HDLink -- various questions

[Jeff Baker]

Hi, I usually capture inside of premeire but today decided to try HDLink. I set my Prefs file to ouput to my video drive and tried capture 2 ways. One by pressing the play button and then the Start button, the other by just pressing the Start button. Both ways I received errors right away and the capture stopped.

Error: CreateAndAddFilter(CLSID_CFTSSink, L "CineForm TSSink",&m_tsSink) (0x80040154-Class not registered) in (C:\Brisco\Apps\Capture\RTCaptureConvert.cpp at 165)

Error: m_rtCapture.BuildGraph(m_rtConvert.m_aviName) (0x80040154-Class not registered) in (C:\Brisco\Apps\Capture\RTCaptureConvert.cpp at 165)

Wha???

I then started Prem Pro and catured thu that interface:
I received the error: Can't Activate Recorder. Try Resetting Camera.

So I turned it off and back on and got a box that said "Driver error".

uh-oh... Do I need to re-install cineform?

[Marc Colemont]

I try to convert captured m2t footage from to AVI.
Upto 4 files at onces works. If I select more files to convert, after 4 files.
The software then seems to be locked, at least the 'start' button.
Does anybody else has this problem?

[Wayne Johnson]

I sure do! Had to disable all system services and startup tasks (via msconfig) in order for it to work. Cineform told me that they've always advised all "background tasks" be shut off before doing video editing. I say, okay, but HDLink conversion is NOT a real-time task and well-written software doesn't just stop.

I've submitted a half-dozen "Not Responding" dumps to Microsoft. I don't know if Cineform gets them and/or looks at them. I DO know that they insist there is nothing wrong!

Wayne

[Brian Vilevac]

Any reason why the scene detection does not work in HDLink when capturing .m2t files only? It works fine when you capture with the auto convert to avi set. But it will not work when capturing just the .m2t files.

Any thoughts?

[Chris Barcellos]

Seems to be the problem in Vegas capture, and in Premiere Pro 2.0 also, even when not using Cineform capture utilities. I think it has to do with the hdv files themselves and the fact that each frame relies on the prior for some information.

HDSplit does scene detect, and it is a free application, but I have had drop outs on it that don't occur on PPro 2.0.

[Steven Gotz]

It seems to be a problem in HDLink with Aspect HD also. It sometimes works, but usually not. The scene detect then works when converting to AVI.

[Brian Vilevac]

I sent in a request to Cineform asking this question, the following is a response:

"Brian,

This is because the scene detection is actually a function of the our conversion process, therefore not functioning when only the .m2t is captured.

CineForm Support"

Hope this helps clear up any questions anyone may have.....

[Steven Gotz]

Well, that sucks. I like to capture entire tapes and then convert. That way I can archive the M2T files and work with the AVI files. Not only that, but I can share the M2T files easier than the CFHD AVI files.

But now to share unedited M2T files, with the original quality, I need to manually capture the scenes. Sigh. That is a serious step backward. Especially since it used to work.

[Wayne Johnson]

Originally Posted by Steven Gotz

Well, that sucks. I like to capture entire tapes and then convert. That way I can archive the M2T files and work with the AVI files. Not only that, but I can share the M2T files easier than the CFHD AVI files.

But now to share unedited M2T files, with the original quality, I need to manually capture the scenes. Sigh. That is a serious step backward. Especially since it used to work.

I seem to remember it working also and wish it would now for reasons like Steven's and some more or my own, including the inability of HDLink to convert a full 60 minutes of M2T without hanging (on my system only, according to Cineform).

[Wayne Johnson]

I'd like to revisit this issue. Cineform's response to my trouble ticket was that I was the only experiencing this problem and "Do not reopen this ticket"! I've asked Cineform several times and ways whether Microsoft forwards the dumps to them. They've never answered me, nor asked me to narrow down what system services might be causing the problem.

Even if it is just the two of us, which I doubt, I would hope for better support for such an expensive batch utility (HDLink).

[Laurence Kingston]

You can do this but you need to use two pieces of software:

Capture in HDVSplit, then convert with the Cineform conversion utility. I do it this way so as to archive the smaller m2t clips.

[Wayne Johnson]

Originally Posted by Laurence Kingston

You can do this but you need to use two pieces of software:

Capture in HDVSplit, then convert with the Cineform conversion utility. I do it this way so as to archive the smaller m2t clips.

Funny thing. I discovered HDSplit and downloaded it right after my post. Thanks for confirming that the combo works.

[Steven Gotz]

I just tried HDVSplit. Works great on clips captured by HDLink. So why doesn't HDLink do that for us?

Sigh.

Are we just spoiled because Aspect HD is so good that we want it perfect?

Oh well, thanks for the workaround.

[Tim Bucklin]

With scene detection selected during the batch conversion process, some systems will experience this. It's a little hard to trouble-shoot, as two of my test systems, running side-by-side with the same source clips, behave differently (one works fine either way, while the other will stop after one clip if scene split is enabled).

There are a whole slew of improvements/additions lined up for HDLink, so sit tight and we'll get it squared away.

EDIT: It appears that it IS clip-dependent (I realized that my test clips, although named the same, were different). If the clip ends on a scene break, it could be causing the problem. Regardless, we're looking into it.

Also remember that the cost involves the licensing of our codec as well, not just HDLink.

[Steven Gotz]

Yes, we know that. But we consider it all one product.

It is a catch 22 situation. If I capture with HDLink I get one huge file and the scene detection and converting works fine.

If I use a different program (HDVSplit) to make many M2T files and turn off scene detection, then I can only convert one at a time.

We just want to be able to scene detect upon capture, and then convert all of the ones we want to use at that time.

One of the problems with being as good as Cineform, is that the customers think it should be perfect.