I purchased this package to get a little experience working in HD and to see if it would be worth it to move up to Vegas 6 or 7 at a later date when I could afford to do so.

I'm able to capture DV using an XL1, XL H1, and a Panasonic AG-DV1000 deck via firewire with no problems. When I try to capture HDV, the capture software doesn't see the drive or folder I specified for capture "No Device Selected", nor does it see the device "Device Not Available". Following the Quick Start Guide, I checked "Use external video application". This is what I have listed in the Device Manager. Device Manager-->IEEE 1394 Bus host controller-->VIA OHCI Compliant IEEE 1394 Host Controller, and Device Manager-->Imaging devices-->Microsoft DV Camera and VCR. Looking at the Preferences in the Vegas Capture Window, Prefs-->Capture Preferences-->Device-->IEEE 1394/MPEG2-TS. I also have Ulead Media Studio Pro 7 installed. I looked in the capture and under the Device Control, I use MS1394 Device Control. I'm not sure if there might be a conflict between the 2 different "Device Controls". Up until this point it's been back and forth with online tech support with nothing suggested that I already haven't done. I haven't received and further word from them and don't think I will. Any help or advice would gladly be received, either on or off line....

From Memory, you select capture in comes up with two choice. I think you pick the one that is not designated as external. If you are still having trouble later this evening, let me know, and I will be at my system to confirm the choice you make. I never had to do more than that with my FX1. Also, is your camera set to send HDV....

By the way, you can also capture with scene detect capability with HDVSplit, a freeware application. Google it....

Thanks Chris,
I have checked and unchecked that box. Yes, I have the XL H1 PLAYBACK at "HDV", and HD DOWN_CONV "OFF". Also thanks for the link to HDVSplit, but it requires XP, or that's what the systems requirements specified, and I'm running 2000 Pro. Also, the XL H1 wasn't on their list of compatible cameras. Again, thanks for your response...

Don:

Not that good on OS's, but is 2000 updated for HDV like XP SP2 does ?

Most all higher end PC based editing packages, from what I have looked to, run on XP or 2000 only. Most all the lower end consumer stuff will run on 98SE to XP, but 98SE, and in some cases ME, are dropping off the edge of the world and no longer supported by software companies.

Don, its not the software, as much as recognition by the OS of the HDV signal... I know people were having issues with recognition with HDV last year, and one of the fixes was to make sure your XP was updated to Service Pack 2. Otherwise, the OS couldn't access the HDV camera.

I'm not saying that is your issue, but the reports you give are similar to ones I heard back then..

Follow up:

This site say Windows 2000 needs SP4 to work with HDV.

http://www.academicsuperstore.com/market/marketdisp.html?PartNo=761240

The internal capture is what should be selected and it opens in the corner by explorer, Is this the capture utility you're using? It is completely different than
the Sony capture that launches for dv. Hope it's that easy.

Chris,
That's what I'm running, Win 2000 Pro SP4.

OK, this is right out of the Quick Start pdf doumentation. Tip: To specify the video capture application you want to use with the full version of Vegas software or in Vegas Movie Studio Platinum software, check the "Use external video capture application" check box on the Video tab of the Preferences window and browse for the program's executable (.EXE) file. The only one I see is C:\Program Files\Sony\Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 7.0\VidCap60.EXE, which sounds like the default unless you are using another third party capture application, or if you are using a Blackmagic Design DeckLink card.

Is this true or not??

Chris,
That's what I'm running, Win 2000 Pro SP4.

OK, this is right out of the Quick Start pdf doumentation. Tip: To specify the video capture application you want to use with the full version of Vegas software or in Vegas Movie Studio Platinum software, check the "Use external video capture application" check box on the Video tab of the Preferences window and browse for the program's executable (.EXE) file. The only one I see is C:\Program Files\Sony\Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 7.0\VidCap60.EXE, which sounds like the default unless you are using another third party capture application, or if you are using a Blackmagic Design DeckLink card.

Is this true or not??

Don:

First thing I do when I start up Movie Studio or Vegas for capture purposes, is to select File in the pull down menu. Go down the pull down menu, and click on Capture. A window pops up giving me two choices for capture. One is external, which I select for DV capture. The other is internal, which specifies at that selection site, that it is for HDV. Select that and then, in the lower left corner a blue window comes up. Right now it says no device selected, so I right click on the no device selected words in the window, and it offers me another pull down menu. I select device on that, and it give me the choice of IEEE 1394- Mpeg2 ts device. I move the cursor over that, and it then give me the camera selection. (In this case the FX1) I select that, and I am ready to capture. The blue screen now says "Stopped".

Hope that helps.

Chris,
"First thing I do when I start up Movie Studio or Vegas for capture purposes, is to select File in the pull down menu. Go down the pull down menu, and click on Capture. A window pops up giving me two choices for capture. One is external, which I select for DV capture. The other is internal, which specifies at that selection site, that it is for HDV. Select that and then, in the lower left corner a blue window comes up".

I did exactly that.

"Right now it says no device selected, so I right click on the no device selected words in the window, and it offers me another pull down menu".

There is nothing special about right clicking on the blue box. Click anywhere on the Capture window does the same thing.

"I select device on that, and it give me the choice of IEEE 1394- Mpeg2 ts device".

I did that and there was 2 choices, IEEE 1394- Mpeg2-TS, and <none>. I selected it and there was nothing that happenend other than selecting it. The "Device" box below it is grayed out and the window below that says "No Device Properties". And after all this, the blue box now says "No Device Avaiable".

I would really like to see a list of supported HDV cameras for this peice of software, because I don't believe the Canon XL H1 is on the list. Would anyone like to either confirm or dispute this.

