Pinnacle MovieBOX Problem :(

[leaded]

My friend has a Pinnacle "Movie Box" DV/Firewire capturing device. It has Component and S-Video ins/outs and Firewire thru ports. It's showing some bizarre behavior. From what I could read in the user manual, if you're using Windows XP there's no need for drivers, just like a DV camcorder. He was using that 2-year old Dell, basic model, with a Firewire PCI card and this device hooked up to it. It captures from a camera with no problems, but he can't capture using this device. Here's what it does: Plug in the device, Windows has all those pop-ups about what you'd like to do, "Use Windows Movie Maker, Use Adobe Premiere Pro, Use Pinnacle Studio, Do Nothing" etc. If you choose any of those, the applications freeze. I had him choose nothing, open Premiere Pro, and choose capture, but it freezes Premiere at that point.

Here I would assume the device is a dud. BUT, it works in two laptops that we tried with MOBO 4-pin firewire!

Now I'm assuming it's hardware failure; the Firewire PCI card. He got a new computer (off eBay, some old gamer's rig) and put the PCI card in it and had the same issue, which is why I thought it was the card. But he went to Best Buy and bought one of those overpriced $40 Firewire cards and had the same thing happen.

So, it seems as if this device doesn't like Firewire PCI cards. We haven't been able to bring in a desktop with FW on the Mobo to see if it's a difference between 4 and 6-pin, but that's unlikely. What type of device would fail like that? On two different computers with two different FW PCI cards?

Does anyone know what we could try? If this is the wrong place, could someone reccommend another forum?

By the way, here's a link to the device: Pinnacle Studio MovieBOX DV Version 9

[thecoalman]

So, it seems as if this device doesn't like Firewire PCI cards. We haven't been able to bring in a desktop with FW on the Mobo to see if it's a difference between 4 and 6-pin, but that's unlikely. What type of device would fail like that? On two different computers with two different FW PCI cards?

Weird but the only difference between 6 and 4 pin is the 6 pin provides power. When you purchase a 4 pin to 6 pin cable the 6 pin end has dummy connections where the power would be.

[thecoalman]

Apparently you are not alone.... https://www.videohelp.com/capturecards.php?CaptureCardRead=282&orderby=Name

Considering the amount of trouble listed there I couldn't find any reference to it on the pinnacle site. Doesn't suprise me though. Checjk to see if you are running different versions of XP, there was some issues with cams not communicating after the SP2 update.