Capturing HD video from SONY HDR-HC1E

Hi L

May be You find some help in my list:

Mac:
- hardware
◊ Slow hard disk (fragmented: repair permissions, repair hard disk, use a faster hard disk)
◊ I wonder how full your Mac's hard disc is. (David Babsky) A near full hard disk prevents Import/Capture. 10% free is recommended + space for Import/Capture + work space (about 4 to
5 times the amount needed for Capture) eg on a 200Gb hard disk You need 20Gb + (one hour tape)
13Gb + 50Gb = about 80 to 90Gb free space.
◊ Disconnect all other ext devices (FW and USB) exept Camera (and keyboard + mouse) and try again
◊ Reset PRAM
◊ Bad RAM-chips
◊ disconnect Mac from powerline (not just switch off, really plug out) for a few minutes to reset FW ports

- software
◊ File-Vault is on - turn it off
◊ Something is occupying the CPU/System, like other programs, Internet etc.
◊ Do You have desktop pictures or screen or energy-savers active? Try turning them off.
◊ Updating - OS has to be a clean install - not an update eg from X.3.x to X.4.x (no good) OS X.4.0-5 needs a clean install to work (I use X.3.9)
◊ Updating QT and/or other updates (to 7 needs v6 to be cleaned out first) QT v.7.0.0-4 needs a clean install to work (I use 6.5.2)
◊ Have you tried the crazy fix: Open GarageBand, play a few notes, close it and reopen iMovie. The camera should import fine now. Sue/SDillini
◊ Running iDVD at the same time as iMovie can cause problems: (Lennart Thelander)
◊ If You also have installed FinalCut Express/pro there are possibly problems with this

iMovie:
◊ remove bookmarks in iMovie project
◊ Trash: com.apple.iMovie.plist and com.apple.iMovie3.plist : files (Xinram)

Connection:
◊ don’t Daisy chain Camcorder <--> external hard disk <--> Mac
◊ FW-wire cable, is it OK?
◊ USB/USB2 is NO GO !
◊ Cheque FW connection at Camera end. OK? (Adam Smith1)
◊ Cheque FW connection at Mac end. OK?

Camera:
◊ The Camera is set to VTR ? (not as when You ”film” record with it)
◊ You may be need to go to the Camera menu and select digital out.

◊ defective camera TRY IT ON ANOTHER MAC ! (if the A/D chip in the camera is harmed then it will say in iMovie that the camera is connected and You can forward resp. backward the tape but there will be no picture or sound just the blue screen).

◊ connect camera to power-line, not battery-only....(Karsten Schlüter)
◊ Canons don't allow daisychaining on firewire, make it "only device" on port (Karsten Schlüter)
◊ Cheque the menu on Your Camera so that it communicates with the FW digitally to Your Mac
◊ Date and Time is correct on Your Camera ?

Tape:
◊ Drop outs on the miniDV-tape - make a camera to camera copy on a tape which You have previous recorded with a time code (dummy recording).
◊ Break in the time-code on the miniDV tape (make a camera to camera copy on a tape which is pre-recorded with nothing/anything so that the tape has a time-code from beginning to the end)
◊ If You recorded in LP-mode (90 min on a standard 60 min tape with 12-bit sound). Try to change in iMovie pref. to import but not as individual clips. If this doesn’t work You have to make a Camera to Camera copy with the receiving Camera set to SP-mode and 16-bit sound.

More:
◊ follow advises here http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=43000
◊ follow Grandmaster Dan's advice for Sony cameras here: http://www.danslagle.com/mac/iMovie/usage/5020.shtml

NEWS: Jerry Harris writes:
I know that in a lot of the new Sony HD cameras, iMovie requires that you turn iLink Conv off. I would look for a similar setting for your camera. This setting has to do with shooting a movie in one format, and using the camera to import as a different format. For instance, if you shoot HD footage and have iLink conv on - the camera will send DV to the computer etc...
So, case in point: look for a setting on your camera that has to do with the video format and see if that helps.


Yours Bengt W

I am having exactly the same problem with capturing HDV from my Sony HDR-HC3 to both iMovieHD and Final Cut Express HD. I have read through all of these threads and the Apple docs that were linked, but still no luck in capturing the video.
Did you ever get your camera HDV captured in iMovie HD?
Thanks, David.

