time.

TheHeartSmasher · June 2005

Extremely well observation Administrator you are perfectly correct most of the programs don't even think of looking for usb at all none of mine do and they are all top of the line programs.

So get a firewire card, and when you plug your camera in make sure you turn it on and have the firewire cable securely in the Firewire port on your camcorder and computer.

I had to go out and buy a card because I didn't know this at first.

20 to 40 bucks make sure it is ohci compliant before you buy it though because if it is not then it won't let your computer control the camcorder when editing and capturing video.

Go to this website and download Ulead Video Studio.

http://www.ulead.com/vs/trial.htm

you do have to register with them but that is real easy it is to keep track of how many people use their software.

bothered · June 2005

SpywareShooter wrote:

No it doesn't but it says under the preview window that it has captured so many minutes of the video, which increases in real time.

Right. Go to 'setup>capture source' and make sure you are capturing from the right device. Also, on the capture 'discometer' (see pic) make sure it is set to the right video input, there is a pop out set of controls on the left. I had the same prob because I'd left it set to svid after I changed the cable to RCA. This is probably why you don't get the capturing frames box.

TheHeartSmasher · June 2005

and if you have video preview on and you don't see any video then there is still a problem use Ulead Video Studio demo it really works, alot easier.

SpywareShooter · June 2005

Thanks, I'm using the Ulead trial now. I'll give the capture a try later and reply if it works or not.

TheHeartSmasher · June 2005

good

Trumandrummer · June 2005

uhhh what is the firewire card? like is it just a program to install or do i actually have to put it on my computer or something?

SpywareShooter · June 2005

I tried it with Ulead but it's still not working. Here's a screenshot. It won't let me select from the "start scan" part.

TheHeartSmasher · June 2005

alright get the manual on your firewire card and tell me if it is OHCI compliant, and if so what type.

and tell me if it IEEE 1394 ilink DV compatible.

If not you have to buy another card.

and for the guy above Firewire card is a card that has firewire ports in the back of it to enable you to capture DV video from camcorders.

How to capture video?

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