This is a unique problem and I'm hoping somebody can help. My GY HD200 firewire is not recognized by a LiveU backpack. Since my camera doesn't have HD SDI out, my only option is to use the firewire. Here's the strange thing: my old consumer JVC DR170 instantly links up with this backpack through its firewire. Has anyone here ever worked with a LiveU system and successfully gotten a firewire link with this particular camera?

Tim.
Have you checked the position of the firewire switch? If I recall correctly the firewire can be set to output either a DV or HDV signal. If in HDV mode I think it outputs an HDV stream instead, confusing your LiveU backpack.

I am not familar with the Live U backpack but this was my first reaction, especially since it works with your other SD cam in firewire mode.

Also, you may have to set your recording format to SD- mode instead.

Tim, are you feeding it an approved signal, as in pretty much anything BUT 24P?

As well, further to what Svein Rune notes, the HD2xx series is notorious for frying Firewire ports. Do you know for certain that your Firewire port works?

A last ditch solution for you may to buy the $295 BlackMagic Design Analog to SDI converter and a PowerTap cable and then connect up via HD-SDI. I do this all the time with my HD200UB cameras in a live switched scenario.

Svein and Shaun,
Thanks for your replies. Yes, the port is working. I record every day to a Focus Enhancements DR-100.
I also have done fire wire dubs from my GY 200 to my GY110 and back. Always works.

I tried throwing the HDV switch to SD. No luck.

Shaun,
The idea of the BlackMagic converter sounds like it might be my best bet. I need to be shooting HDV all the time. Are you able to feed HDV video from your 200, through the BlackMagic, thus making the GY 200 a camera with HD- SDI?

Thanks for your help o this!
Tim Stollery
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JVC had the unfortunate habit of not properly programming their FireWire circuits with device identifiers that some FireWire devices need to recognize the hardware connected. As a beta tester for a videoscope program, I discovered that my JVC DV decks and my HD100 camera did not work while Sony and Panasonic devices did. The programmers had to adjust the program so it would accept the video feed over FireWire from the JVC equipment. If you connect the camera to your computer and get the info for the FireWire port, you will probably see "Unknown Device" listed instead of HD-200. Perhaps this is the problem with LiveU.

You should contact the LiveU people and see if you can get them to update their equipment although I'm sure the call for connecting old JVC equipment is very low.

I have a similar problem with my JVCs - one PC sees them, the other lives in blissful ignorance. I tried the usual advice of reinstalling the legacy driver, with no luck.