"No Communication" in FCP

Bill Pryor · December 3rd, 2006, 12:02 PM

Oops. Heheh...the camera is supposed to be in VCR/PLAY mode, not EXT. CONT. I had tried that already and it didn't work...but what I did this time was disconnect the camera, open FCP, click "continue" and let it fire up. THEN connect the cable, turn on the camera, and all is well. I used the basic 1080p24 easy setup.

Bill Pryor · December 4th, 2006, 04:18 PM

OK, I got some clips loaded on the laptop yesterday and they looked out of sync but I didn't think anything about it because it's the slow iBook. But when I exported as a QT, they were, indeed, out of sync.

Howard Kalodner · December 4th, 2006, 08:06 PM

Bill,

Although I usually work in 1080i60, your experience led me to do a test clip at 1080p24. My audio/video settings in FCP are consistent with yours with one exception - under Device Control Presets, I left unchanged the choice of HDV FireWire Basic NDF and I did not change the default frame rate which is 29.97. I know that is contra-instinctual but it works. I was able to capture a clip and the audio sync is fine.

I did note that in the interface between the XH A1 and FCP 5.1.2 there was an even greater sensitivity to the pre-roll/post-roll time. Make sure that your in point has at least 5 seconds of video before it and at least 3 seconds of video after when you select your in and out points when you log the video. When I set my in point without that amount of pre-roll time, it simply failed - no message, no indication of why. But when, using the same clip, I chose an in point about 7 seconds after the clip began and an end point with about 5 seconds of video after the end point, the batch capture went perfectly.

Although I don't think that the hardware matters, I am working on a Mac Pro. I hope these observations help you solve your problem in capturing the video.

Bill Pryor · December 4th, 2006, 08:25 PM

Interesting. Thanks for the tip. It could have had something to do with the minimalist iBook. I'll check it out on one of the editing computers when I have time. The 29.97 thing sounds weird. It came in at 23.97 OK with that setting?

Howard Kalodner · December 4th, 2006, 09:30 PM

I placed the clip on a 24F timeline and it played perfectly in the canvas. As a further test, I exported it to compressor and encoded it using H.264 (LAN) at full size.

I did a terrible job as a matter of photography - the background was better lit than my subject and so the camera, which I had left on auto focus, focused perfectly on the background rather than on my more dimly lit subject. That was entirely my fault. BUT, here is the good news, the 24F log and capture, batch capture and timeline all worked exactly as they should. It both sounds (sync) and looks fine (apart from my subject being poorly focused). Now I have to remember to turn on peaking so that I can tell when my subject is not in focus!

If I were not so embarassed by my error, I would share with you the H.264 version. It is, from the point of view of 24F capture, edit and playback, exactly what it should be. I assume that the explanation for the device control frame rate setting is that it is necessary as part of the firewire protocol.

Bill Pryor · December 6th, 2006, 09:13 AM

Yeah, the cable is always the first thing to check, especially in audio.

December 4th, 2006, 08:06 PM	#18
Howard Kalodner New Boot Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Springfield Massachusetts Posts: 8	Capturing 24F with FCP 5.1.2 Bill, Although I usually work in 1080i60, your experience led me to do a test clip at 1080p24. My audio/video settings in FCP are consistent with yours with one exception - under Device Control Presets, I left unchanged the choice of HDV FireWire Basic NDF and I did not change the default frame rate which is 29.97. I know that is contra-instinctual but it works. I was able to capture a clip and the audio sync is fine. I did note that in the interface between the XH A1 and FCP 5.1.2 there was an even greater sensitivity to the pre-roll/post-roll time. Make sure that your in point has at least 5 seconds of video before it and at least 3 seconds of video after when you select your in and out points when you log the video. When I set my in point without that amount of pre-roll time, it simply failed - no message, no indication of why. But when, using the same clip, I chose an in point about 7 seconds after the clip began and an end point with about 5 seconds of video after the end point, the batch capture went perfectly. Although I don't think that the hardware matters, I am working on a Mac Pro. I hope these observations help you solve your problem in capturing the video.

December 4th, 2006, 09:30 PM	#20
Howard Kalodner New Boot Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Springfield Massachusetts Posts: 8	24F Capture and FinalCut Pro 5.1.2 I placed the clip on a 24F timeline and it played perfectly in the canvas. As a further test, I exported it to compressor and encoded it using H.264 (LAN) at full size. I did a terrible job as a matter of photography - the background was better lit than my subject and so the camera, which I had left on auto focus, focused perfectly on the background rather than on my more dimly lit subject. That was entirely my fault. BUT, here is the good news, the 24F log and capture, batch capture and timeline all worked exactly as they should. It both sounds (sync) and looks fine (apart from my subject being poorly focused). Now I have to remember to turn on peaking so that I can tell when my subject is not in focus! If I were not so embarassed by my error, I would share with you the H.264 version. It is, from the point of view of 24F capture, edit and playback, exactly what it should be. I assume that the explanation for the device control frame rate setting is that it is necessary as part of the firewire protocol.

December 3rd, 2006, 12:02 PM	#16
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	Oops. Heheh...the camera is supposed to be in VCR/PLAY mode, not EXT. CONT. I had tried that already and it didn't work...but what I did this time was disconnect the camera, open FCP, click "continue" and let it fire up. THEN connect the cable, turn on the camera, and all is well. I used the basic 1080p24 easy setup.

December 4th, 2006, 04:18 PM	#17
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	OK, I got some clips loaded on the laptop yesterday and they looked out of sync but I didn't think anything about it because it's the slow iBook. But when I exported as a QT, they were, indeed, out of sync.

December 4th, 2006, 08:25 PM	#19
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	Interesting. Thanks for the tip. It could have had something to do with the minimalist iBook. I'll check it out on one of the editing computers when I have time. The 29.97 thing sounds weird. It came in at 23.97 OK with that setting?

December 6th, 2006, 09:13 AM	#21
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	Yeah, the cable is always the first thing to check, especially in audio.