Strange Capture Problem!!
 

Hi there,


I'm working on a G4 dual 1,25 GigH. Last week I bought FCP4, the full version (no upgrade).

I always capture from my Canon XL1s camera.

Now this is the problem : for one strange reason I cannot capture 1 hour of footage in one single time.

After 5, sometimes 7 or 8 minutes of capturing, I get this message : 'CAPTURE NOW HAS REACHED THE END OF THE TAPE. ALL EXISTING FOOTAGE BETWEEN THE POINT YOU WERE STARTED TO CAPTURE AND THE END OF THE TAPE WAS CAPTURED SUCCESFULLY.'

Often in the middle of a shot, in the middle of a scene FCP4 stops capturing, as if the tape has come to an end. But it has not.

So nowadays I have to capture 1 tape in 7 times! Sometimes in 8 times, sometimes even more! Very frustrating, because often I need the scene entirely thas has been broken down.

I always worked with FCP3, and I never had this problem before. Since I started working with FCP4 last week on the same PowerMac, I cannot capture properly.

I tried everything in User and System Settings, without succes.
Anyone had this problem before, and knows how to solve it?

A quite desperate,
Eugène.

Is the drive formatted HFS+, is the capture limit set, is the time code continuous, have you updated to FCP 4.1?

Hi Jeff,

Thanks a lot for your reply.
I did not updated to FCP 4.1. A collegue of me has. He's working wtith FCP4.1 and he has the same problem : capturing a tape in 1 single time is impossible.

Drives are formated correctly. Capture limit is set on 65 minutes. I already re-installed FCP : same bug.

Strange that nobody has experienced the same problem.

Seems nobody knows the answer to my questions. Where are the experts???

Are you capturing to internal or external drives? If they are internal , you need to check the drives and see how the jumpers are set. Are they set to Master, Slave or Cable Select? Have you tried capturing to external drives?

You need to make sure that all network connections are suspended (including get the time from a network source). Screen saver and all energy saving functions turned off. All anti virus software turned off.

What OS are you running 10.2.x or 10.3.x?

This sounds like a drive issue, so double check the formatting is set to HFS+. You may want to run Disk Warrior or Drive First Aid (found in the Disk Utility Application, in the Utilities folder).

I don't think the jumper settings on your hard drives are a problem unless your computer doesn't see your drives.

Here's my wild guesses on your problem:
Are there timecode breaks on your tapes? (TC resets to 00:00:00;00)

Did you try searching the apple knowledge base? (under support on the apple website)

Ditto the above. One thing not asked: How full are your drives? Video and system drives get wonky if there is not much headroom left. Depending on who you ask, you should leave between 10 and 20% free.

Bill

Thanks a lot for all those answers. It is appreciated (a lot).

I'm capturing to internal drives of 120 Gig. I always make back-up's on external Lacies, so that I can start capturing on an empty drive.
What I want to say : drives that are too full cannot be the explanation.
My powermac is not connected to the internet and all screensaving options are turned off.

As I said before, I never had this problem while working with FC3, on the same computer. This capture problem started while using FCP4.

I bought the program 3 weeks ago.

As I'm working on different documentaries for a belgian commercial station, I need to solve this problem as soon as possible.

I cannot understand nobody else has experiecend the same problem. Today I'm capturing a tape in 9 times and I can assure that's not great fun.

Pleaseeeeeee!!!!!!

If you have more than 1 internal drive, then the jumper position may be the issue. I've run into this before in earlier version of FCP (ver. 1, 1.2.x). Mention of this was covered several years ago in the Apple discussions (do a search, including discussions, and this will turn up) and as recently as several months ago it was turning up with FCP 4. You need to verify in what position each jumper is in (Master, Slave, or Cable Select). A mismatch will indeed cause capture problems.

Also, what is the exact model of the capture source (VCR, camera) you are using? Is it on Apples list of supported devices for FCP 4?

Hi Jeff,


How do you explain this then : I have the same problem while capturing on the internal harddisk of my brand new Powerbook G4 17' display!!!

I bought this (very nice, by the way) laptop last week : same problem! Unbelievable!

I tried capturing on an external Lacie : same problem.

Sometimes after 3 minutes, sometimes after 44 minutes I get this message : CAPTURE NOW HAS REACHED THE END OF THE TAPE. While there's still time to go.

So there's no identical timelapse : makes it even more mysterious.
I already called Apple Brussel : nobody could help me.

They advicded me to re-install FCP4. I did it. Same bug.

I'm desperate.

I'm capturing from my Canon XL1s by the way.

You need to start eliminating the possible causes. Can you try capturing form a different source? Borrow someone else's camera or deck. Can you try a tape shot from a different source? Borrow some footage from a friend, associate etc.

It is starting to sound like your eliminating most of the possible causes except the capture source (XL1s) and tapes. Are the tapes only used once or are they recorded over?

Thanks a lot for taking a closer look on this problem Jeff.

I always use brand new Sony dv-cam tapes, these are professional dv-tapes.
I never use them twice.

I was in Paris (shooting a documentary about singer Axelle Red) when I noticed this problem for the first time. I tried capturing on my laptop a tape in one single time without succes.

As you said Jeff, I started eliminating the possible causes. This is what I did in Paris : I tried capturing from my sound-enginerer's Canon XM2.

(While shooting, he always has a Canon XM2 standby in case my Canon XL1s breaks down.)

The capture problem was the same. Capturing from an XL1s or XM2 did not make any difference.

A collegue of mine has the same problem. We are both in trouble, because we cannot work properly now.

Is the TC continous, or did you start and stop recording at different places along the tape? If you watch the recorded tapes play in the cameras, does the TC ever start over?

TC is continious. I tried capturing with consumer mini-dv tapes : same problem.

So, it's not the camera from where I'm capturing, harddisks are formatted correctly and are almost empty, TC is continious,....

If eliminated all possible causes, and still there's no solution to this ennoying problem.

What I find striking : Am I the first one mentioning this bug?

Try capturing to an external drive. Also try capturing with a non Canon brand camera.

Eugene,

How are you trying to capture? Log and Capture? I have had timecode issues with FCP saying it cannont read the timecode. So, now, most of the time I just start the tape and hit "Now" in the capture box. That works for me, that way, FCP doesn't even worry about reading timecode (I think). Try this....hope you find a solution...please let us know what you end up figuring out....

Clay

It might just be a transport control problem. Try setting firewire transport control to 'basic' instead of 'apple'. Worked for me. I had a similar problem using FCP and a PDX10.

hi Eugene,

thanks for your post in my thread! No, you are not alone. I seem to have a similar setup with exactly the same problem: XL1-s, Powerbook G4, never had any problems in FCP3, continous timecode, capturing to internal 80GB or external 250GB -> same problem.
It is soooooo annoying having to capture a tape in 8 times or so, especially syncing it all up again afterwards.
My wild guess is it has to do with the XL-1 specifically or Canon cameras in general. I heard Canon's implementation of Firewire has got some problems built in. Have you tried the FireWire Basic protocol? Did you get any further? Got any hints or tricks?

Greetings! Hope you get ahead anyway. (I myself am stuck on a Brazilian documentary...)

Oliver.

hi Oliver!
 

Nowadays I set capture settings on 'non-controllable device' instead of the firewire Pal- setting.

You have to press play on your XL1s, en then press the capture button : capturing will start, en recently I managed to capture 4 tapes without any problems.


'Non-controllable device' is the solution. Try it!