MiniDV camcorder -> Firewire -> Macbook Pro: Still no connection?

[doubleohfive]

After exhausting through a series of workarounds and other Google-searched ideas and queries, I thought I'd put it to you all here and see if I might be able to get any advice about what to do.

Basically, the title says it all.

I'm running a brand new MacBook Pro (OSX 10.7.3) which I've had since December.

The camcorder in question is a Canon ZR380-A which I purchased 5 years ago and is in practically brand new condition. I want to capture/import clips of video I shot on MiniDV between 2003 and 2006 for a personal project. (I know, I know, "who uses MiniDV anymore??" -- the answer right now, is me.)

The firewire cord I'm using is brand new and was just purchased today - a Firewire 800 9pin to 4pin.

My question is simple: In connecting these three together I am still wholly unable to get my computer to recognize the camera, even after installing software updates from the Canon website. Would anyone out there happen to have had a similar obstacle have any ideas or suggestions about how to figure this out?

(At this point I'm leaning toward either the cable being bad or the port being bad, neither of which I'm relishing as again, they are both new. Until today, I'd not used either of them.)

As always, any help and advice is most appreciated, and I thank you all for taking the time to read this.

005

 

[Timby]

Which program are you using while attempting to gain device control? iMovie, FCP ... ?

 

[Dac]

It's been a long, long while since I've had the displeasure of using MiniDV cameras, but if memory serves me well - is the camera your using On and in the "playback" position/setting instead of recording? I remember my old camera only showing up once you put it in that mode. It's usually on a dial at the back or side of the camera.

 

[doubleohfive]

@Timby: I initially tried iMovie, and then attempted again with Adobe Premiere CS5.

@Dac: I absolutely had it in the "playback" setting. For whatever reason, the computer refused to recognize/connect to my camcorder.

The email I got back from the Canon customer service people indicated that I'd also need a firewire card to make all this work. I'm not specifically certain whether I have one on this machine or not, but is it likely that I'd have a firewire port on this laptop if there weren't a firewire card installed?

The only other thing of value in the email was simply Canon deferring to the cord manufacturer (RocketFish) or Apple.

 

[Dac]

Do you have firewire drivers/kexts installed on your mac? I don't know if this is anywhere close to the truth, but if your running a mac which has been updated (say, from Tiger to Leopard to Snow Leopard and then Lion) perhaps the necessary software was lost along the way? That is kind of a bottom of the barrel idea though.

 

[Tom Hendricks]

I have had similar issues in the past, I make an appointment with the Genius Bar and they helped me out.

 

[doubleohfive]

So I took my laptop, camera, and firewire cord in to work today and had one of the guys in post take a look at it for me.

Even he was baffled at how this could be such a clusterfuck.

We did determine though that in the system profile window "No firewire devices are detected" in red text, despite the fact that my camcorder *does* detect the cord and switches to DV for it.

So, I can only assume the problem is with the laptop's firewire port not responding. After spending most of the afternoon and evening attempting whatever work-arounds I've been able to find on Google and the Apple forums, I'm honestly at my wit's end.

Seriously? How can it be so difficult to just digitize this stuff?

 

[Owain Taggart]

That is indeed very odd. I've used MiniDV with my MacBook in the past. In fact, it's what I mainly bought it for after being frustrated getting things to work on the PC. It likely is the firewire port from the sounds of it. The advice about the firewire card is moot since the MacBook has it built in. I'd get it checked out.

 

[Dac]

^^^Hence it sounds like a driver issue, or Kext. Whatever the hell MacOS uses as drivers.

 

[Owain Taggart]

Yeah, very true. I forgot about that. Could it be the drivers are not installed or corrupt? Also, I'd try plugging the camera on another Mac to see if you get the same problem.

Also, found this on the Apple forums from someone having the same problem, and he solved the problem by figuring out he was plugging the cable into the ethernet port instead of firewire.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2552987?start=0&tstart=0

Also some good info here:

http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/mac-not-recognizing-camcorder

Just thought of something. What happens when you have the camera connected and in playback mode and press the play button on the camera?

 

[doubleohfive]

Thanks again for all the tips and advice, and for taking the time to read and respond guys. I do appreciate every reply here.

I'm pretty sure I'm plugging the Firewire cord in to the Firewire port.

