Firewire Video Capture?

[Magnetic]

Anyone successfully used an analog to Firewire (e.g. the Sony DVMC-DAx) video media converter to capture Quicktime via Firewire for ProTools playback to an external NTSC monitor? I understand that the DV data rate is fixed at 3.5Mb/sec, which is about 4x what we're running now on our 9600/Fuse combos. Is the G4 up to the task?

With the advent of the dual head AGP cards (Jeronimo and Matrox), we're about to take the G4 plunge, but I'd like not to use up a precious PCI slot for a capture card, to say nothing of the PCI-bus speed issues.

www.2-pop-com has been some help, but it's very video centric. I'd feel better if I heard from some ProTools power users.

[This message has been edited by Magnetic (edited April 09, 2000).]

[Magnetic]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">quote:<HR>Originally posted by spunkywinkerbean:
video played back in protools won't get routed to the media converter for playback on an external monitor.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's a deal breaker for us too. Should be a straight-forward patch to ProTools to allow this. How about it Digi?

[Ed Douglas]

Digi is probably more interested is selling us their stock of old Avid ABVB cards for video capture, than supporting something much cheaper, with better image quality.
Please Digi prove me wrong.
E.D.

[mik]

one year and still nothing...what are you doing digi ?? no solutions for movie editors?

mik

[dcornutt]

There is a way to route DV out to external monitor in PT.

It's been repeated many, many times..but..I'll just save you the trouble of doing a search.

By using the adaptec hotconnect 2.5 drivers (free from adaptec support)..do easy install, disable your apple firewire driver (they aren't compatible with each other..just make it part of your PT extension set).

This will route any DV quicktime..out thru fireiwre..thru the media converter. Hook NTSC monitor to media converter..and your good to go.

This works..but most people are reporting an "offset" between the audio inPT and the movie. It seems there is a "buffering" that happens..or a slight delay when going out thru firewire. Some users have reported success by using the movie offset in PT..to compensate.

Doing things this way..takes the load off your PCI bus..as the firewire bus is a separate bus. This allows for higher datarates..and the 3.5 megs a second runs fine this way.

Calculating the offset will be the difficult part. I know for sure..that the drivers work..in that they route DV quicktime out thru firewire. I'm not sure how the offset thing is going.

Do a search for firewire. That should turn up some of the older threads.

dcornutt

[donmr123]

If you get the new Echo Fire V2.0 software it's all taken care of including the field flicker problem that one gets with the adaptech drivers. Echo fire works great!!!!
Don

[dcornutt]

Don,
Thanks for the update!
A few people had tried the older echofire and it didn't work well...was cumbersome to use.

Your the first to report on the new 2.0 version. Thats great news!

dcornutt

[mik]

dcornutt,
I've installed those Adaptec drivers for two weeks now in a cinema school in France. There is a sync problem, because of ten frames needed for image to be route by the firewire port in play. The session set up window and the offet sync can't be helpfull because it's an offset between pro-tools and an external deck, not between audio tracks and movie track in pro-tools.
You have to choose between sync in play or sync in stop. Or nudge 10 frames each time you want to edit then nudge again then play. It's not so practical !!
I work at home with a pci-Xclaim 128, and there is not at all this problem, video is always in sync. But the image is bad.
So, the only way is to have another drivers made by degidesign to find an issue.


donmr123, I Know about the echo fire solution but it cost $. But if we don't have the sync problem, maybe it will be interesting to buy it.

Mik

[motopsyco]

Magnetic,

I can only add that I suggest trying BTV Pro to capture DV video. Unlike iMovie BTV is not limited to a 2gig file limit, it's also far cheaper than Adobe Premier. I have used BTV and I think it's a slick little application that does alot!

http://www.versiontracker.com/moreinfo.fcgi?id=8350

Spunkywinkerbean is right!

Dcornutt, thanks for diagraming the 'play through' solution. I've got to try it!

Cheers!

[shadowbox]

Ok, stupid question, but do any of the DV converter boxes work better than others?

On Echo Fire's web site (http://www.echofire.com/tips/firewireconverters.html) they list a bunch of converters varying in price. I'm sure the sony is a good unit. But would the Formac or Power R model work just as well if you simply want to convert VHS or 3/4 to DV?

Thanks

------------------
Chris Knight
Shadowbox Music Inc.
nyc