DV IN Flashing in VCR Mode (capture problem-XM1)?

[Tobias Andersson]

Dear all,

I'm new to this forum and have been reading many of the posts here, to get better knowledge, since I've just been a proud owner of a mint XM1.

I've been doing a lot of filming and two days ago I bought the ST Labs FireWire Card, installed it to my Win2K-machine (device visable and functioning according to Win2K) with Premiere 6.01 on it and connected the camera. Made the necessary changes in Premiere, like camera model, video/audio-format, capture format. I turn the cam to VCR mode and try to capture clips, but Premiere says XM1 is off line. I cannot get it to go on line. Neither can I get rid of the text -Unable to connect to capture driver- in the Project settings/Capture. I have tried to restart the PC and Premiere and also changed the cable.

- Can the above problems be related to the constant flashing -DV IN- when the camera is set to VCR-mode?
- Should the falshing text always be visable in VCR-mode?
- If it is not normal, how do I get rid of the flashing?

I would really appreciate some help in the matter. I've been going through so many posts, but I can't find any problems like this. I hope the capture-problem isn't in my XM-1.

Kind regards,
Tobias Andersson,
Sweden.

[Tobias Andersson]

Hi again,

To be more specific, maybe I should tell you all, that the Flashing icon appears _all_ the time in VCR-mode, even when a cable is not connected to the DV-port. It only stops when I press play on the handle. If I try to record in VCR-mode, a red warning text says: CHECK THE DV INPUT.

Anybody heard of DV IN/OUT problem on GL1 / XM1?

Getting desperate here... :-)

Best regards,
Tobias Andersson.

[Jeff Donald]

Is this the first time you've tried to capture with your camera or layback to tape through firewire?

[Tobias Andersson]

Hi Jeff (and all),

Yes, it's the first time I've tried to "export" . Just bought it and when I bought it, I cannot recall the flashing text DV IN. But after having inserted the wire the first time, the flashing started and it has been there ever since.

I have had a friend helping me who has done quite a bit of capturing/editing in Premiere (mostly with the TRV900), and we could not figure out how to get the capturing to work.

The XM1 is about two years old and in mint condition. Don't know when the DV I/O port was used the last time, as the previous owner used a separate Sony deck to play the tapes in.

Have I done some basic fault or is the problem related to the nice cam? Hope, hope not...

Best,
Tobias.

[Ken Tanaka]

Tobias - Sorry to hear of your trouble. Unless someone has encountered and overcome this specific problem I doubt that anyone will have a silver bullet to offer. The flashing DV IN suggests that the XM1 sees a Firewire communication problem with the connection. The Firewire card and the camera are, perhaps, not hand-shaking correctly.

If you've the opportunity to do so, you'd be wise to test the camera's Firewire connectivity on another computer (Mac or Windows) whose configuration is known to be good. Testing with a Mac would be very handy, since Firewire is not an accessory on Mac systems and all current models have iMovie pre-installed. Excluding the camera as a source of the problem will save you much time.

Once this is done your path will lead to the other end of the cable, where I suspect the real problem lives. Windows' system devices control panel will generally mindlessly report "OK" status on devices as long as they don't conflict with Windows, so it's not a reliable microscope.

Perhaps go the board's manufacturer's site to check for tips and updated drivers. Failing that, check with Microsoft's Knowledgebase for notices.

Good luck. We feel your pain.

[Jeff Donald]

I've also seen this happen on windows machines when the cable is disconnected before the XL1 is powered down. Try hooking them back up together.

Start with XL1 off, connect cables, turn on XL1, power down XL1, disconnect cable, power up XL1 and check for flashing icon.

[Tobias Andersson]

Hello XM1/GL1 users,

Finally I found the problem... A short description:

Bought another new FireWire Card (twice as expensive) and installed it to my PC. Same problem. Read page after page about what the problem could be. Nowhere was a reasonable solution to be found, I had done just the way I was supposed to.

The problem was narrowed down to the cam itself, something I feared. Called Canon Service Center here in Sweden and the technician said that the flashing DV IN was abnormal, especially since it didn't matter if I had it connected to the PC or not... the flashing wouldn't stop. He told me that the main circuit board had to be replaced, since the port probably needed to be replaced. (The port is attached directly to the main board!!) Some components on the main board had been burned when the soldiering had been cracked. (I have been very gentle, but still it happened). The cost for repair was about USD780! Luckily I am insured and they will hopefully pay for it.

So, guys, if you are buying a used cam, be sure to test the DV I/O-port and if you ever see a flashing DV IN sign, be aware of the cost for repair! Flashing is not supposed to occur!

Thanks for all the input in trying to help me solve the problem!!

Best,
Tobias Andersson,
Sweden.

[Ken Tanaka]

Tobias,
Good to hear that you've overcome this. (Not as glad as you are, eh?) Now you can start to have some fun!

Also, thanks very much for the follow-up. As you probably now know well, ending stories are very useful to those seeking answers to problems.

-Ken Tanaka-