Final Cut Log & Capture jerky on DV PAL (MBP i7 8GB 2010)

[Charlie Croker]

Camera: Canon XM1 mini DV camera. Cable: A small Firewire400 to large Firewire400 converter / to a Firewire 400 to Firewire 800 cable.
The footage in Log and capture is slightly jerky. On capture and playback it is ok. Does the cable set up create a bottleneck?
The converter is something like THIS. All devices are powered, not battery.

 

[martinX]

The footage in Log and capture is slightly jerky. On capture and playback it is ok.

Do you mean it is jerky in the Log and Capture window? Or what is captured is jerky.

 

[Charlie Croker]

It's jerky in the Log and Capture window when the camera plays. It is not jerky once captured.

 

[Richardthe4th]

If the footage when captured is not jerky, I see no problem

But the issue is the capture display, it's not a full framerate viewer. That is because it is not intended to give spectacular images, just checking the capture. I think the reason is to save processing power, leaving more for a good capture.

So, if it ain't broke->no worries or panic

 

[LethalWolfe]

The capture window is just to confirm that you are getting a video signal into your machine, nothing more. It has always been low res and jerky.


Lethal

 

[martinX]

It's jerky in the Log and Capture window when the camera plays. It is not jerky once captured.

Normal behaviour. The capture window is not intended to be anything except a low res preview.

It should look good in this window:

and will be not good in this window:
http://images.digitalmedianet.com/2002/09_sep/features/cw_fcp_vs_xdv_shootout/fcp_logcap_small.jpg
(the little one overlaid on the main window)

I capture via L&C and monitor via a firewire deck hooked to a Pansonic monitor. L&C capture window is jerky and fuzzy, the pic on the Panasonic is perfect.

 

[Charlie Croker]

The video is jerky in the large capture window you posted above, i.e. the normal Log and Capture window. I imagine it will look fine via a deck and monitor. What surprised me is that I have been capturing video on a Sony Vaio desktop from 2002 for the last 8 years and the capture window is smooth. Surely a 2010 MBP doesn't need to limit capture playback preview when a 2002 Vaio doesn't need to? This is what I found odd. Any ideas?

 

[martinX]

The video is jerky in the large capture window you posted above, i.e. the normal Log and Capture window. I imagine it will look fine via a deck and monitor. What surprised me is that I have been capturing video on a Sony Vaio desktop from 2002 for the last 8 years and the capture window is smooth. Surely a 2010 MBP doesn't need to limit capture playback preview when a 2002 Vaio doesn't need to? This is what I found odd. Any ideas?

Probably just part of something that started with FCP1 and no-one thought to change it since. When capturing a tape, I'll watch the tape through, marking I and O points for capture (seeing it in full quality on the monitor), then when I batch capture that tape, I go and make coffee. No need to watch, except to cast an eye over it to make sure it hasn't stopped for some reason. The monitor is where the real image is, anyway.

It's just a thing it does.