Vegas MSP 8 Capture problem

[Rick Diaz]

One thing I like to do is automated captures. With other programs I can just tell them how much time I want to capture and it starts and stops from wherever the tape is at for however long I tell it to. Can Vegas MSP not do this? Lacking that, I'd like to use the in/out dialog boxes to set a start and stop point for capture. Problem is, they are ALWAYS grayed out when I am in the capture module. I've read the manual AND the help file. They refer to an "Advanced Capture" tab. Well, for the life of me I can not find any such tab anywhere in my workspace. Is this something that's only available for DV captures (which I have yet to try since I'm shooting HDV)? If so, why the heck don't they say so and why is it? I can do this simple task in almost ANY other NLE in both HDV and DV modes. Once again, Sony just loves to make things harder than they have to be. Any ideas?

[Rick Diaz]

No one? Even if you can't tell me why I have this problem, could someone tell me where the "Advance Capture" tab is supposed to be and what it contains? It is referenced in the manual AND the help file, but I can't find it anywhere.

[Reg Gothard]

I know how frustrating it is to ask an apparently simple question and get no responses.
I'm still in the SD world, and I'm using Sony Vegas 7 (the full version).
So with those caveats:
When I open the capture program, I see three tabs along the top, below the main menu bar - Capture, Advanced Capture and Print to tape. I can select them by clicking on the tabs. I can also select them by selecting "Transport" from the main menu bar and clicking on the item I want.
When I select Advanced Capture, the in/out dialogue boxes are greyed out... until I connect a device AND insert a tape. Then I can log clips for batch capture.
The other thing that disables the in/out dialogue fields is the "Enable DV Device Control" option - the first item on the general tab of Preferences. This item must be checked/ticked/selected.
The tabs are pretty obvious, so if you're not seeing them it's possible your version differs from mine. But I hope this helps somewhat...

[Rick Diaz]

Originally Posted by Reg Gothard

I know how frustrating it is to ask an apparently simple question and get no responses.
I'm still in the SD world, and I'm using Sony Vegas 7 (the full version).
So with those caveats:
When I open the capture program, I see three tabs along the top, below the main menu bar - Capture, Advanced Capture and Print to tape. I can select them by clicking on the tabs. I can also select them by selecting "Transport" from the main menu bar and clicking on the item I want.
When I select Advanced Capture, the in/out dialogue boxes are greyed out... until I connect a device AND insert a tape. Then I can log clips for batch capture.
The other thing that disables the in/out dialogue fields is the "Enable DV Device Control" option - the first item on the general tab of Preferences. This item must be checked/ticked/selected.
The tabs are pretty obvious, so if you're not seeing them it's possible your version differs from mine. But I hope this helps somewhat...

I guess Ver. 7 differs greatly from 8 because I have lots of tabs, but no Advanced Capture tab, and the first item in the General tab of the Preferences diologue box is whether I want Vegas to load the last worked on project upon startup. Like I said, I can do manual captures fine, but I need to be able to capture specific parts of a tape, something I just can't seem to do right now. I have seen the setting you referred to about uning the cpature device's controls in other NLEs that I use, but if it's in Vegas I can't seem to find it. I've looked through all the Preference tabs and it is nowhere to be found. I can't believe how difficult this is. I've posted the same question on 3 different forums, including Sony's own, and yours is the only response I've gotten. I appreciate the help, but it just doesn't appear specific to my version for some reason.

[Rick Diaz]

Maybe a visual aid will help in getting my problem solved. Here's a screen cap of my desktop while in the Capture module (Preview window is on second monitor).
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67...turewindow.jpg
As you can see, there is NO Advanced Capture tab. If you look at the center you can see that Vegas has no problem recognizing my camera. On the right we see the in/out markers are grayed out as is the Go to...button. I have tried everything I can think of to sort this out. The cam is set to output HDV, I can capture manually with no problem. Please, someone give me a clue as to what's going on here and why. Could another Vegas 8 MSP user show me a screen cap with the mysterious Advanced Capture tab showing. Maybe then I can call up Sony and ask them WTF!

[Bill Mecca]

Rick,

what happens if you click "Clip Log" to the right of "Clip Edit" in the capture window. (I'm still using 6 but took a look at the jpg you linked)

[Mark Birkedal]

Rick,

There is no advanced capture in the HD capture application. HD capture has never been a Sony Vegas strong point. That's why HDV Split was so popular. When Vegas 8 came out they did make some improvements, at least over 6, I never had 7. I have Pro 8 now and I hadn't tried it before but the timecode in and out doesn't seem to work for HD in Pro either. Sorry I couldn't be more help.

Mark

[Rick Diaz]

Originally Posted by Mark Birkedal

Rick,

There is no advanced capture in the HD capture application. HD capture has never been a Sony Vegas strong point. That's why HDV Split was so popular. When Vegas 8 came out they did make some improvements, at least over 6, I never had 7. I have Pro 8 now and I hadn't tried it before but the timecode in and out doesn't seem to work for HD in Pro either. Sorry I couldn't be more help.

