HC7 capture problems

[Simon Jones]

Well the HC7 finally came, and I am having a problem importing. I installed the sony software, and I am using adobe premiere pro 2 to capture. However the Adobe capture menu says that nothing is attatched, even though my computer makes the sound that something is connected, and it shows up in 'my computer'. I am using my old firewire cable that I used with my GL-1, because the supplied firewire cable does not directly attatch to my pc. (Is this the cause of the problem?)

Also, I was able to import a bit with the supplied software and windows movie maker and the quality was pretty low and choppy... I'm pretty sure I'm recording in 1080i as it says 1080i in the corner of the LCD.

I'm sure these are user-related problems, as this is the first day I have had it.

Any info or advice appreciated.

Oh, Im running vista now, which could also be the problem, but I'm downgrading to xp this weekend.

Thanks,

Simon

[Simon Jones]

One more quick question,

Is it ok to leave the battery charging and it will automatically stop, or do I have to be there when it's done, and unplugg it so the battery doesnt get messed up?

[Dave Blackhurst]

I believe the circuitry automaticaly prevents overcharging - I know the off camera chargers shut off automatically

[Simon Jones]

Alright thanks...

Any info on why Adobe premiere pro 2 is not recognizing my cam? (Not using the included iLink cable, and Im running vista) I'm assuming one or both of those reasons are why, but I would like to be sure.

The included software imports fine, but it imports to a wierd file type, and on the wrong drive (wont let me change either of those settings).

Anyways, thanks guys!

Simon

[Simon Jones]

Hmm one more thing...

http://www.adobe.com/products/premie...as&format=NTSC

On this page it says that adobe premiere only supports an HDR-HC1... Are all of the HC1,3,5, and 7 included, or can Adobe Premiere only read an HC1?

Sorry for the double post, It's just I'm getting annoyed that the only thing that reads my camera is the sony included software, and that it doesnt import to a readable file type (ml2).

Any help is greatly appreciated...

[Dave Blackhurst]

Hi Simon -
don't have Premier, but Vegas has no problems recognizing the HC7,3,1, the FX7 and Z1u... and the HV20... You may have some sort of configuration issue? maybe see if there are any patches available for your program - since it only mentions the HC1, it may be out of date...

[Tony Neal]

Simon ...

I can capture from my HC7 into PremPro 1.5 and I've just installed PremPro CS3 and that captures fine too using the generic Sony camcorder settings - but then I'm running XP.

PremPro 2 is not certified for Vista, so I guess this is your problem - did you have any luck after downgrading (!?) to XP ? Have you tried downloading a trial verson of CS3 ?

You can leave your battery on charge until the charging light goes out, but if you leave it on charge it does no harm - the charger just keeps topping the battery up whenever it needs it.

Tony

[Simon Jones]

Thanks guys, Just finished downgrading, so it could be a few days before I have all my programs installed.

I captured with the sony software, and imported it into Vegas 7, and it worked ok (a bit choppy, probobaly due to my computer) but it works ok.

If I have any more questions then I'll post them up.

[Archie McDonald]

Hello Simon

My HC7 arrived a few weeks ago and I am using Adobe Premiere Elements 3
for capturing HDV and editing. To get the computer to recognize my HC7 I have to click on the Setup icon in the opening screen and select Adobe HDV
then select HDV 1080i 30 (Sony 60). Now I can go ahead and capture HDV
from the HC7. After looking at a review of Pro 2 I see that you would have to
click the Load Preset tab, then select Adobe HDV, then select HDV 1080i 30
(Sony 60). This will allow you to capture HDV from your HC7 and do editing.

So now what do you do with your edited HDV project? You cannot burn it in
your standard DVD burner as I have found out so here is an alternative.
In your HC7 you convert your HDV material to iLink Conversion SD. This format then has a quality level a notch below HDV but far better than if you
set your HC7 to capture in SD. The capture is in 16:9 and the results are excellent on my wide screen LCD TV.

So here are the settings for you in your camera:
-- In the Standard Set Menu set the following:
-- VCR HDV/DV needs to be set to HDV.
-- I.Link Conv needs to be set to On HDV->DV
This will output HDV recorded material you play as standard definition video
but your HDV recording will remain intact on your tape for future use.
Your monitor window will show the video as it is being captured but capturing
in HDV it does not show and you have to use your camcorder LCD screen for
that. You may have this all figured out by now but I thought I would let you know how I do it. Someday I hope to get a dedicated HDV DVD burner.
Have fun with your new HC7.

Archie

[Simon Jones]

Thank you very much, that helped me out alot.

I can capture and work fine in Vegas 7. (Now I just need to learn a new editing program).

I can also export fine as well, except when I export to 1080-60i the video is slow and the audio is normal.

I tried exporting to 720-30p and everything matches up nice and the picture is amazing.

So far I am satisfied with the 720 output, but does anyone know why the 1080 export came out slow?

Sorry for my noobness, I'm new to video and especially HDV.

Thanks all for the help,

Simon