DV to PC -- Firewire Problems; 1394 vs. USB; Capture Software

[GrayStrickland]

FIREWIRE PROBLEM:

I have about 50 Sony Digital8 tapes (DV) and about 30 Hi8 tapes (analog) that I need to transfer to my pc. For this purpose, I purchased a firewire card and installed it in my PC. I received no errors when I installed it. The Windows Device Manager shows all is fine. However, when I connect my Sony DR-TRV340 or DR-TRV740 video cams using firewire I get/got an error that Windows cannot find the "Sony DV-VCR" driver and the Windows Device Manager would show a yellow warning for the unknown Sony DR-VCR device. Whatever capture software I tried (WinDV, NeroVision, Windows MovieMaker), would that it could no detect a capture device.

I tried this many times. Somewhere along the way, I accidentally told Windows not to show me the error (about being unable to install the Sony DV-VCR driver) any more. Now it no longer even tries to install the driver. I wish I could re-set this somehow so that Windows would re-try to install the driver next time I try to connect one of the video cameras.

I've spent hours scouring the web trying to find a solution to this problem. I've read that SP2 of Windows XP Pro "broke" firewire support by forcing devices to be 100% compliant to the 1394a, 1394b standards, so devices which are less than fully compliant no longer work. I've read that only a 4pin to 4pin cable will work (impossible on my pc, which has only a 6pin 1394a port). I've looked on Sony's site, but the only downloads are USB drivers. Sony says that 1394 support is built into the XP operating system. This is driving me insane.

Any suggestions on getting 1394 connections to my Sony video cameras working?


1394 vs. USB

I can connect both video cameras via USB. When I do, the capture software detects each video camera without any trouble. I can transfer video to the pc using WinDV, NeroVision or Windows MovieMaker.

Is firewire superior to USB for video transfer? Should I continue to search for a firewire connection solution? Or is USB just as good?


Capture Software

NeroVision only works if you disable all screensavers and workstation locking. I have small children. I like to lock my workstation when I'm not in front of my pc to keep children from playing on the pc. This alone is a reason not to use NeroVision.

WinDV is ok, but it does not have the "intelligence" (that I can find) to realize that the video camera is no longer outputting any signal and stop capturing automatically. I want to transfer one tape a night until the job is done. I don't want to have to babysit this.

MovieMaker won't transfer the files natively. It transcodes and resizes. That's not acceptable.

What is the best DV transfer program out there? I don't mind paying for a quality program.

[EddyH]

NOTE: This reply does not answer the question posed at the end of your thread-starter, but considers some of the other points instead, because I don't know what it would be

Errr... unless it's a USB transfer issue, Windows Movie Maker SHOULD be able to capture full-rez DV and save it natively. I've done it before, though admittedly only over firewire. It could be the camera isn't sending it at full size? Or maybe you've left it on default settings that save it to, e.g. 640x480 WMV at 1.5mbit...

If the devices actually send the raw tape data (or a high quality conversion from the analogue ones), then there shouldn't be any reason for FW to be "superior" to USB when it comes to transferring DV. It's a string of perfectly-transferred ones and zeros in both cases, and considerably below the maximum transfer rate of either (~25mbit vs theoretical 400 for FW and 480 for USB2, though both are probably more realistically ~300). However, it's more likely that everything will default to sending the pure signal with firewire, because that's pretty much all it ever gets used for; USB may signify you're wanting to transfer captured photos or whatever.

Have you tested Nerovision to see if it continues capturing when you hit Win+L? If WMM doesn't work for you over USB and WinDV isn't smart enough, then that may be worth trying. I know that VDub can fail a transcode if you do this - if it's set to use 3D card acceleration for some filters. Maybe NV is doing similar and has an option?
* Otherwise use a USB keyboard and mouse and unplug them when the capture starts (test it before doing anything critical to make sure the disconnect and reconnect don't disturb the transfer though - it can be finicky and I've had external hard disk transfers crap out because I plugged in a memory stick... it seems to depend on what sockets things are in relative to each other though).
** Second alternative - try "blank screen" screensaver, with a password. I have a suspicion the "no screensavers!" thing is just to make sure you haven't got one of those CPU-melting 3D demo 'savers that were all the rage a few years back, before LCDs came along and the world defaulted to either a/ no screensaver at all, b/ fully-off power saver or c/ windows logo. If it refuses to even start when it's active, keep the Display Properties window open, set "no screensaver" and hit Apply, start the capture, and turn it back on (hitting Apply again) - passworded, 1-minute timeout. See if it continues capturing without incident.
*** Or just buy a simple hasp and padlock you can put on the door where the computer lives to stop the toddlers breaking it whilst the transfer's in progress. If they can get to the interface devices, they can just as well get to the power button, wall sockets, cameras...

HOWEVER - EVEN IF this DOES work, a distant memory (sorry, lots of vagueness here!) is saying that NV defaults to using the "wrong" type of DV-AVI out of the two possible ones, and you may need to later convert it with a different utility. Not a big issue, but means you can't use it straight away, and have to reserve a tape's worth of disk space and a few minutes for all those gigabytes to rattle through the converter.

Alternatively use WinDV and an electronic eggtimer to remind you to go stop the tape when the hour is up. You'll have to change the cassette anyway, so why not do it immediately?

Final solution is to just buy a new firewire card (PCI, PCI-X / MiniPCI, Cardbus, Expresscard depending on your PC / Laptop) and have done with it. There should be loads of pre-used ones going cheap on eBay. Just check out its compliance beforehand. Probably want to steer clear of Sony ones - they're not very good at making PC software, including drivers.

Don't know what all that "4 pin only" stuff is about, but I've got a sneaking suspicion that you can quite happily use 4-pin cables in 6-pin sockets anyway. It just allows some kind of extra functionality that not all manufacturers support anyway. In fact my mind is quitely suggesting that the only time that it was used was the PS2's game-link gimmick.