This might sound ridiculous... Adobe Premier
 

I need help.
I own an FX1, bought it for a project. I need to import the footage from tapes to PC. I have newest version of Premier. Where do I start? Please, be patient with me, any help appreciated. I have never used the firewire or Premier before. What do I do to start?
Thank you in advance.

First thing I would do would be search the Internet for 'premiere CS3 tutorial' or something similar. I believe there are some tutorials on dvinfo, actually.

The 'proper' term for importing files into the computer is capturing. Might want to search for that to figure out some of the basics.

If you're planning on working seriously using this nifty new gear of yours (with that sort of investment, I would! =D) you may want to check out Cineform's AspectHD plugin for Premiere. It may sound like a lot of money for a plugin for software you've already shelled out money for, but there's plenty of good reasons. Less waiting for renders, better quality, a small and wonderful program for capturing from your FX and exporting back, etc etc.

There is a free program that captures from firewire cameras that I used until I purchased AspectHD, it's not nearly as spiffy and featured, but it gets the job done, and supports scene detection (makes a different file for each clip you recorded, not a big long file the size of the tape) called HDVSplit. Might want to look that up.

If you have any more questions, you may want to check out the Premiere board on this website, named Attend the World Premiere! or something like that. Lots of helpful people to answer any specific questions you can't figure out through tutorials, but definitely check out as many as you can find first. It's how we all started. :)

Carl

VERY SIMPLY, (and not knowing if you're recording in HD or DV):

- load up Premiere,
- turn the FX1 on Play mode (tape rewound to beginning),
- connect your firewire cable to the PC and to the FX1 (assuming you have this obviously, firewire cards are a few $$ and easily slot into your PC)
- click on capture (it'll recognise the FX1 without you changing any settings)
- hit play and record

hope that's ok, it's the very basics but will allow you teo get that footage on to your PC

KC-

If you are capturing HDV, try HDVSplit, a freeware program. Basically, you hook up camera to computer via firewire, start the program, indicate what folder you want footage stored to, and press capture.

If you are capturing DV with the FX1, you will have to do that from inside Premiere pro, by selecting it from the menu under the first pulldown.

Another challenge
 

I thought I had a PC to Camcorder wire. I just looked at it and it's an Apple cable with Apple logos on it. Where do I get a cable for PC and do I need a firewire card? If I do where do I get it from?

yes, you need a firewire card.

check out your local computer store, or newegg.com, they're under $20 nowadays.

Once you get the card, chances are that cable is a firewire cable, and will plug it in. Firewire = iLink = ieee1964 .... all the same thing, different brand names.

C

1964 is my wife's birth year, hehehe... Firewire is IEEE 1394... a little older...

K.C.,

Might I suggest that you start by going to your local computer store, you may want to take your PC with you too. If your computer does not have a firewire card in it already, it is probably very old. It may not be a very good computer for running the latest Premiere and an HD camera.

Please let us know your experience in shooting and editing video. If you have done it before, how did you capture it, what did you edit it on?

Mike

Doh!

I must be getting rusty :D

C

Thank you all for replies,
 

Mike, I worked in Port Saint Lucie for a few months when our NY based Yellow pages co. "yellow book" took over blue books in florida, I had good time then.

This is the computer I have, it's quite decent I'd say, I just upgraded HD to total of 700gb.

http://www.superwarehouse.com/Sony_V...RB40/ps/617486

Please, excuse my lack of knowledge about firewire card. I see I-link input in front of the computer next to usb and card inputs, is that all I need?

K.C.,

I-link may indeed be it. Should look like a rectangle port opening like the USB except that one end has a point or triangle shape. That is the 6 wire firewire port. The specs on the computer conflict a little, as the top part, connectivity, mentions USB but no firewire. Then in the interfaces' section it lists a 4 and a 6 wire IEEE 1394 port.

Either way, just look for those ports. The 6 wire will look as I described it and the four wire will look like the firewire port out of the camera. Either one, 4 or 6, will work for capture, it just depends on what cable you have. I believe your apple cable will work as long as is is a 4 wire to 4 wire or a 4 wire to a 6 wire. The specs are the same I believe.

I have a friend here who is a retired engineer for IBM and was on the team that developed the firewire. He hates it when you call it that. He says it is a IEEE 1394 cable!!!! :)

Turn on your computer, plug in your camera-then turn it to the VCR or play mode. The computer should find it. Don't use any of the basic Windows programs like Movie Maker, just say thank you and open up your NLE. Hopefully your NLE will find your camera when you go to capture your footage.

During the capture or in the capture window, you should be able to control your camera from the computer.

Let us know what happens.

If it has been a while since you've been to Port St. Lucie, you would not recognize the place anymore.

Good Luck----Mike

And one more comment. The specs on the computer says it has 512mb of ram. That will not do for HD. You need to double that as a minimum and better yet to go to 2gb of ram. The specs seem funny though, as they list the ram type as notebook type. Is that true? Notebook ram and not desktop!

Even with that, the computer is on the edge of what you really need. You may need something like CineForm to help you out in editing.


Mike

Mike
 

I have 1gb of ram now, if it shows sluggish performance I'll increase it to 2gb, it's cheap nowadays.

Do I need this guy?
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...9&tab=Features

Or this one?
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...9&tab=Features

6 to 4 usually is for desk top, 4 to 4 is usually for laptop. Essentially, the 4 end is same size as port on you your FX1. So you can compare the imput port on the computer to that. The six pin female port looks a bit like a USB port.

K.C.,

As Chris said, the 6 to 4 is what most use on desktops, but that is because most desktops don't have a 4 wire port. If you have a laptop and plan on using the camera with that, the 4 to 4 would work on both if you do have a 4 wire port on your computer. Either one would work on your desktop.

Let us know what your plans for using this system are. As I said before, your system is about bare minimum right now and performance will not be very good.

Also, if you want to order from Sony that is fine, but you can get a cable for much less at your local Best Buy or Circuit City.

Mike