[fixed] Problem capturing video from Canon HV30, using FW

[fshsweden]

Hello,
I have been trying out the VidBlaster since it looked very promising for my needs (livecasting hockey games).
Sometimes it worked OK, but it doesnt seem very stable? Turning on the camera after starting VidBlaster never seems to work, I have to start it before I start VidBlaster. Turning off and on the camera also leads to lost picture.
The camera is set to DV mode (ie not HDV) otherwise I can not get VB to show any picture at all.
I have also managed to stream the video to USTREAM.TV, however just the video ot the audio.

When trying to fix that audio problem, I somehow managed to screw up VB. It now detects the camera, but it always shows a black picture. If I stop VB and start for example Sony Vegas 9, I can capture the video without problem. Also with Windows Photo Gallery. VB just shows a black image, but apparently the audio is working.... ;-)
Any ideas?

I have a Quad-core cpu, 4GB of RAM, fast SATA harddisks and an NVidia 8600 GT graphics card. FW input is on motherboard.
Next step will be to reinstall VB, but I was wondering whether you have seen these problems before.

Unfortunately, I can't buy a license if it is not stable, since I was thinking about broadcasting several live elite-level hockey games, and would perhaps use 2-4 cameras.

Thanks
Peter

[fshsweden]

OK I Managed to solve the first part myself. I had managed to choose the camera as the audio device (but since the camera has a microphone what is so stupid about that??)

Anyway, after connecting a microphone to the PC, and choosing that as the Audio Device, it worked. But what If I want to use the camera's mic??

//Peter

[Mike]

Hi Peter,

The way most video devices work, you cannot use both its video and audio device seperately (as you would in VidBlaster, see also help), they only work as one device. Even if it were possible, I would not recommend it anyway. When using multiple cameras, it's much better to use one or more mics that are carefully mixed to get a consistent audio pattern. You need a hardware mixer for that.

As for stability, VidBlaster is stable. However Windows is not when it comes to firewire. Make sure to follow the instructions in the help file regarding firewire, and never unplug firewire cables while VidBlaster (or any other program) is using that input.

Mike