Just bought a dv852!

Chuck Logsdon · March 4th, 2004, 08:47 AM

Adam, I just started capturing my old analog 8mm tapes a month or so ago. Along the way, they are either AVI (right after capture) or MPEG2 (after encoding, prior to the DVD authoring).

Did you install an application that might have changed your file associations for AVI, MPG, etc.? Perhaps the CD that comes with the DV852 and its included software?

Chuck Logsdon · March 5th, 2004, 04:49 PM

UPS brought my DV852 today. ;-)

I just checked smartbargains.com. They have five left.

Adam VanScoyoc · March 5th, 2004, 11:26 PM

Chuck: Hope you enjoy your camera. Let us know how you like it. I hope you don't have the same problems I'm having!

Frank: Thanks for emailing me back. I can't believe the heads would be dirty, It is a brand new camera with a brand new tape with only about two minutes on it! Do I have a defective unit? I would have bought the fuji tape, (because I read your web page first) but I wanted something that I could pick up anywhere at the spur of the moment like walmart, sears, whatever. Walmart only has maxell, Panasonic, and Sony. I heard Sony could be trouble especially when mixed with others, so I made up my mind to only ever purchase Panasonic. It is just the cheap one, not mq or pq. Could the problem be my firewire or card? The reason I ask is because I originally had Pinnacle with the dc10 analog capture card. So when I bought the 852, I needed a card and cable. Being the frugle shopper that I am, I got online and found the best deal I could, which was a $9.96 for a card AND cable package. Almost seemed too good to be true. Here is the page -

http://www.monoprices.com/products/p...seq=1&format=2

Does anyone have any ideas why the video that was captured with my analog capture card doesn't work anymore. All I did was remove the analog capture card, plug in the firewire card and captured some video. Then, and this might be the problem, I uninstalled the dc10 software using add/remove programs in my control panel (to keep a message from popping up saying my dc10 was not working when I start my computer). Maybe I have to completly reinstall pinnacle 7 and 8 to get this straightened out. (even though they still work ok). I think Chuck suggested the panasonic software was at fault, but those old videos were not working before I installed those software programs from panasonic. (I didn't install them right away because they were for photos, and mpegs and stuff associated with the card, but I didn't have a free usb port so I didn't bother. Now I have a hub, so I have gotten to try out the still pictures)

Between those pretty colored blocks on my video and not being able to use my existing video files, I'm beginning to wish I had stuck with hi-8

Adam VanScoyoc · March 5th, 2004, 11:29 PM

By the way Frank, I forgot to tell you, the girl in between the legos was my wife. She looks younger than she is. :)

Frank Granovski · March 7th, 2004, 03:56 AM

Quote:

I can't believe the heads would be dirty, It is a brand new camera with a brand new tape with only about two minutes on it!

I think it is common for a new cam to get dirty heads, usually with the first tape running through.

That "girl" is your wife? She looked about 8 years old in the pic! Since you sent me a pic of your wife, I'll send you one of mine; but she looks a lot older than 8. :-))

Adam VanScoyoc · March 7th, 2004, 10:49 PM

It's me again.

I decided to test the dirty head theory by using my 852 as a pass through for my analog camcorder. I was able to capture video, but I still got the occasional colored blocks! I was beginning to think a head cleaner would solve my problems but it seems it's something more sinister. I suppose the only thing it can be is the cheap firewire card or cable that I mentioned earlier. Does this sound like a reasonable conclusion? Please let me know what you folks think before I run out and buy a new card and cable.

Also, any ideas why my old videos aren't recognized?

Sorry about all the questions
Thanks to everyone for all the help.

Adam

PS: Are you liking the camera so far Chuck?

Chuck Logsdon · March 8th, 2004, 09:03 AM

Adam, haven't played much with the camera yet, unfortunately. I did take it to my son's soccer practice to play with it. I did lose color once for a few seconds (camera was paused, started recording, color was nearly gone, but came back a few seconds later while still recording). I haven't researched yet what that might be. I never saw something like that on my old analog camcorders. I hope it's a tape issue or a head cleaning issue.

