Fcp & A1....bad

[Kyle Prohaska]

I just got my A1 and I can't seem to capture with it. I setup a HDV 1080p24 preset that comes with FcP go into capture and guess what? It can't find the device. I tried different firewire cables, cant find it still, iMovie finds it just fine, AND FCP will find it and work great if its SD footage, but not when im using HDV. Any clue why? I know its not the camera, its not the cable, its a FCP issue with HDV with my cam. Anybody know why this is happening?

- Kyle

[Todd Mattson]

Originally Posted by Kyle Prohaska

I just got my A1 and I can't seem to capture with it. I setup a HDV 1080p24 preset that comes with FcP go into capture and guess what? It can't find the device. I tried different firewire cables, cant find it still, iMovie finds it just fine, AND FCP will find it and work great if its SD footage, but not when im using HDV. Any clue why? I know its not the camera, its not the cable, its a FCP issue with HDV with my cam. Anybody know why this is happening?

- Kyle

I don't own the A1 yet, although that's the direction I'm headed. As a FCP user, I really want to know how this gets resolved - if it's a universal issue or isolated? Which version of FCP are you using?

[Dom Stevenson]

I got it right first time with no problems at all.

Are you sure you've set it up right in the easy setup?


Are you using a recent version of FCP? 24/25p support is relatively new. 5.12 and later will capture no problem.

FCP does a fine job with hdv 25p in PAL land at least. Perhaps your version of FCP needs upgrading

[Bill Pryor]

I'm shooting 24f HDV with the XH A1, capturing in FCP 5.1.4 with no trouble at all. If I've been using the DVCAM deck, when I switch over to capture from the Canon, I have to scroll down in the View menu and Refresh AV Devices. You have to be using at least 5.1.2 to capture in HDV/24F.

[Kyle Prohaska]

I have 5.1.4 so it shouldn't be an issue but its not working. Everything works until I try to capture HDV content. Is there a way to reset FCP? So everything goes back the way it is when you install it? I dont want to un/reinstall because thats a pain.

Btw im using the HDV 1080p24 preset that comes standard with FCP.

- Kyle

[Bill Pryor]

Obviously you've got something wrong there. What I'd do is shut everything down. Plug in the camera via firewire, then start up the camera, then start up the computer, then check your refresh av settings, double check that you really are in the 1080p24 easy setup, and make sure your sequence settings match. If the camera works, as you said, with iMovie, then the camera is OK and there must be something not setup right with your FCP settings. My experience with FCP is that it's almost always operator error, and just because you set it up one way doesn't mean next time you turn it on it'll default to the same place.

[Josh Green]

I suffered through this same issue when I got my A1 a few months ago. It's a really easy fix though, just go to easy setup and choose the dvcpro 1080i setup and it works like a charm.

[Barlow Elton]

Kyle,

You might not have the camera's VTR settings set to HDV or auto playback. Got to the VTR menu (with the camera unplugged from the computer) and select HDV playback. Then do the FCP HDV 1080p 24 Easy Setup.

[Dom Stevenson]

KYLE,
As well as Easy Set up, go to the Audio video settings below the easy set up option in the FCP heading and check you've put in the correct sequence preset and capture preset. Also, go to the header Sequence and click on settings to see if your sequence is ready to take HDV. I did an SD project recently and although i'd done the EAsy set up stuff FCP still thought it was an HDV project, which is kind of the opposite to your problem. Sometimes the software just doesn't do what you'd expect it to. Bill's right though, its almost always operator error. Then check the VTR settings Barlow mentioned.
Good Luck

[Kyle Prohaska]

I got it now, Barlow's advice worked. Just needed to change it to HDV and it was smooth sailing, thanks folks.

- Kyle