How to Import Video from a Canon HV30 into Final Cut Studio.

First, try reading through these posts: http://discussions.apple.com/search.jspa?search=Go&q=hv30

Keep in mind that Canon cameras don't often work well when having to share a Firewire bus. How is your HV30 connected to your Mac and are there any other devices also connected?

-DH

Did you look at the link that David provided?

To sum up:

Canon's implementation of the FireWire protocol is somewhat lacking. Often there will be no response from the camera when it is connected to the same FireWire bus as other devices, such as external hard drives.

While you have several FireWire connection ports, they all share the same bus.

One, or a combination of the some of the following might work for you:

Set Final Cut Pro's capture setting to FireWire Basic.
"Daisy chain" the camera through the second port on a FireWire device.
Disconnect other FireWire devices and install a second internal hard drive to use as as your capture destination.
Install a FireWire card, to create a second bus.

Yes, this is very true. My Dad has a very basic but recent Canon DV camcorder. With a Lacie external hard drive plugged in to the FW800 port and the DV camera plugged in to the FW400 port, FCP would not recognise the camera. Even daisy chaining the camera through the external. We worked out that it would not share the BUS with a FW800 device plugged in. We changed the external drive (the scratch disk) to a FW400 drive and the camera was recognised.

The advice the guys have given you here should help you out. Have you had any luck?

are you shooting hd or sd? when you open up fcp, what do you have the setup as, in terms of video capture?

Hello,

Please do as the others have suggested and review recent posts. I have this camera and have
had no connection issues. It connects just fine with FCP 6.0.5 There are in fact 3 basic ways
of connecting to FCP, 2 of which use Firewire, more on that later.

When you post questions list in detail your steps and system, there is a good chance that it is
one small step that is causing the problem. The fact that IMovie sees the camera is a good
first step. Going from the IMovie world to FCP is a big jump, but with clear thinking and
some patients you will make progress.

Agin, supply more details.

Wishing you success, Tom

Start with the Easy Setups. If you can't find or understand those, then start with the User's Manauls.

-DH

imoviebeginner wrote:
i am using Panasonic HD Tapes because Canon reccomends using the hd tapes. right now i dont have no setup to get the video into thats what i'm trying to find out. how to set things up so i can get the video in.

not the tapes but the actual footage. are you capturing sd or hd footage on the tapes. how did you set up the camera?

I have a CANON XH A1 and 2 HV30's.
When I tried to capture footage from the HV30's, tend to grab a different FireWire cable than I use with the A1. What I tend to forget is, that the HV30s don't like that cable, and I have to use a different one.

The point. Sometimes its the cable. Try a different Firewire cable; make sure the cameris powered on and in Video (not "Camera") mode when you launch Final Cut. Also make sure you launch final cut after you've had the camera attached and powered one for a minute or so (some Mac take a few seconds to realize the camera is connected.)

The Canon Manual "clearly" describes how to connect the camera. You MUST disconnect the firewire cable from the camera prior to setting up your DV/HDV OUT settings.

So... with the cable disconnected from the Mac and the camera, go into the PLAY menu settings and choose the correct playback setting, i.e. DV or HDV and lock it.

Then turn the camera OFF. Connect the cable to the camera, then to the Mac, and turn on the camera.

Launch FCP and choose Easy Setup> HDV 1080/60i Firewire Basic (if you are shooting HDV).

That should do it.

Good Luck