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Capture problem
I have a Mac Pro Quad-Core Intel with an external 500GB Iomega Firewire drive. I have many times captured to this system but today I am having a problem. I first tried to ‘capture now’ from my Sony DV cam (previously used on this system as well). The duration of the clip was 47 minutes. When it reached the end of the clip I hit esc but the clip never showed up in the bin. I then logged the clip and attempted to ‘batch capture’. The tape would cue and when I clicked ok to go FCP would start and then stop a few seconds later but there is again no clip in the bin and the message claims my clip was captured successfully. I tried again to ‘capture now’ and the preview window would open for a split second then disappear while the tape continued to play. I checked my scratch disc on the external drive to check if it was getting anything and I have several untitled QT files which I cannot open. Each of those are stamped with the exact time I had attempted to capture. I tried changing to save to my internal hard drive with the same results. I checked the system settings and all looks correct (hadn’t changed from the last time I captured) and I’ve fudged with the pre roll from 1 sec up to 10 secs. I’ve tried to capture just a few seconds at a time. Sometimes when it looks like I’m capturing the preview windo stays up showing my video but then if I go to the desktop and return it has color bars up saying “preview disabled”. No matter how I stop the tape (manually or via space bar or esc) I still get nothing in my bin! I’ve searched other bins even though it’s set to this bin and there is no sign of my footage anywhere. What is going on? I’ve wasted 2 hours trying to get these 47 minutes into my system. Please someone help me???
P.S. I’m on FCP 6.0.6
Follow-up: I have now tried trashing my preferences. Still no worky. Also tried changing the cam to a non-controllable device and capturing on the fly with capture now. The preview window flashed then disappeared. I hit capture now again and the preview screen is floating with no controls. I hit esc and nothing happens. I stop tape manually and the window disappears but still no footage.
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8 Replies
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3 hours later:
I have tried reinstalling Quicktime. I have tried tossing preferences. I have tried other tapes. I have not resolved the problem. FCP continues to flash the capture window then play the tape but no capturing happens and I continue to find untitled QT files in my scratch folder. My deadline is approaching and I can’t even begin editing! Meanwhile all works well in iMovie. I may have to resort to that since this is a straight forward project but I prefer FCP. This problem arose before and the only fix was to reinstall the software and it’s updates. I am doing that again now, but that will take hours! Very disappointed in this sw and the fact that Apple will not tech support FCP 6. Cannot afford the upgrade and I have no confidence that this problem will be resolved. Does anyone have any clues to what might be happening. I will post an update after my reinstallation.
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Did you trash ALL of your preferences? https://www.digitalrebellion.com has the PREFERENCE MANAGER that gets all of them. And it’s free.
If that doesn’t do it, reinstall FCP. That same site also has FCS REMOVER that can uninstall all or part of the FCS package. Uninstall FCP, then reinstall and update.
Shane
GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
I’m by no means an expert in FCP but since it happens with other tapes too, it kind of sounds like a combination of wrong capture settings and scratch drive assignment, only because the last time I had anything like this happened to ME, that’s what I’d done to myself:-) I find the most common error is to just not see something really basic and simple becasue your eye has passed over it so many times it has become invisible. Have someone else look over your shoulder as you walk them thru your setting choices, starting from a brand new Easy Setup menu. Maybe something will pop out. Best of luck.
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Hey, BTW, did you actively empty the trash can, not just drag stuff there and leave it? Guilty of that sometimes as well.
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The reinstall did not work this time. I did empty the trash each time I’ve trashed preferences and when I uninstalled FCP. I’ll try meticulously looking with another set of eyes but the only extra set around is only 7 years old. Other than that I’m at a loss. My system is completely useless.
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is that hd material? do you have enough drive space for 47 minutes? that file would be huge in HD.
Moto Guzzi rider
dog lover w/wife, Ex & 3 kids -
No. Not HD. I have 200 GB of space available. I did a workaround…used my old ibook G3 with FCP 3 to the external then moved the project over to the Mac Pro. I can work for now but gotta figure this out before the next job.
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PROBLEM RESOLVED! I wasted many hours on this only to find out it was my Logitech camera. I have to use Macam as the driver for that camera to work with Skype because it is geared for Windows machines. I’m thinking it had to be the driver interfering with the FCP and/or QT software. When I unplugged the camera, the capturing worked flawlessly…on the fly or batch. When I plugged it back in the same problem came back. Previously I had had that camera plugged in without issues to my working on FCP but perhaps somewhere there was a sw update that changed that. I guess that’s a sign for me to get a more MAC compatible web camera! I also learned a lot reading this forum. I need to do a better job of maintaining my system and cleaning my drives regularly. Thank you Shane for the link to that maintenance software. Even though it wasn’t the solution it certainly did clean up some other messes I was unaware of. Glad I found this place. Without the on staff tech support, it’s the next best thing….maybe better! Thank you all!
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