Sony gv-d300 Mini DV deck VHS dub

[Pete Cofrancesco]

I'm trying capture from a VHS through my mini deck into FCP but it won't go directly through. The deck will record the VHS to a mini DV tape, but Final cut won't capture/see the VHS. So I have to spend double the time, first record to min dv then capture from that.

What am I doing wrong? Is there a setting I'm missing in FCP or is this a limitation of the deck? I remember being able to do it with my vx2000 but I no longer have it, upgrading to the Z1 (no longer has rca input needed to plug the vcr into)

[Edward Carlson]

Try changing the device conrol setting in the FCP batch capture window to "Non-controllable Device." Also make sure that the DV deck has AV > DV out enabled. I have not had a chance to use that deck (lucky guy) but if it's like other Sonys it will have an option to act as a pass through converter. I believe the option is called DV out. Change that from no to yes, and the analog input will be streamed to the Firewire output.

[Pete Cofrancesco]

i tried your suggestions but with no success

switched fcp to Non-controllable Device but "no communication" status

looked at the deck's menu and the manual, no options to control av/dv input output.

i guess it can't be used as analog to digital bypass conversion box but it doesn't make that clear in the manual.

thx

[J. Stephen McDonald]

I have a GV-D1000 mini-DV VCR and a GV-D200 Digital8 VCR, of this same series. The probable reason that FCP won't recognize the VHS transfer through an analog/digital conversion from your GV-D300, is the lack of time-code on the signal. Even though the pass-through analog signal is converted to the DV CoDec, it won't carry a time-code until you re-record it on DV tape first. I believe some NLE programs are able to add their own time-code to an uncoded signal, as many people have been able to do an A/D direct pass-through computer capture, using non-professional digital camcorders. I've done this on my Ulead Video Studio program. Perhaps FCP is also capable of this, if you change a setting. Approach the problem with the missing time-code in mind, when you explore the different options FCP gives you for capture. But, you might have to do that extra process of re-recording to DV tape first, if you can't get FCP to cooperate. You might go to a couple of other forums on this group that focus on NLE and get some answers about FCP settings.

It's interesting that you could do an A/D pass-through from a VX2000, but now can't get it to work from the GV-D300. Were you using FCP then and were all the settings the same? I've never tried doing this with my VX2100, but I'll have to give it a test. Of course, I don't have a Mac and FCP. Perhaps some of the Sony Pro DVCAM VCRs will add time-code to an A/D signal?

With my mini-VCRs and a full-size JVC DV/S-VHS dual-deck VCR, I can do an A/D pass-through from an analog tape to my stand-alone DVD recorder. This recorder will accept the signal through its FireWire input. It shows the picture on its outputs, but won't record it to its HDD or a DVD, because of the missing time-code. If I re-record the analog input to DV tape, that puts a time-code on it and then the DVD recorder will capture it to its disks.

[Yossi Margolin]

The GV-D300 does not have analog-digital pass through. The newer GV-D1000 does have this feature.

[J. Stephen McDonald]

Originally Posted by Yossi Margolin

The GV-D300 does not have analog-digital pass through. The newer GV-D1000 does have this feature.

Okay, that explains why he could do this with his VX2000, but not the GV-D300. That mini-VCR was connecting, but of course wasn't sending an analog signal, which was the only one that existed until he re-recorded it onto DV tape.

[Pete Cofrancesco]

thx for the info. so much knowledge here. :-)

I was able to borrow a vx2000 for the day. It's funny that such an expensive deck doesn't have the capability to do a pass through. I was very close to buying a Canopus but $200 for analog conversion. I mean if i did this on a regular basis it be ok, just hate having to add to the large pile of equipment i already have.

[J. Stephen McDonald]

Originally Posted by Pete Cofran

thx for the info. so much knowledge here. :-)

I was able to borrow a vx2000 for the day. It's funny that such an expensive deck doesn't have the capability to do a pass through. I was very close to buying a Canopus but $200 for analog conversion. I mean if i did this on a regular basis it be ok, just hate having to add to the large pile of equipment i already have.

Pete, the reason the GV-D300 doesn't have analog/digital passthrough, is because it was designed and built some time ago-----probably 10 years or more. This feature wasn't commonly included in video equipment until a few years after that. Back at that time, NLE for video was something done by only a few people who weren't professionals and sitting in a very expensive editing suite. A fast computer processor an individual might have had in those days, may have been about 200MHz or maybe not even that much. The one I got just 9 years ago, had 160MHz (with a 1GB HDD and 10MB RAM) and my friends were remarking how fast that was, as some of them were still using computers with no more than 25MHz.

[Pete Cofrancesco]

Originally Posted by J. Stephen McDonald

Pete, the reason the GV-D300 doesn't have analog/digital passthrough, is because it was designed and built some time ago-----probably 10 years or more. This feature wasn't commonly included in video equipment until a few years after that.

ok that makes sense