LIMPAB and David Wrather;

Yes; I successfully capture to a Mac with an HC1 and an FX1.

In iMovie's Preferences, that's just under the words iMovie HD at top left of the iMovie screen, be sure to set "New Project frame rate:" to the correct rate; here in the UK that's "25 fps", but if you're in an NTSC country it must be set to "29.97 fps".

Then, when you start a New Project, click on the little "Video format" arrowhead:



..and choose "HDV 1080i"..



..(unless you're using a JVC camcorder - which you're not! - in which case you'd choose HDV 720p).. [Oh, and "Where:" should usually be your 'Movies' folder, not the 'Pictures' folder as shown in the pics above!]

This setting prepares iMovie to accept HDV from your HC1 or HC3 hi-def camcorder.

In the cam's playback (VCR) menu, choose i.Link CONV OFF, not ON..



..and in the VCR HDV/DV menu choose HDV, not AUTO..



If you make any changes to those two settings, unplug the FireWire cable, wait a few seconds, then plug it back in again.

Try playing some video from the camcorder so that it's running before starting iMovie HD, so that there's already some video feeding through the FireWire connection before and while iMovie starts.

..See if any of that helps..

P.S: It sometimes helps to get iMovie in the mood to "Import" by playing an existing clip first before trying to import.

It may help if you import this (..25 frames per sec, 1080i Sony, European HDV..) clip and put it at the very start of your movie: then play it before trying to import from your camcorder. You can always delete it afterwards.

Here's a 2-second HDV clip ..it'll take about 3 minutes to download on a broadband connection, but if you're NOT on broadband, don't bother trying!

(This is just a 2-second HDV movie file. There's nothing dangerous or malicious in it. But if you're worried, don't download it.)

Just click on the small 'Download' button at centre-bottom on my iDisk page here..

I am going to try to capture HD1050p.60 video into my Final Cut Studio Pro Tomorrow morning. I have five tapes with an hour of video on each of them. I want to maintain my high resolution HD quality. This is the first time I have attempted to do this. I understand that I use the easy capture. I have read a lot of the posts I understand there may be a problem if the camera man did not leave gaps between the takes in that 4 seconds of the video is cut off. I asked him to shut down the camera between takes to save film but most of the takes were 10 minutes or more -- does that mean that I will lose the first 4 seconds of the video when I transfer? I also understand that I must import sound and video seperately. How will I ever be able to match up the sound with the video if they do not import together? The Camera that was used was a Sony HDVDVCAM 3ccd30fpm HDV1080i1DV. Can you please give me some advise as to how to do the import without losing the quality of my video. Also, do I need to set up the final cut pro for 16/9 frame width which is what my video is. Right now I have my studio pro on a 720 which is what the demo learning video was. I would appreciate any help you can give me. I have purchased a 250Gig Lacie to transfer my video to since I understand that if I put all of the video into Studio Pro it will be too massive to work with.
Sue Black

Jose (or Sue) this is the iMovie forum not FCP as well don't threadjack

DAVE

Sorry wasn't trying to be rude I just wasn't sure how the discussions worked. Thought that since he was capturing HD Video from Sony and that is what I was trying to do the two topics would support each other. I have also HD I movie but have never captured video using it.

Sue Black

GREAT SCOTT!!! (from back to the future)
Now I want a hdcorder TOO, the clarity even the seagulls flying and the leaves on the trees! Its done through a windov, I can see the reflections..I need sunglasses 😉 (sorry for treadjacking)
Merry holydayseasons
from Ivar, Go with tiger!

Although I'm using NTSC, FPE and a different Sony camera, your suggestions worked! The key is that the camera must also be set up properly and it's not intuitive.


Thanks

Thanks for that.

I set the FPS, the HDV 1080 and then went to the camera settings on my HDR-HC3. I was able to turn it from Auto to HDV but had trouble finding the iLink Conv setting. It did not work until I found and changed that setting. That setting is accessible by the following steps:

P-Menu
Menu
Edit/Play
(Scroll down about 5 or so items) i.Link CONV
Ok
Off

Once I had gone through that sequence it started working!

Thanks again.