Hmmmm. Sounds like the problem. Before I upgraded to Vegas 7, I had upgraded this to most recent version which was 6.0b. Don't know if you have done that. The disk out of the box will usually not be the most recent upgrade.

Don:

This thread may help...

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=77838

My big question (since you're on Win2K) is: Does WINDOWS detect the camera in HDV mode? Do you need to MANUALLY load the driver (as was necessary in pre-SP2 winXP)?

Edward,
My system (Win 2000 SP4) doesn't see the camera in HDV mode. I looked through the threads as suggested, and it seems everything talked about was about XP and Service Pack 2. I did a search on Microsoft's site for Windows 2000 and there was nothing found. The Sony/ Vegas developers surely know what's going on, but none of their tech support people have a clue. They have basically left me flapping in the wind. If it is a Microsoft problem, then Vegas team should at least make the end user aware, and at least try and help. It's going to be interesting when I show up at the Sony Vegas booth the 15th at DV Expo in Los Angeles, assuming they are showing, with the installation disk and receipt in hand, and ask for a full refund or make their software work. I'm sure my being there will not fix the problem, or get a refund, but the "booth bunnies" need the entertainment. For now, the project that I have to do will have to be done in SD for the first presentation, and redone in HD at a later date.....

From my reading of past posts, my understanding is that HDV works fine in XP but nobody can seem to find any drivers that work in Win2K. If you stick with DV mode, all should work fine using the EXTERNAL capture app. Vegas can work fine with Win2K - and can even edit HDV footage in Win2K (if you copy it to that machine). However, it does specify XP SP2 for HDV. Many have used XP SP1 as well but the driver has to be manually chosen. If Windows can't see the camera, Vegas certainly won't.

Edward,
The system requirements on the box is Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4 or Windows XP (Windows XP SP2 required for HDV). It indicates to me that if you have XP, that you also have to have SP2 installed for HDV. If the labelling on the box really means that "only" XP with SP2 is required for HDV, then Sony has a real consumer mislabelling problem. I really don't think that they would market something that misleading. I don't see any disclaimer on the box that says: *Windows 2000 SP4 and Windows XP SP1 for DV only.

I can absorb the $129 +tax, but now I would have rather gone to the real Vegas and droped it all in the slots...

The system requirements on the box is Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4 or Windows XP (Windows XP SP2 required for HDV). It indicates to me that if you have XP, that you also have to have SP2 installed for HDV. If the labelling on the box really means that "only" XP with SP2 is required for HDV, then Sony has a real consumer mislabelling problem. I really don't think that they would market something that misleading. I don't see any disclaimer on the box that says: *Windows 2000 SP4 and Windows XP SP1 for DV only.

I'm not sure what you're saying here. The labeling sounds correct to me. If you want to capture HDV, the box says XP SP2 is required. It will run fine on Win2K UNLESS you're trying to do HDV because Win2K does not support the cameras! I'm not sure where the labeling is misleading:

Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4 or Windows XP (Windows XP SP2 required for HDV)

You say you're running Win2k - seems obvious to me from that requirement that you will NOT be doing HDV.

The box very specifically has "HD" on it. It doesn;t say "DV and HD". The way I read it, if you have XP SP1, you will have to upgrade your XP to Service Pack 2 in order to use HDV. If the requirements had said Windows 2000 SP4 and XP SP1 for DV, Windows XP SP2 for HDV, I would have understood very clearly and not bought it. I'm not about ready to play word games with Sony, and the box, as is implies, that it's an HD package and will run on the listed operating syatems, as long as you have the listed Service Packs installed. I should have known better when I had Vegas 4, even if Sony didn't own them at that time. I guess it time to use their toll free phone and call them. I already know what the answer is going to be from anyone looking at this, "Lots of Luck".

So Don- isn't Windows 2000 getting a bit long in the tooth as an operating system ?

I do recognize the benefits of 2000, including use on multiple systems, but there is point......

Chris,
Windows 2000 is, in my opinion, the most stable OS Microsoft has produced to date. I never get any crashes, and it's not a memory hog like XP. I have the installation disks, and I have control. I think you would be surpeised the number of people still using it.

I only bought this peice of software to try a little editing in HD at an entry level, before getting more serious with something higher end. I have been using Ulead Media Studio Pro 7 for years now, and it has served me well. I'll look around DV Expo next week and take a look at what's new in HD editing. All I can do now, is just suck it up and go forward......

Bottom line:

1) Win2K can't see the HDV camera - therefore no program running on Win2K can see it.

2) Vegas is one of the few that will still RUN on Win2K

3) Vegas CAN edit HD on Win2K - you just can't capture it there. Get it captured, copy it there, and it WILL work with HD.

I think it's hard to blame Vegas for OS issues.

Edward.
Thank you for this information, it's what make these forums a value added source of information. Yes, your right, as I have checked most all suppliers that deal in capture of HDV, and all specify Windows XP SP2 for HDV capture. I was going to upgrade my CPU, but now I'll will also have to think about an upgrade to XP at some point. Microsoft provides the OS, and the software developers have to work with what's provided, understood. Microsoft could have provided a patch to Win2K, but it's Microsoft's job to push new new technology such as XP, and not to continue to support old technology like Win2K. It's all business.
Again, thanks to everyone who responded, and I think this can end this thread....Don

Don,

Just one last word. I was using Vegas for years on Windows 2000, and it worked fine. It was when I got an HDV camcorder (HC1) that I discovered what you have discovered, that Windows 2000 won't recognize the HDV camcorder. I looked long and hard for solutions and was never able to find a way to get it to work.

I didn't want to get rid of Windows 2000 at that point so my solution was to buy a copy of XP and install that as well. So now I choose Windows 2000 or XP at boot time; when I'm capturing it is XP.