Dropped frames during DV capture

[BKL]

I run w98SE and was using an Iwill KK266R mobo with an xp1600+ CPU and Firewire input from a Dazzle DV-Bridge from either a VCR or my DirecTivo unit. I would import DV AVI and then TMPGEnc it or use Ulead VideoStudio6 and then burn to DVD or VCD. After months of troublefree captures I suddenly started experiencing video lockups during capture with dropped frames, etc. I restored my drvie from a clean image yet still experience the dropped frames. I then reformatted and reinstalled the OS, etc., to no avail. I have even built a new system with a DFI mobo and AMD 2100+ CPU, new MSI GeForce3 VIVO videocard and a new WD 100M Special Edition 8M cache HD dedicated to video captures, yet I still experience the dropped frames.
I have read about HD problems causing dropped frames, but since I have a new drive that seems to be working fine, I assume the problem is elsewhere. I am at my wit's end!

[BJ_M]

DV is not captured but simply a transfer of digital info ..

if you are experiance a problem ... look to your camera and dropping frames during shooting ..

whatever is on the camera will transfer via firewire to the PC "as is"

[furball6969]

Make sure that DMA is enabled on your drives and that you have the latest VIA 4in1 drivers installed.

Use HDTach to test the speed of your drives.
http://www.tcdlabs.com/hdtach.htm

There's no reason that that system shouldn't be able to capture in DV at full frames.

[EricB]

I would either borrow a DV camera and try a transfer or hookup your DV Bridge on a friends computer. It sounds like a hardware problem and Dazzle is noted for all sorts of problems!

[The village idiot]

Well since the directivo has a stable sync output, it most certainly isn't that. After many months of my Bridge working as well as it can, mine has started to produce captures with an increased grain. It is almost as if they built in a time limit for good captures. It would not surprise me if there were components inside the Bridge that have degraded. At work we use Panasonic DVCpro tape machines. Panasonic had a very large batch of capacitors that would go bad after a relatively short life. The effect was the analog video out would get full of noise. Then the next series of decks had the same problem in a different area. They would not record from the analog video input, etc., etc. It appears that Razzle used this same brand of capacitors inside the Bridge, maybe a bad batch was manufactured. Of course Razzle would never admit to this, and I haven't checked mine yet (but might do this next week). It took many users, and many complaints before Panasonic would admit to the problem, and even more time to make the "retro" repair kits available. And that is to a very limited class of user.

So if filtering inside the power supply was poor, or if the video coupling was bad, this could be your problem, as there is no other explaination to account for your (and mine) problems. I've decided that I will cut my losses and buy a Datavideo DAC-100 when I can afford it. And then throw the Bridge away, or take it apart and use the components for something else.

[BKL]

After reading comments re use of IDE Raid, I switched the capture drive from the Raid controller to Slave on my Primary IDE. This seemed to fix everything. I tested several capture sessions of around 30 minutes each with no dropped frames.
I also applied the ground fix suggested elsewhere in the Forums and placed a short copper wire connecting the outside connectors of the DV-Bridge power-in plug and the Firewire connector going into the Bridge. This seems to have fixed the lost connections I would experience at odd times.