FCPX won't import video from analog -> digital conversion source

Still have the Edius?

Try this before you throw your Mac out the window: Record your BEtacam to DV. Play the DV into FCPX. Silly. But ti might work. And you end up with another copy of your archival material and that can't be bad.

KennyHitt wrote:

However, when we hook up our camera via firewire, it streams capturable video just fine, even if the camera isn't recording. This setup worked fine on an Edius machine a few months back. Is there a setting in FCP I'm missing?

Is the camera set with free run timecode?

David's suggestion will work.

An AVDC will also work when configured correctly.

Try Quicktime X for direct capture or 7 pro if you have that.

Al

HI

Make sure that you only have 1 devise connected through the 1394 port. If you have 2 then it confuses FCP X

HTH

PJ

I have a similar problem. I have old family Hi8 Tapes. I am trying to convert them to digital and archive them on my Mac Pro using FCPX using Sony GV-D800 player which outputs in iLink/Firewire format. FCPX sees the tape, show the video on the screen and can control the unit such as stop, play, rewind, etc. but after the archive is done, there none saved. I see an error box appear on the top right corner of the secret saying "No Data From Device" while saying archiving on the left hand side. I tried importing the video. It creates the file but after the import the file is empty. I cannot find any mention of this error on the internet and I am running out of options. I tried the suggestions here that applies to my case but none worked.

Does anyone know why FCPX can display the video and think that it is recording it but the file turns up empty, please?

I would appreciate any advice you may have to solve this issue, please. Thank you. TT

I think you'll find the lack of timecode to be the issue.

Recording from your 800 to a DV camera that supports timecode, then import to FCP X is one answer.

Also try importing to Quicktime X directly from the 800.

Al

Thank you Al for your quick response.

By saying timecode, do you mean time base correction. I have actually selected and purchased GV-D800 because it has built in Time Base Correction system. If not can you please explain a little more and which model DV camera are you referring to, and will its output quality be similar to GV-D800, please?

I have both the Quicktime Player 7 and Quicktime player 10.1. I used QT7 and captured the movie. It looks good in small screen. However, it did not capture the sound. I searched inside QT7 but could not find a way to make it capture the sound. I tried but O could not make QT10 to capture the vide. It is giving a yellow triangle error. Do you know, please, how to capture the sound with QT? Is the quality of QT capture will be same as the FCPX archive or import or will it be more like an iMovie import, please?

Thank you very much for your help,

Tumay

Yes, can be confusing.

Timebase is totally different to Timecode.

Timebase basically keeps your video steady as it's played.

Timecode is a numbering system used by cameras etc. that places sequential numbers to differentiate all frames of video on the tape.

Written like: 00:01:01:12

The above example says 0 hours, 1 minute, 1 second, 12th frame. Every frame has a unique number.

Hi-8 rarely has time code written to tape, it looks like your 800 has no ability to post stripe timecode. So you have to use another method.

Regarding the DV camera:

All DV cameras write timecode.

What you do is connect the 800 to the analogue inputs of a DV camera (make sure the audio is set to 16 bit) and make a copy to DV tape in one continuous recording session. DV cam will need to have analogue inputs.

You now can connect the DV camera to a Mac and capture to FCP X.

As already stated, Quicktime X may work directly from your 800 analogue source.

Al

Thank you very much for your great insight. I understand now what is happening.

I searched and found that there is a Sony CCD-TRV65 Digital8 Camcorder. Would you think this may do the digital conversion using the analog + S-video signal from GV-D800, please? May be I can play the Hi8 on it directly and used the digital iLink output into FCPX. However, my experience with MiniDV archiving is that the camcorders usually are not as good as the VCRs on play back and recording.

Here is my progress. I was able to make QT7 to record the sound also. You mention only QTX so I am not sure I should still try to make QTX to work or QT7 will be as good. Therefore, this is one solution, but may not be the best solution as QT may not be doing extra functions like FCPX does. May be it is only recording raw video, like archive function of FCPX. Then it may be as good. I do not know enough to make any judgement.

I read that some people were able to get iMovie to capture the DV and import it. Is iMovie as good as FCPX archive capability, please? I like FCPX's archive capability, which Is very useful. iMovie does not seem to have archive capability like FCPX does, it has only import function.

I also read Toast being used as a means to import DV from analog tapes. I am not sure how good it is.

Thank you very much for all your help.

Tumay

The Digital 8 camera will not generate timecode, no advantage over the 800.

The DV conversion gives you the ALL Important timecode.

Using QT X or 7 or iMovie all should be able to capture.

