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Final Cut 7 wont recognize my Camcorders

E

Ebal24

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 21, 2010
6
0
I bought my first Imac and got FCP 7. I am an inspiring TV Host and I want to edit my own videos and projects. I have 2 camcorders.. 1 is a JVC GR-D290/GR-D270 and the other is a Cannon ZR930. They are basic Mini DV camcorders that get the job done. I usually had them edited by my friends at there studio by giving them the tapes but they closed shop.

I went to Staples and bought the 9 pin to 4 pin firewire cable FireWire 400/800 9-pin to 4-pin DV Cable IEEE 1394 and each time I turn on FCP it wont read my camcorders.

It says Unable to Locate following external devices : Apple Fire Wire NTSC (720 x 480)

I even tried this on Imovie and it wont work. I fixed my preferences to show

I need advice, I have a few projects that I need to edit ASAP. Is it the fire wire cable? is it the camera?

I am new to the boards and I am new to Mac ( i just bought my first Imac OS X Version 10.6.2.)

Thanks,
Erol
 
Try this

I've been down that road also and I know the frustration. I have 3 Canon XL-1's that did the same thing. Here's my work around. Not only do the cameras have to be in the VCR mode but you also have to hit the play button on the camera itself to make start in Final Cut. Also, for some odd reason I had to set my cameras to the 12 bit mode in the audio settings instead of the default 16 bit mode. I still don't know why. It was suggested that I try it and it worked for me. For some reason Final Cut won't read the tapes unless it's from the actual camera that I shot the footage on. Who knows why and I gave up trying to figure out why. The strange thing is I have zero problems when I load the footage through Adobe CS4 (yes, I said Adobe) and it doesn't matter which camera I use. I also don't get the error messages you are talking about. I'm thinking maybe Final Cut 7 Pro works better with certain models of cameras. Lastly, there are times when if I just try it a few times it actually works which I don't feel like should have to be done with an otherwise outstanding program.
 
thanks for your help... It is still not working. It still says unable to read camera deck. Its so frustrating!!!

I dont think its recognizing the fire wire cable, the videos I have saved on disks work fine but I can upload my mini dv tapes.

Even IMovie wont show my videos.. any thoughts?
 
Ebal24 said:
Even IMovie wont show my videos.. any thoughts?
Click to expand...

Use a PC with Windows and maybe even the software that came with the cameras.

A couple of years ago I had a similar issue with Final Cut Pro and a camera that FCP refused to recognize and remote control. After a lot of fiddling around, I got it working in some manual mode and with FCP recording whatever came in through FireWire. But I honestly do not remember what I did back then - that was more than three years ago. What I remember, though, is that iMovie recognized the camera while Final Cut Pro didn't - and that I found very annoying for some so-called professional software.

What I found even more annoying is that Windows systems usually do not have that sort of compatibility issues with audio/video/camera equipment. Wasn't the Mac supposed to be the ultimate multimedia machine? Well, I guess that was before they began selling the iToy gadgets. Since then, the world has changed a lot and today Windows actually is the superior platform especially in that regard.

So in worst case, install Windows on your Mac and try to transfer your video from there. You can still later edit it in Mac OS X.
 
Settings

what are your capture settings at?
Go to easy settings in the final cut menu drop down.
also, have you tried another fw cable? you could have a lemon.
ALSO have you gone into SYSTEM profiler and looked under FIREWIRE when the camcorders are hooked up? they should show up
 
Update

Well I looked at settlings and No fire wire was being read and I called Mac and they told me to bring it in. The guy at the store tested it out and said I need to replace my logic board since nothing is being read.

Now from my understanding the logic board is the mother board.. What does that have to do with the port? I am covered under warranty since it is a new computer but what the hell is going on??
 
Ebal24 said:
Now from my understanding the logic board is the mother board.. What does that have to do with the port? I am covered under warranty since it is a new computer but what the hell is going on??
Click to expand...

It is pretty much all integrated. The firewire port is connected to that board.
 
yeah. it's all one part, that's how they fit it in one small space.
Sorry, sounds like you have to take it in.
good to hear I was right though.
 
update Part 2

2 logic boards replaced and still broken... Dealing with the bureaucracy that is Mac trying to get me a brand new one.

this is turning into the worst investment I ever made
 
Gee, miniDV cameras, OS X 10.6.x, Firewire 800 ports.

I'll be interested to see if this works. Does anyone else have the above combination functioning?
 
xStep said:
Gee, miniDV cameras, OS X 10.6.x, Firewire 800 ports.

I'll be interested to see if this works. Does anyone else have the above combination functioning?
Click to expand...

I had it working last year, when I digitized 100s of DV tapes via FW800, daisy chained to a FW800 HDD. But I used Avid Media Composer, but it worked in iMovie too, so FCP shouldn't be a problem.
 
Imovie doesent work either..... It wont recognize the fire wire cables. I have been dealing with this for 3 weeks now and I am about to go insane. 2,000 dollars I have wasted and I have nothing to show for it. The computer works but after coming back from the repair shop the audio is now messed up.


I am not happy with this one bit!!!!!
 
Did the Apple store try connecting your camera to a machine in-store with FCP loaded? It might narrow down the connection issue.

Oh, and 'aspiring', not 'inspiring', unless you are already a TV host and give viewers warm and fuzzy feelings ;)
 
The key is System Profiler must detect your firewire device. Otherwise, FCP will generate an error message.

I had the similar problem and solved it by simply disconnecting 4-pin DV cable from camcorder and connecting it back right away.

Try that.

Regards,
Roman
 
not sure if you're going to look at this again but make sure to plug in and turn on the camera before you open final cut or go to view- refresh A/V devices and it should show up. I have the same canon as you and its never given me a problem.
 
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