No Real-Time playback, No Print to Video??

[Rob Forsythe]

This list contains virtually everything to try to enable:
a. External Monitor VIDEO and AUDIO via FireWire & DV deck or camcorder.
b. Viewing in the Canvas window on the computer screen.
c. Being able to record on the external FW DV deck or camcorder.
d. Being able to capture from a FW device.

If working this list doesn’t cure the problem… you may have a serious PROBLEM!

Try things in this order until you find the “cure”:

1. Make sure you have only ONE (1) FireWire deck, camcorder, DV capture “card”, or D-to-A converter or video device attached to the computer at a time. Any more than one DV device can cause loss of signal and control.
2. Make sure you have View (Menu) > External Video> All Frames set.
(If the ALL FRAMES option is grayed-out… jump to step 6 below and continue.)
3. Make SURE your Canvas window (right window) in FCP is set to “Fit to Window”… AND that it has not been “pushed off” the edge of the computer screen or “pushed into” other windows.
4. Make sure your CANVAS View Menu (Box Icon with broken sides) is checked on Image or Image+Wireframe… NOT just Wireframe.
5. Make sure your CANVAS View Menu is checked on RGB… NOT just Alpha.
6. Make sure your Final Cut Pro (menu) > Easy Setup… is set for DV-NTSC (or DV-PAL, if that’s where you are).
7. Some camcorders/decks work better under “FW (NTSC/PAL)” -or- “FW (NTSC/PAL) Basic” control (in the capture settings). Try either setting to see which works best for your device.
8. Make sure your Final Cut Pro (menu) > Audio/Video Settings > A/V Devices (tab) > Mirror on Desktop > must be CHECKED. (If not, playing video will not appear in the Canvas.)
9. Make sure the “Log and Capture” Window is CLOSED and not just “hidden” behind other windows.
10. Make sure you have chosen FW output for A/V:
Final Cut Pro (menu) > Audio/Video Settings… >
Video Playback: Apple FireWire NTSC (720 x480)
Audio Playback: FireWire DV
11. Turn off the power to the Camera/Deck/Converter Box, then turn it back ON.
12. Make sure the camera is in VTR mode… or the deck is in DV (DV, iLink, or FW) input.
13. On a Sony camcorder or deck, make sure the menu setting “A/V > DV Out” is set to OFF.
14. Re-check that your FW cable is well-connected at both ends (or try a new cable).
15. Important: Quit FCP, then Restart FCP.
16. Now again, make sure you have View > External Video > ALL FRAMES set…

If it still does not work. “Trash” the FCP Preferences on the Mac
“FCP Rescue” is a free Apple Script that will Trash the Preferences.
It will also restore your user settings afterwards.
Download:
https://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/14729

If you have “lost” your entire FW connection between the Mac and the device, go HERE:
https://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301852

>Then, start again at my “step 1” above.

[Julianne Becker]

So if the problem is a real PROBLEM, which I think it is, do you think that it is the
a) the camera/deck
b) the programme
c) the mac

[David Bogie]

You say you’ve been trying to figure it out for three days but you don’t say what you’ve tried. all we can do is tell you what the likely causes are. I think your clip settings do not match your sequence settings. It’s usually that simple.

The only steps to eliminate this last list of yours is to connect your camera to another FCP system and connect a camera that is known to work to your system.

> a) the camera/deck

Not likely. If it plays and records in the field and can feed via FW, it’s good.

> b) the programme

No. The output is not really part of the application, it’s strictly Macintosh hardware working.

> c) the mac

Not likely. FCP, while complex, doesn’t tax the Mac very hard. If your other applications work, your Macintosh is fine. Do other FW devices work? Yes? Then the FW bus is fine, too.

bogiesan

This is my standard sigfile so do not take it personally: “For crying out loud, read the freakin’ manual.”

[Julianne Becker]

I have tried all of your suggestions so far. I trashed my preferences, and still have the same problem. Not sure what is going on. All of the settings match, as far as clip and sequence, just seems to be some kind of glitch. Especially since the same thing happens in Quicktime, where a single frame will show, but if it’s playing it does not go through to the camera properly.

Are there any other suggestions out there from anyone? I live in Vietnam and there are not really any Mac familiar experts around, and even less people who deal with video.

[Tyler Quintano]

Julianne. Did you figure out a solution to your real time play back when print to video problem? I’ve got the same set up and the same prob and frankly, I’m stuck. what to do?

[Julianne Becker]

Unfortunately I have come to the conclusion that it has something to do with my laptop. I connected my external hard drive to another mac laptop and used the same camera and everything worked perfectly.

Good luck!

Julianne

[Tyler Quintano]

Hey. I think I figured it out. It might not be your lab top. It might just be a time line issue. For some reason my project had changed size dimensions and the time line was refusing to output it to mini dv with the new dimension. SO, I copied my project from the time line that wasn’t working and simply pasted it to a timeline from an enterily different project. It worked!!! It might be worth trying in your case also. cheers.
ty

[Albert Oconnor]

I had a very similar problem, I’m also new to FCP editing but have been editing Avid since 1995. Anyways my problem was that my FCP timeline sequence was at 720p 59.94 but I needed to downconvert it to 525i 29.97 onto BetacamSP tape. I have the Kona LHe HD card to do realtime downconvert. Following all of Rob Forsythe’s recommendations I still had the same problem: I could playback my FCP timeline and both video and audio were reaching my Sony BetacamSP deck just fine but whenever I invoked FCP’s “edit to tape” or “print to video” command all I would get output to my Sony Beta deck was audio but NO video. So I asked my son, who’s an editor/producer/shooter for Norwegian Cruise Lines (shameless plug there) what I might be doing wrong, he suggested I Un-check FCP’s Audio/Video Settings> A/V Devices tab> Different output for Edit to Tape/Print to Video box and voila! I got downconverted 525i 29.97 video to my Sony Beta deck! Sure, I could’ve just started the Beta deck recording and just played back my timeline but I’m an old school video editor who still likes first frame of video to begin at 1.00.00.00 exactly and this can only be done with FCP’s “Edit to Tape” function; this method also allows me to go back an do insert edits on my tape master if an audio or video update has to be made… it’s all in synch and timecodes match up.

Bert O’Connor

[David Sarmiento]

THE ANSWER!!!!
FINALLY!

HEY, i was having the same problem just a few minutes ago. i was looking here for some solution…
well, I finally found that the problem is to match the aspect ratio at the sequence settings with the aspect ratio used by your device/deck/camera.
i had a video shot on xdcam ex… exported to quicktime in apple prores codec.. then i started another FCP proyect with DV-NTSC firewire configuration (easy setup)…
you have to try diferent kind of aspect ratios in the sequence settings window… until you can playback in real time and watch the video in your firewire device.
I put aspect ratio: NTSC-DV (4:3)..
pixel ratio:square… and checked anapmorphic
that way it worked fine.

i hope this can help you guys!