Firewire device control with analogue capture?

Question

Firewire device control with analogue capture?

Please please help.
I am trying to capture HDV footage (shot on a JVC HD251) in SD via our KONA LH.
It seems farily easy to get the KONA to downcovert but i don't currently have any device control so therrefore have no timecode.

On the AJA website this article seems to suggest that it is possible to have device control over firewire whilst capturing via the KONA.

http://www.aja.com/html/supportkonaLHedoc.html and navigate to the WHITEPAPER: HDV Workflow

Any help would be more than very welcome!

Thanks in advance

Mike

G5 Dual 2.3 2.5 GB ram, Mac OS X (10.4.10), FCP 5.1.4

Posted on Jul 23, 2007 5:37 AM

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Answer 1

Jul 24, 2007 5:08 AM in response to Michael Simpson1

...so far no answers.. 😟

have been loooking everywhere but no help thus far.

please let me know if anyone has any clues at all.

ta

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Answer 2

Jim Cookman

Level 7

23,435 points

Jul 24, 2007 6:04 AM in response to Michael Simpson1

Let me just say: rs-422; depending of course on whether or not the deck or camera HAS rs-422

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Answer 3

Jul 24, 2007 6:14 AM in response to Michael Simpson1

Our production house doesn't utilize HDV, so I'm unable to do any testing on my end. The only advice I can give is pure speculation. What steps have you actually tried?

Have you tried duplicating your current capture settings and changing device control to Firewire?

In your Audio/Video Settings window, check to see what preset is currently selected for "Device Control Preset". Leave your Sequence & Capture Presets alone, since I'm assuming that those are working. Change the Device Control to Firewire NTSC or PAL, then click the button at the bottom "Create Easy Setup", and give the setup a different name and description.

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Answer 4

Jul 24, 2007 6:19 AM in response to Jim Cookman

sadly we are currently using our JVC HD251E camera which does not have RS422 as it is not a deck.

it is the device control via firewire that is hinted upon in the whitepaper from the link at the top of this post that i am most interested in as it would be really useful if it is in fact possible.

We don't intend on using our cameras as a decks for much longer and are looking at the possibilites of purchasing the BR-HD50 which has RS422 which will be ideal.

Even with this we will still be using our Kona to downconvert...unless the JVC deck can downconvert via the firewire...which i guess i will only find out when trying it!

Thanks for the suggestion all the same...but please please someone tell me if this is indeed possible. I don' tunderstand why AJA would hint at it if it is not possible.

Mike

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Answer 5

Jul 24, 2007 6:30 AM in response to Michael Simpson1

I think you're missing my point entirely.

How are you connecting the camera to your Kona card? Not by firewire.

Leave your camera connected to the Kona card, and try connecting a firewire to it for device control, then change the Device Control Preset in FCP to Firewire, and give that a try.

I mentioned nothing about RS422 in my previous post.

What other methods have you tried to gain device control with your current setup?

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Answer 6

Jul 24, 2007 6:57 AM in response to Michael Trauffer

thanks for getting in on this...

our camera is connected via component HD coming out of the HD251 at 720p.

I have tried connecting a firewire cable to the camera and changed the device control in FCP to Firewire to no avail. It doesn't seem to matter whether i have the switch on the JVC in DV or HDV mode either, (just for reference.)

I don't see any other options for device control.

As i say at the top.. AJA hint that this is possible in their whitepaper.. take a look at the pdf.

If it's not possible then cool.. but if it is - i want to be able to use it.

I appreciate all the time and thoughts on this.

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Answer 7

Jul 24, 2007 7:04 AM in response to Michael Trauffer

I have not as yet duplicated settings, only changed current ones.

Device control is currently set to Firewire Pal basic....

The issue may be this...

because i am using our KONA to downconvert to SD DV footage i don't get the option of using HDV firewire control in the device control section of the logging and capture window.

Our camera is outputting 720P and the KONA is downconverting that to 625 25 DV.

When i try and set the device preset to HDV but the capture to 625 25 DV i get an error message when i go OK:

To capture HDV source material, both the capture and device control presets must be configured for HDV; otherwise, to capture in another format, both must not be configured for HDV.

HELP!!!!

thanks for your time here guys...and gals!

mike

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Answer 8

Jul 24, 2007 7:06 AM in response to Michael Simpson1

sorry..... correction of my above post.

the error message comes when i try to open the log and capture window!

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Answer 9

Jul 24, 2007 7:08 AM in response to Michael Simpson1

I've read the white paper quite a few times.

As I said earlier, I can only speculate on a solution, as I can't test this out in person.

Another thing to try would be to contact AJA tech support and ask them. It's their white paper after all!

Good luck!

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Answer 10

Jul 25, 2007 1:07 AM in response to Michael Trauffer

Cheers for the good luck, think i'm gonna need it...

I have been in touch with AJA technical support and they have tried to be helpful suggesting changing the settings in the video and audio settings but seeing as it is not strictly an AJA Kona issue they do not seem to have a specific way of telling me how to achieve what they have hinted at in the paper.

...still searching for the solution.

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