I have a brand new FX1 but I can't get my PC to detect it.

I connect my FX1 via firewire to my PC, and turn the camera to VCR. The HDV light on the firewire connector housing lights up, but XP doesn't see it.

I have a Canon Elura, and if I move the firewire cable from the FX1 to the Elura and turn it on, XP auto-detects (it sound a note, and a bubble notice appears in the system tray, and Device Manager has it listed, etc). Turn it off, it goes away, plug the FX1 in ... nothing.

Am I forgetting something?

Thanks,

Marc

Try setting the firewire conversion in the FX1 menu ON (HDV->DV). Windows should then recognize it as a DV camcorder.

HDV is pretty new, I didn't know that WindowsXP knows what to do with such devices. That's why people are paying the money to upgrade to Vegas 6 and other upgraded NLE software that can handle the new HDV format.

You can download the Vegas 6 free trial and see if it will capture from your camera.

http://mediasoftware.sonypictures.com/Products/ShowProduct.asp?PID=965

You have to be running service pack 2 on XP for the FX1 to show up.

No, you don't have to be running SP2 to have the computer see the FX1.

Go to Control Panel>System>Hardware>AVC Subunit with no driver
Right click to Update Driver
Tell Windows you'll locate driver yourself.
Browse to the Sound, Video, Game Controllers.
In there, you'll find two Sony driver options, choose the top one.
In there, you'll find two Sony driver options. Choose the upper one.

Connect the FX1, it will be found.

John,

Do you even have a HDV camera?

Marc,

Do you have SP2 installed. If you do, then you need to know that there is no ping, no notification, it is not DV, the drivers are not built that way. If you do not have SP2 installed, then do what DSE said.

If you want to see it work, look in the Device Manager (Start > Control Panel > System > Hardware > Device Manager > "Sound video and game controllers"

You will see AV/C Tape Device

That's your camera. Make sure the blue LED for HDV is lit near the firewire connection, not the DV.

Right, I should have said you need SP2 if you want the camera to be automatically detected without having to jump through hoops.

Plus almost all of the new versions of editing apps coming out require SP2 so one might as well start getting use to it (I know it sucks for Premiere users as I am one of them.)

Hmmmm.....I'm running Premiere Pro w/out SP2 as well. Same with Vegas and DVXpress.
Not trying to argue, I'm just opposed to using SP 2 as it causes more problems than it fixes, especially with Firewire.

For Premiere Pro users, the SP2 problems seem to have been solved with the MainConcept and Microsoft fixes. What firewire issues remain? It would be nice to know what's out there lurking in the dark.

Douglas, Steve, and others --

Thanks so much for helping out, it is really appreciated.

I think something else is going on here. If I go to the In/Out menu on the FX1 and turn i.Link Conv ON, then the camera is recognized (XP Pro SP2 sounds a tone, no bubble!, and in Device manager the camera appears under a section named "Imaging Devices" and its listed as Sony DV Camcorder.

If I turn iLink Conv OFF, XP sounds and the listing disappears from Device Manager. The camera is not detected without i.Link Conversion!! Yes, I have the VCR HDV/DV setting on HDV and I shot my footage in HDV.

My computer doesn't recognize the camera in HDV and there is nothing in device manager to update until I turn i.Link Conv back ON.

You are certain it is not under "Sound video and game controllers" as AV/C Tape Device?

Yes, Steven, you are correct. I got confused since in DV mode it came up under a different section (Imaging Devices). It was there under Sound, Video and Game controllers. I was able to update the device and it is now showing as a Sony D-VHS Device. Thanks.

Additionally, for anyone reading this thread who used Vegas 6.0, you need to go into Preferences/Video and turn OFF "use external application" so that Vegas uses its newer capture app that supports HDV.

DSE, hurry up with your book update! I'm lost (but having fun!)

Thanks again to all,

Marc

Book update? I just ordered the darn thing and there will be an update soon?

lol -- I have Vegas 5 Editing Workshop, so I'm eager for the V6 upgrade that I know he's working on when not poking around in the forums or perhaps making video ...

Thanks again, Steven, for your assistance.

Marc

Vegas 6 Editing Workshop is coming, as is Instant Audio....and an update to the HDV book. Plus we just wrapped mastering on the Vegas 6 FASST DVD featuring Mike Chenoweth, Jeffrey Fisher, John Rofrano, and myself.
Oh yeah, we have a new Vegas audio plug in with an audio partner to release next week. Ummmmm...and just got the first directors comment sheet back on "Stand By Your Man" which is a live touring show.
But I"m taking the rest of the night off. ;-)

Curious, since I'm not quite done with the Vegas 6 book, anything in there you'd like to specifically see?

