Trouble importing footage from an XL2 into FCP at DVinfo.net

Jeff Ray · March 21st, 2006, 05:06 PM

Hey guys,

I usually import my footage with a small handycam (don't ask me why, because I don't really know), but I don't have it with me at the moment so I'm using my XL2.

The problem is that when I go into the log and capture window and hit play, the timecode starts and I can see the footage playing in the XL2 viewfinder, but not in the log and capture window. It still displays the "preview disabled" screen with the color bars. Also, when I attempt to hit "capture now" a window pops up saying "The operation could not be completed because there is no video." When there is in fact video...that I'm looking at through my XL2 viewfinder.

SOOOOOOO...any suggestions?

Curtis Cates · March 22nd, 2006, 12:08 PM

I have a Canopus ADVC 110 for converting digital firewire to S-video to go to an external video monitor. If I have that plugged in while trying to capture I get the symptoms you're seeing. Maybe you have something similar going on?

BTW, I use a little Canon ZR100 for capturing, to save on wear on the XL2, and it performs perfectly.

Andrew Khalil · March 22nd, 2006, 03:36 PM

Ah, this is actually an irritating thing I've dealt with before. Here's what to do and hopefully it'll work:

1. make sure there are no other firewire devices plugged into the computer
2. turn the camera on before opening FCP, or ideally, boot the computer with the camera on and connected
3. Make sure you have the latest version of quicktime installed

check if those things work

Bob Thompson · March 23rd, 2006, 04:28 AM

Check and make sure the camera is the ONLY firewire device connected to the computer - DISCONNECT any firewire drives you may have connected.

Eric A Robinson · March 23rd, 2006, 07:31 AM

Hi there

What Mac are you using and what OS?

Do as Andrew says, but if you are using a G5 tower power down the machine, connect the camera using the front firewire port, switch the camera on, then start up your computer.
I have experienced problems like this in the past, and there does not appear to be any rhyme or reason for them, like don't ask me why the front port and not the rear... it just happens to work!

Like the other guys I tend to use my old and trusty XM1 to connect to my computer.

Boyd Ostroff · March 23rd, 2006, 08:01 AM

Hi Jeff; I've moved this thread to our Mac forum since these problems have been discussed a lot here. Unfortunately it seems that Canon's firewire doesn't always play well with Macs.

Have you tried the camera with another firewire device to verify that it is in fact sending data? If you have another DV camera you can connect it to your XL2 with a 4 pin cable as a test. For that matter, have you tried another camera on your Mac to make sure everything's OK there too?

Also see this: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=49838

The other suggestions here are all good ones too. Let us know how you make out.

Brian S. Kirbis · August 18th, 2006, 04:27 AM

Hey all -

I'm posting this well after your discussion, but there may be more folks out there looking to solve this problem in the future. (I had done a fair amount of searching online myself without finding a suitable solution.)

I recently purchased a MacBookPro and had the same problem in FCP 5.1 - device control but no preview in the log and capture window. This only started happening after I had bought an external harddrive and set it as my scratch disk. Turned out that if I unplugged my harddrive from the second firewire port on the back of my monitor and reset my capture settings, then all was well and I could preview my footage. But how to actually use the harddrive for what I bought it for without having to capture onto my computer first and then transfer to the harddrive afterwards?

Solution: I ran both my playback deck (GL2 for now) and external harddrive (G Tech G-Raid 320) through a dv repeater (datavideo vp-332) and the repeater into my monitor. For some reason, this solved the problem. I even played around with the order in which I powered on my computer, playback deck and harddrive - various arrangements both before and after FCP was launched - and to my great relief, it now works every time!

Hopefully, this will help to resolve the issue for others. And, as I tried this on a whim, if anyone out there can explain the logic of why this works, I would be curious . . .

March 21st, 2006, 05:06 PM	#1
Jeff Ray Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 49	Trouble importing footage from an XL2 into FCP Hey guys, I usually import my footage with a small handycam (don't ask me why, because I don't really know), but I don't have it with me at the moment so I'm using my XL2. The problem is that when I go into the log and capture window and hit play, the timecode starts and I can see the footage playing in the XL2 viewfinder, but not in the log and capture window. It still displays the "preview disabled" screen with the color bars. Also, when I attempt to hit "capture now" a window pops up saying "The operation could not be completed because there is no video." When there is in fact video...that I'm looking at through my XL2 viewfinder. SOOOOOOO...any suggestions?

March 23rd, 2006, 07:31 AM	#5
Eric A Robinson Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland Posts: 82	xl2 problems with FCP Hi there What Mac are you using and what OS? Do as Andrew says, but if you are using a G5 tower power down the machine, connect the camera using the front firewire port, switch the camera on, then start up your computer. I have experienced problems like this in the past, and there does not appear to be any rhyme or reason for them, like don't ask me why the front port and not the rear... it just happens to work! Like the other guys I tend to use my old and trusty XM1 to connect to my computer.

August 18th, 2006, 04:27 AM	#7
Brian S. Kirbis New Boot Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: san diego, california Posts: 6	Preview disabled solution . . . ? Hey all - I'm posting this well after your discussion, but there may be more folks out there looking to solve this problem in the future. (I had done a fair amount of searching online myself without finding a suitable solution.) I recently purchased a MacBookPro and had the same problem in FCP 5.1 - device control but no preview in the log and capture window. This only started happening after I had bought an external harddrive and set it as my scratch disk. Turned out that if I unplugged my harddrive from the second firewire port on the back of my monitor and reset my capture settings, then all was well and I could preview my footage. But how to actually use the harddrive for what I bought it for without having to capture onto my computer first and then transfer to the harddrive afterwards? Solution: I ran both my playback deck (GL2 for now) and external harddrive (G Tech G-Raid 320) through a dv repeater (datavideo vp-332) and the repeater into my monitor. For some reason, this solved the problem. I even played around with the order in which I powered on my computer, playback deck and harddrive - various arrangements both before and after FCP was launched - and to my great relief, it now works every time! Hopefully, this will help to resolve the issue for others. And, as I tried this on a whim, if anyone out there can explain the logic of why this works, I would be curious . . .

March 22nd, 2006, 12:08 PM	#2
Curtis Cates New Boot Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Taos, NM Posts: 7	I have a Canopus ADVC 110 for converting digital firewire to S-video to go to an external video monitor. If I have that plugged in while trying to capture I get the symptoms you're seeing. Maybe you have something similar going on? BTW, I use a little Canon ZR100 for capturing, to save on wear on the XL2, and it performs perfectly.

March 22nd, 2006, 03:36 PM	#3
Andrew Khalil Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 424	Ah, this is actually an irritating thing I've dealt with before. Here's what to do and hopefully it'll work: 1. make sure there are no other firewire devices plugged into the computer 2. turn the camera on before opening FCP, or ideally, boot the computer with the camera on and connected 3. Make sure you have the latest version of quicktime installed check if those things work

March 23rd, 2006, 04:28 AM	#4
Bob Thompson Major Player Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 340	Check and make sure the camera is the ONLY firewire device connected to the computer - DISCONNECT any firewire drives you may have connected.

March 23rd, 2006, 08:01 AM	#6
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,800	Hi Jeff; I've moved this thread to our Mac forum since these problems have been discussed a lot here. Unfortunately it seems that Canon's firewire doesn't always play well with Macs. Have you tried the camera with another firewire device to verify that it is in fact sending data? If you have another DV camera you can connect it to your XL2 with a 4 pin cable as a test. For that matter, have you tried another camera on your Mac to make sure everything's OK there too? Also see this: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=49838 The other suggestions here are all good ones too. Let us know how you make out.