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USB capture
A friend of mine wants to capture into FCP from a DV camera using USB but can’t get it to work. Am I wrong, or can this only be done over firewire? If it is possible, how do you get it to recognize the camera?
Thanks,
Eli -
7 Replies
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Firewire only. USB is not supported.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Biscardi Creative Media
HD and SD Production for Broadcast and Independent Productions.STOP STARING AND START GRADING WITH APPLE COLOR Apple Color Training DVD available now!
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USB does not have the necessary sustained speed for video capture or playback with dropping frames.
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los AngelesPOST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™
A forum host of Creative COW’s Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums.
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Some domestic cameras use USB… I learnt this after insisting my friend must have got it wrong when he told me and he really meant firewire. Boy, didn’t I look the pro editor when he used the USB on his laptop to connect the camera…
Anyway, I digress… Your friend’s camera may indeed have a USB, and it will probably ship with some software to download on to a PC (90% probability the software will be PC only). It may result in a file that, if trasferred to FCP via network or HDD, may play. OTOH it may not – so I guess trial and error will be the only way to go. Bare in mind that any TC info your camera may produce will quite probably be lost in the process, so if you do treat the files as masters.
HTH
Jason
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Before you criticise a man, walk a mile in his shoes.
Then when you do criticise him, you’ll be a mile away. And have his shoes.*the artist formally known as Jaymags*
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[Jason Porthouse] “Some domestic cameras use USB.”
No professional cameras, consumer cameras only. Maybe Solid State cameras to transfer files, but none that have to capture to a system.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Biscardi Creative Media
HD and SD Production for Broadcast and Independent Productions.STOP STARING AND START GRADING WITH APPLE COLOR Apple Color Training DVD available now!
Read my Blog!
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USB has no defined standard for video data transfer.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a DV camera that only has USB, but many (most) of the DVD and Harddrive ones do. And the video you get is generally MPEG2 video, which makes it a PITA to edit.
There are a few shareware and freeware apps that can be used for downloading video from USB connector cameras (in much the same way you get stills of a digital camera) but none that actually capture it as nice usable DV.
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If the camera is a DVD-type, you may find it easier to use something like MPEG Streamclip to rip the footage into a more useable codec.
Cheers,
BenCurious Turtle Professional Video
Training | Editing |Support
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