Analogue to Digital Conversion via Passthrough - Stuck. Help please.

[RIdgeburyman]

Hello. Help please. I am trying to convert some old Hi8 tapes to digital - in to Final Cut Pro. I am doing this VIA PASSTHROUGH method.

My set up. Sony CCD-TR2200E for the Hi8 tapes. Connected using S-Video OUT to Sony DCR-TRV22E for the passthrough. Connected to S-Video IN. I have no tape in the 22E. From there I am DV OUT to Lightning IN to my computer. Apple iMac (2016) and finally in to Final Cut Pro. iMac Spec is 3.3GHz i5, 16GB RAM and 3TB Fusion Drive.

Progress: Things are working - but not finally there. The Hi8 film is playing. I can see it on the flip screen of the 22E. Control is from the Hi8 machine. From there I AM getting the flow through to Final Cut Pro. I can watch the film playing. But that's it. I cannot control the playback from the MAC. And I can't record. If I attempt to import on the Mac all I get is blue screen... while the tape plays on - on the Hi8.

I'm thinking this is more about Final Cut Pro perhaps - as it seems to me that the passthrough is working.

Any help would be really appreciated.

Thanks

[aedipuss]

on a pc i'd have everything on and ready to play the tape. hit record in the capturing software and then push the play button on the hi8 cam. you should be able to capture at anytime a firewire device is plugged in.

the problem is probably that a lightning port is not the same as a firewire port.

[RIdgeburyman]

Hi aedipuss, thanks for responding. I'll give that a go for sure. Can you comment further on the lightning / firewire comment you make please. I am DV out (also described as Firewire 4pin by some I think???) on the 22E and then in to a lightning / Firewire 6pin patch lead. Is there a better IN connection to my Mac in your view? That said my only other option in would be USB.

Thanks again for replying.

[Krispy Kritter]

The only difference that I'm aware between a firewire 4 pin and a 6 pin is that the 6 pin has power. So assuming the camera has alternative power, that shouldn't be an issue.


As you are seeing the playback on the Mac, everything is apparently working. I don't know that you can control the cam through firewire, it's simply a transport port.

Play, capture, and then edit.


Also, as with many cams, there is usually a method to simply copy the data from the cam without capturing. Which I believe is what is covered in the manual and here: https://www.sony.co.uk/support/en/content/cnt-hn/prd-dime/how-to-transfer-dv-or-digita...mac/DCR-TRV22E

EDIT: Just realized you are using pass-through, so a direct transfer isn't likely possible.

[jagabo]

Of course you can't control the analog camcorder from the computer -- the s-video connection has no facility to do that.

As to why you can't record, since you are getting a picture on the computer, my guess is the software can't control the camcorder so it thinks there's nothing to record. I would try recording from the analog camcorder to DV tape. Then see if you can capture the DV tape.

[JVRaines]

According to Apple, your camcorder is not supported by FCPX. In fact, there aren't any TRVs on the list. Maybe you will have better luck with iMovie.