Preview Disabled

You trying to log and capture or capture now ?

If you're trying to capture now - hit play on the cam and then the capture button.

the picture should look funny though, doesn't it ? Or does that camera convert between PAL and NTSC ? Might want to rent a DSR 11 that will play either format ...

Try this...it might be the Quicktime Upgrade issue:

#30 - Deck recognition after Tiger Upgrade:

Shane's Stock Answer #30:

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=1063600&#1063600

The credit for this goes to Bob Sidebotham:

I was just walked through a repair procedure by an Apple Care person, and it fixed my camera recognition problems (I have a Canon XL1 and sometime after installing Tiger, then 10.4.1, various patches (including Quicktime 7.1) and the latest Desktop Video patch, I've been unable to use the camera with Final Cut Express, and attempts to capture would result in a FCE crash).

The workaround is to download Quicktime manually, after removing the "receipts" which indicate that it is loaded. Specifically, I was told to do the following:

1. Navigate to Library -> Receipts on your main drive (not from your personal folder).

2. Remove all files of the form QuickTime*.pkg, where "*" is a version number. E.g. QuickTime600.pkg, QuickTime650.pkg, Quicktime700.pkg and QuickTime701.pkg. This simply tells your system that those packages are not installed.

3. Go to http://www.apple.com/quicktime/downloads and click on the "download Quicktime" link. DO NOT USE THE AUTOMATIC UPDATE UTILITY. Download QuickTimeInstallerX.dmg. Double click this file (probably on your desktop) and then invoke the installer by double clicking QuickTime701.pkg.

4. After your computer reboots, you should be able to restart FCP and see your camera.

BUT...it might also be an issue where the camera is able to play a PAL tape back internally, but not send out the PAL signal via firewire. But that is just a shot in the dark.

Shane

I understand that. Did you try the solution I offered? It isn't deck control that is the issue...it is getting an image...which is what my solution tackles.

Shane

I suspected that, but now you said that you were able to capture a clip the other day. Hmmmm...It might still be that, and the first capture was a fluke, but...

Powering the camera on BEFORE you open the programs?

Shane

You just may.

Shane

That..is a mystery. At least to me. You said that you are using the PAL Easy Setup...so...got me.

To figure it out further I'd probably have to look at it in person.

Shane

Ryan - you did the quicktime re-install - Did you delete all the Quicktime associated .pkg files from /Library/Receipts/ first?

I ask because what you describe certainly sounds like a munged Quicktime install (iMovie can do it because iMovie doesn't use QuickTime to capture)...

Patrick

I was sharing your exact problem except inside-out (my deck is pal my footage is NTSC). I tried the Quicktime trash reinstall and no change. I found another thread here that solved it:

http://www.uemedia.net/CPC/2-pop/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=113259&an= 0&page=0

Very low tech solution. I had to change all my settings to NTSC; close FCP; play the footage in the camera; then reopen FCP while playing and, in effect, jam the NTSC signal down its throat. I'm guessing you could do the same, only change your settings to PAL. Hope it helps.

EXCELLENT. This worked wonders. Played back the tape and booted up FCP et voila. I've been wrestling with my Preview Disabled for six hours now. Thanks again.

Hey all!

This is my first post to the forum and hopefully it will help someone out there. . .

I am running FCP 5.1 on a MacBook Pro, using my Canon GL2 for the time being as a source deck and saving onto a GTech G-Raid 320GB external harddrive.
I was having the same problem - couldn't preview my footage even though I had device control. Apparently, FCP wasn't happy reading signals from both my external harddrive and my camera and if I shut down the harddrive and used my computers harddrive for a cache, capture would work fine and I could preview my footage.

My solution was to run my camera and external harddrive through a dv repeater ( datavideo vp-332 ) and then run a single firewire cable from the repeater to my computer. For some reason, this seems to have done the trick. I have opened FCP from my computer, opened projects from my external harddrive, every variation I could think of for testing compatibility of the components. Although the 'preview disabled' is still displayed over the colorbars at the beginning of log and capture, I have consistently been able to preview footage as it imports and the problem has not reoccurred.

macbookpro Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Thanks for that, Brian.

Patrick