ADVC-100 problems

one other thought/question:

I can see that the input on the sound to the G5 and macbook pro are both registering the sound portion of the video. Ironically, i can't seem to make the sound actually then play through the computer. It comes into the computer, but I can't get it out of the computer.

I just got off the phone with a rep from grass valley, he said there isn't much help available since it is a DC'd product.

Help?

Thanks,

Robert

I've tried using quicktime to import the video. It recognizes the ADVC-100 and seems to know it is there. Yet when I go to record, there is no video coming through.

What gives? How can the computer recognize the convertor and not see the data?

Thank you for your input and questions.

I changed VCR's just to make sure that wasn't a factor as the original one was acting a bit strange. This second VCR is a basic play only VCR. Tape in, verify it is running on the TV fine. Then move it over to the computer area. Use the red/white/yellow (composite or RCA jack?) connectors out from the VCR. Only contains out, no input on the VCR

Then connect the color coding to the input of the ADVC-100 on the front panel marked input.

The back panel has the outputs. I used the red/white only and have them plugged into a stereo adapter so that they can be plugged into the back of the powermac G5 audio input.

I am using a firewire 400 connecting from the back of the ADVC-100 to the back of the G5

Dip switches on the bottom of the ADVC-100 are set to NTSC, 7.5 IRE, Audio "locked", Audio 48khz 16bits, power on input mode "analog", and input selector mode: manual.

NOTE: I have carefully turned off the ADVC-100 and tried every possible combination of switch settings. I followed the instructions initially, which are quite simple, but when that didn't work, I decided "what the heck, try 'em all," so I did. No change.

I've tried quicktime, iMovie, and FCE. They all display a similar pattern.

iMovie: will show the pop-up screen for importing and shows it is seeing the advc-100 in the bottom left corner of the screen. Screen remains blue despite what I do.

FCE: set to DV-NTSC under easy settings, shut down program restarted and made a new project (did this multiple times). Under capture, screen pops up as usual. In the center bottom, shows "VTR OK" It shows colored bars. Decided on occasions to go ahead and put "now" and it indicates "waiting for timecode. Device must be in VTR mode when Device Control is enabled (press 'esc' to abort)

Quicktime pops open a window that remains blue and indicates it is ready to record. Nothing happens though.

I used to use this set up, maybe 5 years ago to transfer VHS or HI-8 mm tapes to the computer. I don't recall it being such a pain. This is the same computer, same ADVC-100 and so forth.

ok, did I forget anything?

Any suggestions?

I do appreciate your help.

Robert

I found my old Hi-8 mm video recorder. Tried connecting it to the computer through the ADVC-100 also. Same results. Computer will recognize the ADVC is there, but nothing appears. I tried S-Video adapters and composite adapters into the ADVC, both at the same time, each one at a time. Nada.

I'm beginning to wonder if this box has gone bad sitting here for so long unused.

this is getting odder by the hour.

I finally figured out the sound output was some kind of stead signal. I think.

So I started hooking up the sound input to the camera through a variety of devices, didn't seem to have any luck with teh preference audio section registering input level for line it. I then hooked up my iPone directs to the sound in and that was a match. The input level bounced dynamically with the sound and i could raise/lower the volume and the line in indicator would match.

Odd thing is, still no sound coming out from the mac built in speakers. I've confirmed there are no other sound outputs with a jack inserted.

Something is just odd here.

I have about troubleshooted myself to death on this topic. Need some smart brainy types (which is all of you!) to offer ideas, suggestions, that kind of thing. I'm getting thoroughly stumped as to why sound is not being played output at all, and why I cannot seem to see the video from the ADVC-100 converter despite trying basically every configuration there is.

Any help or insight is really appreciated.

Thanks for the tips Al.

I found the option you spoke of and ensured it is set on the converter option. I studied the dialogue box and noticed it does say that the control is manual, meaning not through FW from computer to device or vice versa. It is 48 kHz, verified that my canopus settings match.

I've tried two different VCR's and the Hi-8 mm camcorder. I've made sure to not connect more than one option at a time so as to not create conflict.

For example, the Hi-8 camcorder is a canon ES-8400v with a/v option for output (mini to rca jacks) and/or S-video. So I would try just the s-video to the canopus, then the FW cable to the computer. That doesn't work, so I tried the S-video out from all 3 devices. Nada.

I tried the same idea with a/v out from the camcorder and the two VCR's. Nada. I ensured there was only one input connected to the input of the canopus and just the FW going to the computer.

I went to system preferences and there is no detection of FW shown at the port. Yet under system profiler, the canopus is shown under the hardware/firewire as ADVC-100. Not sure why it would show up under the profiler but not the system network preferences. Any ideas?

I trashed all preferences for FCE, reregistered it, set the easy setup to the DV-NTSC DV Converter.

I've tried two different FW cables (not at the same time) to two different FW inputs. I've tried different RCA cables to rule out one of them could be the problem.

I'm fresh out of ideas.

Oddest thing, all of this worked 2 years ago when I did an video of my cancer ordeal. I had some footage of my parents from the 1950's, a 3 minute reel of video. Talk about timeless. Got it transferred to VHS. Then took the VHS and imported it into my computer with this current setup. All worked flawlessly.

**sigh**

I am so open to ideas!

Thanks for any help you can offer,

Robert

I also tried the above basic approach in iMovie. Same results. The import option on iMovie shows that there is the ADVC-100 detected. The screen remains blue and despite which set of options I use (two different VCR's or the Hi-8, trying different cables and such one at a time).

I'm stuck.

Thank you all for your input. I have tried everything suggested. Reread the downloaded manual. I had a moment of brilliance (read: sarcasm) to try my new macbook pro with iMovie instead of the trusty old g5 I used for years.

No matter what I do, the results are exactly the same on both computers, despite varying cables, devices, tapes, switches, etc. Both computers see the advc-100, but all I can get on imovie or FCE is a blue screen.

I've carefully follwed the manual and the post above.

My conclusion at this point is that there is simply something wrong with the advc. I must have plugged in FW at some point and fried it where a signal doesn't go through but it is still recognized, or something odd like that. It has been two years since I last used it, so who knows what has transpired.

Unless someone can suggest something different, I'll consider this an effort that was fully explored and the only conclusion I can draw is the converter has some problem.

Thank you,

Robert