Is the update to the HDV book going to mean I need to buy a whole new copy just days or weeks after buying the original? Or is it going to be an add-on?

Looking forward to is as well as I am just getting the vegas 6 demo to compare with my prem pro 1.5
Now does Vegas 6 require SP2??? :) Just kidding.
I have been a long time Canopus user (dv storm), but since I got the FX1 camera I am not sure I want to use a hardware solution again right now at least.

Jeff , the Vegas 6 demo does not do HDV only DV. Sort of pointless have a demo of something that isn't available for demo!!!! Had a long talk with support and pointed out that Vegas was the only manufacturer where the demo wasn't a real demo. I am now using Edius Pro 3 which does a nice job of mixed HDV and DV and has batch capture too. Works with my DVRaptor RT2 or just IEEE1394. Am waiting to upgrade PC with dual core so my present XP2500 is not up to capture with either Premiere Pro 1.5.1 or Edius but capture with capDVHS or Cineform HDlink work fine.
Ron Evans

Sure Vegas 6 demo does HDV *IF* you have an mpeg decoder installed. Even for demos, they have to pay for the license. So, Sony is supposed to pay for thousands of licenses for demo mpeg decoding?

Steven, we'll probably make the update as a free download to start with, and then incorporate it into the current book. It's mostly a JVC addition, plus a few other minor things. Keep in mind, having the book be currrent is important to me, and the state of the HDV state is changing rapidly, so we'll just do our best to make sure we stay on it.

Spot,
I have several mpeg decoders and encoders on my system. Premiere Pro 1.5.1 with the Mainconcept encoder/decoder, Womble with their encoder/decoder, Ulead 6.5, Edius Pro 3 with Procoder, plus several standalone, Mainconcept stand alone, CCE, TMPgenc etc. And at the time I was trying the options for HDV I had Pinnacle Edition 6 Demo and the Cineform Demo for Premiere Pro on the system too. None of these was seen or were usable by Vegas 6. As with Cineform I would be happy with a very short trial period of just a few days or have the program smart enough to see all the other paid up licenses for MPEG on the system. Neither was the case. I would be quite happy to accept a limitation on export or saving or even a time limit on encode etc but nothing in my opinion is a little poor. My interest in evaluating NLE's for HDV was to see how easy was it to incorporate HDV in a DV project and crop a 4x3 DV image from the 16x9 HDV. Then how fast was the rendering to do this for a DV output. Clearly I was unable to do this for Vegas 6 but after trying the Cineform Demo decided that Edius was faster and now use Edius Pro3 with my DVRaptorRT2 since any of the pure DV video does not have to be rendered only the HDV to DV which even on my slow XP2500 is reasonable at about 2 times realtime for the crop from m2t file to DV.

Ron Evans

From the OS and security standpoint, you should install SP2 if you attached to the internet. I have seen some reports of Firewire issues with some cameras, but the FX1 is in the stock inf files.

Once detected on any XP system, there is a custom inf file stored on the system, so it will not need to be reinstalled.

Note that many SP2 issues actually occur because of the Windows Firewall blocking ports.

I'm sure there is some merit to this, but at the same time, I'm not buying. We have 13 computers on our network, not including laptops, and of those, 9 of them are PC's using IE. No SP2 on any of them, all connected to the net 24/7. Panda Firewall only.
Common sense, a little bit of care, and this isn't an issue, and certainly no where near the issue that SP2 has been bringing about for people that use a lot of video product. Vegas, Ulead, Adobe, Camtasia, Serious Magic....all report issues in various forums with SP2.
I can't recommend that no one install it, but we won't be putting it on our system anytime soon.
If you DO install it, be sure to download their latest Firewire patch.

Spot,

That's cool. Thanks. I haven't even received it yet. Y'all ship slow boat from China? :)

I figured I better get around to reading it. It might come in handy, and any chance I get I want to take advantage of, because this trip to Greece is a once-in-a-lifetime deal. We'll hit lots more countries before we die, but probably never get back to Greece. I want to shoot the best footage I can, and if your book gives me even one good tip, it is worth the wait.

Okay I have the full version of Vegas 6 installed and sure enough, with the default settings it does not want to capture HDV from the FX1 (if you have HDV to DV conversion turned off on the FX1 menu).

I had to go it and uncheck the "use external application box for capture" and then open the capture windw (which will now open at the bottom right of the screen in Vegas) and right click -> Device -> IEEE 1394/MPEG2-TS Device -> Sony HDR-FX1.

And yes I still had to do this even though I am using Windows XP SP2.
Now in Premiere, the FX1 shows up without any of this tweaking so I don't know why vegas is having such an issue with the FX1 in HDV mode.

Only problem now is that I can't seem to set capute in and out points... Anyone now how to do this? The icons are greyed out.