Non-VCR emulating Capture software for my Canon ZR80?

[monkeyking]

My Canon ZR miniDV camera works fine for video transfer via audio/video cable or firewire. I have some issues with using it as an analog-digital passthru from my VCR.

If I hook it up between a DVD recorder via firewire and a VCR vis the audio/video cable, it works fine, although it's redundant.

If I hook it between another VCR and my PC in the same manner, I can usually preview the video and sound using various capture software (mainly Ulead Movie Factory 2,9, Pinnacle Studio), but when I go to capture, the software sends the camera to play in tape mode so I cannot capture the video source. I've got a separate card that will capture the VCR analog outputs, but I wanted to see how the Canon worked.

So is there any software which can just take the DV stream out of the camera without invoking its VCR functions? As I type this, I bet it's already built into WinXP?

[Richard_G]

I use the capture module in Ulead Mediastudio Pro to capture from VHS using my Sony camcorder as a passthrough. In the settings in the Capture software is an item marked Device Control. If I'm transferring from the camcorder and want to control the tape transport, I select MS 1394 Device Control. If I'm using the camcorder as a passthrough and just want to transfer the video that is coming in, I select Device Control None, click record and it just does it.

As I don't use either of the bits of software that you have, I can't help any further than that but Device Control is where you need to be looking.

[monkeyking]

Thanks for the info, Richard_G, but my Ulead Movie Factory 2 software has no options to get out of VCR mode. Neither does my Pinnacle Studio.

I have only found two (free) programs that will take the DV output from my Canon ZR80 w/o trying to make it plaay a tape.

One is DVIO, but it drops lots of frames although the file seems to play OK.

The other is Microsoft's old AMcap. This will not work if I invoke the preview screen or use the GUI record button, but if I set it to capture video without displaying anything, it works.