Max Mishler · March 8th, 2004, 09:55 AM

Just my 2 cents FWIW. I also recently picked up an 852 (from B&H before they sold out) and so far love this little cam. I shot my mother-in-law's little wedding with it and my footage came out great! I shot indoors with less than desirable lighting and used the onboard mic. The footage is comparable to a wedding I shot last year with a GL2 which was also indoors. The color wasn't quite as rich as the GL2 which I knew to expect given the 1 ccd vs. 3 ccd. Just my experience....

Max

Guy Bruner · March 8th, 2004, 03:39 PM

Adam,
Are you sure you don't have the cam in LP mode? That's what it sounds like from your description of the pixelation.

It could be the 1394 card also, although it probably wouldn't work at all...is it OHCI compliant?

Adam VanScoyoc · March 8th, 2004, 07:37 PM

Guy,

I checked my menu and I am definately recording in sp not lp.

As for the card, here is what the box says:

-embedded p1394a OHCI and PHY core function into a single host controller
-complies with 1394 OpenHCI specifications v1.0 and v1.1

among other things.

I tried capturing on the drive that my os runs on and on my other hard drive which is reserved for my videos and I get the same results.

Here is a link that will take you to a page with a frame grab of the colored blocks I keep talking about.

http://www.geocities.com/freakyfamil...christmas.html

Take a look and tell me what you think. Have you seen this before? It's not always like that. It will look fine for several seconds, then the block will pop up for a single frame, just a flash, but it's very noticable. The audio even makes a fast static flash sound at the same time. Then everything will look great for a few more seconds.

By the way, I like the pictures on your page. I was checking out the 953 with the hama hood. I would like to get one for my 852.

Guy Bruner · March 8th, 2004, 08:10 PM

Adam,
I haven't seen anything quite that regular. Usually when I get dropouts or dirty heads, its random. What does the video look like on the LCD? Is it clean, if so, it's probably not the tape or heads.

Thanks for the compliments on the site. The Hama is available from B&H for $17.

Greg Boston · March 10th, 2004, 08:53 PM

Adam,

I think you lost your ability to play those older videos when you un-installed the DC-10 software. Many times, a vendor will use a special or customized a/v codec with their software. When you un-installed, it removed that codec from your system as well. Their are websites that have most of the a/v codecs available including vendor specific ones.

As for the colored blocks, my guess is a card and cable that only cost 9.95 is cutting corners somewhere. Also, and this is VERY IMPORTANT, you need to shut down as many processes as you can. Some people shut down everything but explorer and systray. Real-time capture puts a strain on your system and you should devote all the cpu cycles you can get to the task. Try this before replacing card and cable.

Just my .02 worth. Best of luck, I've got to go find that rectangular hood for my 953.

regards,

Adam VanScoyoc · March 11th, 2004, 07:07 PM

Well, I got my computer to recognize the old videos again. I put my analog capture card back in and using my original pinnacle cd, reinstalled the driver for the card.

Now I just need to fix those blocks. First I'll try your suggestion Gary and shut down everything running in the background.

Keep your fingers crossed.

Guy Bruner · March 11th, 2004, 08:49 PM

Adam,
There is a freeware program on the web called End It All 2 that can help stop all the background stuff. Also, if you have been doing analog to DV passthrough, make sure your DV Out setting is turned off. Don't know if the 852 is like the 953 but it is recommended to keep it off or video degradation may occur.

Adam VanScoyoc · March 17th, 2004, 09:30 PM

Just thought I'd give a little update on the 852.
I bought a head cleaner and ran it for 5 seconds. Then I put in my new Fuji tapes, filmed a couple minutes and captured. Blocks still there (although after my pass-through test I figured they would be). So tonight I bought a new card and cable- Belkin. I captured a minute and a half and I still get the darn blocks. Now the only thing it can possibly be is the camera or my computer. I'm leaning towards the computer since there are so many things that can be conflicting. Besides, when I play the video back on the camera it looks fine.

My computer is a pain in the butt anyway. Every couple months it dies. I mean the monitor is black, no beep when I turn it on or anything, although the power lights are on and the fan's running. We have to leave it unplugged for a couple days, then when we turn it on it may work.