Al

Al, thank you for responding to my questions.

So far I can only use QT 7. I still could not make QT X work. It is giving an error which I dod no understand what it means and how to resolve it. I am not sure if it is worthwhile to pursue QT X. What would you do, please?

I found out that the latest iMovie is also not saving the capture. It is just like FCPX. I searched the web and read that I need iMovie 6 or HD. I am trying to find and install them. I hope at least one will work with my Mac OS 10.7 Lion.

Concerning your comment "The DV conversion gives you the ALL Important timecode" In this case, I have a question, please? GV-D800 actually converts the Hi8 analog output into DV and sends it out through the iLink/Firewire connector. Therefore, the DV out signal should have the timecode. Then why FCPX does not recognize the timecode and giving me the error "No Data From Device"? Do you know the answer, please?

Thank you very much for your great help,

Tumay

An analogue to DV conversion won't generate timecode.

Timecode is written onto a video during recording. That's why dubbing/recording to DV tape is a basic step for FCP X.

You must be using an older version of FCP X to be on 10.7 OS.

Which version of FCP X are you using?

Al

I understand better now. My FCP X is version 10.0.9. I saw that the latest version on Yosemite is, I think, 10.1.4. Do you know if the new version will work better to solve my problem?

I have an old 2007 Mac Pro 2,1 which would not let me install MacOS X after 10.7. However, recently I was able to buy a Yosemite install system which includes edited parts that makes it installable onto my Mac Pro. I did the installation recently and I have also installed the FCP X. However, I have not yet fully moved to this system disk. I am trying to make sure it will work OK on my Mac Pro before I commit to it.

Another option may be is that I can try is to install the oldest version of FCP X if I can find to see if it will work to archive my Hi8 tapes. My family members are asking me for these, about 15 year old, videos.

Do you know if old iMovie 6 or HD can do archive like FCP X? If they do they may be the best alternative to FCP X archive, if FCP X recognize and use iMovie 6 or HD archives?

If iMovie 6 or HD does not archive like FCP X then I read that there is another problem, the iMovie output is .dv format and needs to be translated to another format to be importable into FCPX. If I use this method I need to find and purchase a good quality video transfer software. However, as you know, every transfer reduces recording quality.

I am also getting lost in video formats. QT 7 producing .mov, iMovie .dv. I think there are several more formats such as .mpg, .m4v, .m2v, etc. Are they all have the same quality for a certain video or their video quality depends on the video format such as the listed, please? If later, which video formats are preferred or recognized for good quality video, please?

I really want to be able to archive right into FCP X, if I can. This is my best solution. I am trying to find out if this can be done. If not possible, any other solution that will capture and import the DV output of GV-D800 into FCP X with the same quality as FCP X will be my second choice. I would appreciate your expertise and advice on these issues, please.

Thank you very much for all your help,

Tumay

TThe Sony box doesn't generate TC in playback. The TC has to be on the tape.

WHat hat is the error you're getting in QTX? It might help to understand what the problem is.

FOrmats ate differ in quality. .mov is preferable for FCP.

THere is no change in importing tape in the updated version. Archiving in FCP will only be available in playback from DV tape or a specific conversion box.

Thank you for all your help. I am finally reaching a solution.

I could not get QT X 10.1 working. I think it is is old and probably corrupted. I think reinstalling may make it work. However, I could not find a site to download it. It took me a while to realize that QT X come with the MacOS X system and it is not available standalone like QT 7.

I finally got QT X 10.3 working and I made a short Hi8 Tape recording. The output is .mov and as you say it is the preferred format for FCPX. I found out practically all my files I used and processed in FCPX are .mov files.

I think for importing the Hi8 DV output QT X is preferable over QT 7 and iMovie. Former is because Apple web site says QT X has "greater color accuracy" and later because iMovie does not create .mov files. I am not sure these information and my deductions are correct. Therefore, I would appreciate it if you would correct me.

My next project is to import the recorded video file into FCPX and see that it can be edited and shared. If this works with good resolution and quality then my plan is to start recording my Hi8 family tapes using GV-D800 connected through iLink/FireWire to a Mac running QT X.

Please, inform if you think there is a better alternative for digitizing and importing Hi8 Analog Video Tapes into FCPX running on a Mac.

Thank you all again,

Tumay

I'm back online, in the geographic centre of Australia at the moment and have a signal.

If QT X can capture directly then that's the simplest method.

As always do a test capture and see if the results meet your expextations.

Once captured with QT X you can tell FCP X to import -leaving files in place- so you do not double up on drive space.

BTW: QT X has a few quality options. Test as required.

Al