Mark

Mark, you were a lot of help. Thanks.

According to DSE, this is not a feature in any version of Vegas. I can't believe something as common as batch capture would be left out of a program that aspires to be a more professional NLE alternative to budget editors. Having to always capture HDV manually in Vegas is a real pain. There is no mention of this handicap in any of the printed material. I have been going crazy looking for the Advance Capture option in my copy of Vegas to the point that I reinstalled it twice thinking something went missing in previous installs. Bad Sony!

Can anyone tell me if the files created by HDVSplit are 100% compatible with Vegas?

[Edward Troxel]

Originally Posted by Rick Diaz

I can't believe something as common as batch capture would be left out of a program that aspires to be a more professional NLE alternative to budget editors. Having to always capture HDV manually in Vegas is a real pain.

Do you know ANY NLE that will batch capture HDV? Vegas Pro 8 can scene detect just like HDVSplit and others.

Originally Posted by Rick Diaz

Can anyone tell me if the files created by HDVSplit are 100% compatible with Vegas?

Some say yes, some say no. You should definitely test before you rely on it.

[Rick Diaz]

Originally Posted by Edward Troxel

Do you know ANY NLE that will batch capture HDV?

Well, sort of. Power Director from CyberLink will allow me to input how much time I want captured from the tape so I can do an unattended capture. Vegas can't even do that simple task. PD also puts a check mark on any clips I place in my timeline so I know what has or hasn't been used. Again, Vegas doesn't do this, either. Vegas may be more powerful in terms of flexibility, but its usability is atrocious.

What is it about HDV that makes batch capture, a feature that has been a part of DV capture for years, impossible to implement?

[Edward Troxel]

Originally Posted by Rick Diaz

PD also puts a check mark on any clips I place in my timeline so I know what has or hasn't been used. Again, Vegas doesn't do this, either.

Yes, it can tell which clips are NOT used on the timeline. Go to View - Details and make sure you looking at all clips in that view. Then you can look at the "Use Count". Any with a "Use Count" of zero are not used on the timeline.

There are also scripts available that can bring all clips that haven't been used and place them on a new track on the timeline.

[Rick Diaz]

Originally Posted by Edward Troxel

Yes, it can tell which clips are NOT used on the timeline. Go to View - Details and make sure you looking at all clips in that view. Then you can look at the "Use Count". Any with a "Use Count" of zero are not used on the timeline.

There are also scripts available that can bring all clips that haven't been used and place them on a new track on the timeline.

Another (to borrow a term from my development days) kludge of a solution. The PD way of simply marking the clip in the library is so much simpler. I don't have to do anything to see if a clip is already on my timeline or not. What you detailed is so unintuitive, like much of what I've seen in Vegas so far. Unfortunately, for the types of videos I do for pay, I have no choice but to use Vegas. I'm sure once I get used to the strange terminology and workflow I will have less to complain about, but it is so like Sony to force users to do things their way rather than accommodate the way users have been doing things for years. That's just one of the reasons I rarely buy Sony products. I just hate the way they do things. YMMV, of course.

[Edward Troxel]

Actually, MOST people like Vegas because it IS so intuitive. Very easy to use. Looking for unused clips is not something I've had to do very often. And I've never had to capture for a specific length of time - instead I capture to the end of the tape! (I take that back, I once used Scenalyzer Live to capture for a length of time but that was the only time).

As for the clips, I usually just drop everything on the timeline. Then I move them into the proper location. So the "unused" ones are the ones that have not been moved to the proper location. VERY easy to see.

[Rick Diaz]

Well, let's just say our needs are very different. I shoot industrial videos of major construction projects. This often involves hundreds of clips, 60 or more chapters, and capturing specific portions of the tape with different namings. The main reason I went with Vegas/DVDA was because of its ability to create menus with more than 6-8 chapters per page. The reputation as a more robust and professional NLE didn't hurt, either. Unfortunately, what I have found is that in typical Sony style, Vegas eschews any adherence to convention. The event vs clip designation is just one of many examples of how Sony ignores how those of us with other NLE experience are used to referring to things. I just got Doug's new Vegas book, so I'll probably find the answers I need more readily, but I still say that Vegas is a harder program to use than it should be. Especially if you come from other, more pedestrian, NLEs. I notice from reading forums like this that even many of those who swear by Vegas have a love/hate relationship with it. I suspect that's how mine will be, but I'll keep my copies of Power Director and Video Studio, just in case. ;)

BTW, I just received Douglas Spotted Eagle's book on Vegas 8 and in it he clearly distinguishes between DV and HDV capture and the fact that batch capturing HDV is NOT a feature that any version of Vegas supports. If only Sony had seen fit to include this info in their sales literature, manuals and help files it would have saved me a week's worth of consternation and forum posting about this.

[Peter Moretti]

Originally Posted by Edward Troxel

Do you know ANY NLE that will batch capture HDV?

Avid Xpress Pro HD and Media Composer.