March 4th, 2004, 08:47 AM	#16
Chuck Logsdon New Boot Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 5	Unrecognized video Adam, I just started capturing my old analog 8mm tapes a month or so ago. Along the way, they are either AVI (right after capture) or MPEG2 (after encoding, prior to the DVD authoring). Did you install an application that might have changed your file associations for AVI, MPG, etc.? Perhaps the CD that comes with the DV852 and its included software? __________________ CL

March 5th, 2004, 04:49 PM	#17
Chuck Logsdon New Boot Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 5	UPS brought my DV852 today. ;-) I just checked smartbargains.com. They have five left. __________________ CL

March 8th, 2004, 09:03 AM	#22
Chuck Logsdon New Boot Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 5	Adam, haven't played much with the camera yet, unfortunately. I did take it to my son's soccer practice to play with it. I did lose color once for a few seconds (camera was paused, started recording, color was nearly gone, but came back a few seconds later while still recording). I haven't researched yet what that might be. I never saw something like that on my old analog camcorders. I hope it's a tape issue or a head cleaning issue. __________________ CL

March 5th, 2004, 11:26 PM	#18
Adam VanScoyoc Regular Crew Join Date: May 2003 Location: New Oxford, PA Posts: 44	Chuck: Hope you enjoy your camera. Let us know how you like it. I hope you don't have the same problems I'm having! Frank: Thanks for emailing me back. I can't believe the heads would be dirty, It is a brand new camera with a brand new tape with only about two minutes on it! Do I have a defective unit? I would have bought the fuji tape, (because I read your web page first) but I wanted something that I could pick up anywhere at the spur of the moment like walmart, sears, whatever. Walmart only has maxell, Panasonic, and Sony. I heard Sony could be trouble especially when mixed with others, so I made up my mind to only ever purchase Panasonic. It is just the cheap one, not mq or pq. Could the problem be my firewire or card? The reason I ask is because I originally had Pinnacle with the dc10 analog capture card. So when I bought the 852, I needed a card and cable. Being the frugle shopper that I am, I got online and found the best deal I could, which was a $9.96 for a card AND cable package. Almost seemed too good to be true. Here is the page - http://www.monoprices.com/products/p...seq=1&format=2 Does anyone have any ideas why the video that was captured with my analog capture card doesn't work anymore. All I did was remove the analog capture card, plug in the firewire card and captured some video. Then, and this might be the problem, I uninstalled the dc10 software using add/remove programs in my control panel (to keep a message from popping up saying my dc10 was not working when I start my computer). Maybe I have to completly reinstall pinnacle 7 and 8 to get this straightened out. (even though they still work ok). I think Chuck suggested the panasonic software was at fault, but those old videos were not working before I installed those software programs from panasonic. (I didn't install them right away because they were for photos, and mpegs and stuff associated with the card, but I didn't have a free usb port so I didn't bother. Now I have a hub, so I have gotten to try out the still pictures) Between those pretty colored blocks on my video and not being able to use my existing video files, I'm beginning to wish I had stuck with hi-8

March 5th, 2004, 11:29 PM	#19
Adam VanScoyoc Regular Crew Join Date: May 2003 Location: New Oxford, PA Posts: 44	By the way Frank, I forgot to tell you, the girl in between the legos was my wife. She looks younger than she is. :)

March 7th, 2004, 10:49 PM	#21
Adam VanScoyoc Regular Crew Join Date: May 2003 Location: New Oxford, PA Posts: 44	It's me again. I decided to test the dirty head theory by using my 852 as a pass through for my analog camcorder. I was able to capture video, but I still got the occasional colored blocks! I was beginning to think a head cleaner would solve my problems but it seems it's something more sinister. I suppose the only thing it can be is the cheap firewire card or cable that I mentioned earlier. Does this sound like a reasonable conclusion? Please let me know what you folks think before I run out and buy a new card and cable. Also, any ideas why my old videos aren't recognized? Sorry about all the questions Thanks to everyone for all the help. Adam PS: Are you liking the camera so far Chuck?