I definitely have the camera set to "PLAY" when connected, and I have tried connecting the camera to the desktop Mac over in Post, and have also tried connecting to my computer and that desktop using two different cords. Still no joy.

@Owain: When the camera is connected and I press "PLAY," the footage on the tapes beings playing back, but nothing comes up on the computer. In iMovie, the capture screen is black (and the only camera available, seemingly, is the FaceTime camera built in to my laptop); in Premiere CS5 the capture screen is likewise black.

I'm not sure about drivers or Kext (I'm not even sure I know what Kext is), so I admit it could very well be that. When I did go through to find the camera on the Canon website though, it indicated that no drivers would be required for Macs / OS X.

In scouring the Apple forums, it certainly seems like there are many others with the same issue, and mostly it would seem to point to Apple's Firewire ports built in to the laptop, which is incredibly frustrating.

I've just gone through and tried everything suggested on that page you linked to on the Apple forums... still no joy.

 

[Owain Taggart]

Yeah, I can only imagine it being very frustrating. Upon some searching, it seems that a lot of Canon cameras in general are having this problem. I found a post somewhere that suggested downloading the camera drivers from Canon. It leads me to believe that the drivers for the model might not be installed due to it being older. Maybe that will help? Here's a link to the drivers:

http://usa.canon.com/cusa/support/consumer/camcorders/minidv_camcorders/zr300

 

[doubleohfive]

Thanks Owain. That's the same page I checked before, and I got the same result now when I tried to find drivers for the camera:

There is no driver for the OS Version you selected. The driver may be included in your OS or you may not need a driver. Refer to our FAQ section for connectivity issues.

I guess I'll go scour that FAQ and see what they have to say.

Thanks again, everyone. Your input and help has been most appreciated!

-005

 

[Owain Taggart]

I feel your pain! I was hopeful that it would at least lead to somewhere. Definitely frustrating when nothing is found on the internet. I've had troubles before on other issues where I couldn't solve them, my pleas falling on deaf ears.

There's one other thing that can be tried. I know that Firewire can be finicky in the order that things are done. Are you connecting the camera and turning it on when iMovie is loaded or are you loading iMovie after it's turned on and in the right mode? That can make a big difference, and I know that the order is sometimes different based on the make of the camera. With my camera, I had to have iMovie loaded when connecting the camera for it to be seen.

Check this page out. It may help. If not, I'm at a loss:

http://www.fixya.com/support/t1144654-mac_not_recognize_canon_hv_30_dv_when

 

[doubleohfive]

Thanks Owain - I tried the stuff on that link as well. Still nothing. In consulting with our post PA here (who is more knowledgeable on these things than I am), it seems to be the firewire port on the laptop is the culprit. I'm a little troubled by it, honestly, and not really thrilled with the number of people who seemingly have had the same issues, coupled with the lack of viable resolution that I've found online so far. Hopefully that's more me being paranoid.

We'll see what the Genius Bar has to say tonight!

 

[Owain Taggart]

Yeah, I hope you find some resolution to it and eventually get to downloading and editing the video like you've wanted. At the very least, seeing as it's a recurring problem, hopefully Apple is aware of it and will swap something out.

 

[doubleohfive]

Update: It works!

The gentleman at the Apple store/Genius Bar was extremely helpful, patient and listened to me as I explained what was wrong, what I was trying to do, and everything I'd tried/researched/been advised about. He tried a few things, and eventually went to get another firewire cord to try. Magically, his firewire cord worked!

Here's the best part: They had another one available, so I bought it. Here's the better part: It was $10 cheaper than the cord I got the other day from Best Buy. So, not only did Apple fix the problem, they benefitted from it as well.

Immediately afterward, I drove back to Best Buy and returned the inferior Firewire cord and got a full refund.

Not bad for a Tuesday.

Once again to everyone in this thread - thank you so much for your help and advice. This one has a happy ending my friends!

 

[Methos]

wooohoo, glad you got it sorted

moral of the story, always still with official cables lol

M

 

[doubleohfive]

Seriously!

 

[Methos]

to be honest though, firewire is dodgy at the best of times, which is why i refrained from commenting here... i've had god knows how many problems with firewire cables over the years lol

i'm currently in the process of moving most of my connections over to a USB3 base... got 2 external hard drives and an HD Webcam running USB3 now, and i'm finding it a hell of a lot more stable than firewire ever was

M