March 8th, 2004, 09:55 AM	#23
Max Mishler Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Myrtle Beach, SC Posts: 53	Just my 2 cents FWIW. I also recently picked up an 852 (from B&H before they sold out) and so far love this little cam. I shot my mother-in-law's little wedding with it and my footage came out great! I shot indoors with less than desirable lighting and used the onboard mic. The footage is comparable to a wedding I shot last year with a GL2 which was also indoors. The color wasn't quite as rich as the GL2 which I knew to expect given the 1 ccd vs. 3 ccd. Just my experience.... Max

March 8th, 2004, 03:39 PM	#24
Guy Bruner Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Ashford, AL Posts: 937	Adam, Are you sure you don't have the cam in LP mode? That's what it sounds like from your description of the pixelation. It could be the 1394 card also, although it probably wouldn't work at all...is it OHCI compliant?

March 8th, 2004, 07:37 PM	#25
Adam VanScoyoc Regular Crew Join Date: May 2003 Location: New Oxford, PA Posts: 44	Guy, I checked my menu and I am definately recording in sp not lp. As for the card, here is what the box says: -embedded p1394a OHCI and PHY core function into a single host controller -complies with 1394 OpenHCI specifications v1.0 and v1.1 among other things. I tried capturing on the drive that my os runs on and on my other hard drive which is reserved for my videos and I get the same results. Here is a link that will take you to a page with a frame grab of the colored blocks I keep talking about. http://www.geocities.com/freakyfamil...christmas.html Take a look and tell me what you think. Have you seen this before? It's not always like that. It will look fine for several seconds, then the block will pop up for a single frame, just a flash, but it's very noticable. The audio even makes a fast static flash sound at the same time. Then everything will look great for a few more seconds. By the way, I like the pictures on your page. I was checking out the 953 with the hama hood. I would like to get one for my 852.

March 8th, 2004, 08:10 PM	#26
Guy Bruner Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Ashford, AL Posts: 937	Adam, I haven't seen anything quite that regular. Usually when I get dropouts or dirty heads, its random. What does the video look like on the LCD? Is it clean, if so, it's probably not the tape or heads. Thanks for the compliments on the site. The Hama is available from B&H for $17.

March 10th, 2004, 08:53 PM	#27
Greg Boston Wrangler Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: DFW area, TX Posts: 6,117 Images: 1	Adam, I think you lost your ability to play those older videos when you un-installed the DC-10 software. Many times, a vendor will use a special or customized a/v codec with their software. When you un-installed, it removed that codec from your system as well. Their are websites that have most of the a/v codecs available including vendor specific ones. As for the colored blocks, my guess is a card and cable that only cost 9.95 is cutting corners somewhere. Also, and this is VERY IMPORTANT, you need to shut down as many processes as you can. Some people shut down everything but explorer and systray. Real-time capture puts a strain on your system and you should devote all the cpu cycles you can get to the task. Try this before replacing card and cable. Just my .02 worth. Best of luck, I've got to go find that rectangular hood for my 953. regards,

March 11th, 2004, 07:07 PM	#28
Adam VanScoyoc Regular Crew Join Date: May 2003 Location: New Oxford, PA Posts: 44	Well, I got my computer to recognize the old videos again. I put my analog capture card back in and using my original pinnacle cd, reinstalled the driver for the card. Now I just need to fix those blocks. First I'll try your suggestion Gary and shut down everything running in the background. Keep your fingers crossed.

March 11th, 2004, 08:49 PM	#29
Guy Bruner Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Ashford, AL Posts: 937	Adam, There is a freeware program on the web called End It All 2 that can help stop all the background stuff. Also, if you have been doing analog to DV passthrough, make sure your DV Out setting is turned off. Don't know if the 852 is like the 953 but it is recommended to keep it off or video degradation may occur.

March 17th, 2004, 09:30 PM	#30
Adam VanScoyoc Regular Crew Join Date: May 2003 Location: New Oxford, PA Posts: 44	Just thought I'd give a little update on the 852. I bought a head cleaner and ran it for 5 seconds. Then I put in my new Fuji tapes, filmed a couple minutes and captured. Blocks still there (although after my pass-through test I figured they would be). So tonight I bought a new card and cable- Belkin. I captured a minute and a half and I still get the darn blocks. Now the only thing it can possibly be is the camera or my computer. I'm leaning towards the computer since there are so many things that can be conflicting. Besides, when I play the video back on the camera it looks fine. My computer is a pain in the butt anyway. Every couple months it dies. I mean the monitor is black, no beep when I turn it on or anything, although the power lights are on and the fan's running. We have to leave it unplugged for a couple days, then when we turn it on it may work.