| Enosoft DV Processor Help |
Unless specified, these instructions apply to both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows XP and Vista.
Look for an IEEE 1394 Bus host controller entry in Device Manager:
With the camcorder turned off, connect it to the FireWire interface and then turn it on. Make sure the camcorder is sending a signal – e.g., put the camcorder in camera mode or play a tape in VTR mode. If available, generating color bars is a good option.
The exact contents of this pop-up will vary and it may not display at all if you have previously selected ‘Always perform the selected action’.
Click Cancel to dismiss this pop-up window.
Follow the wizard’s steps until the preview window for the DV device is visible:
If either of the options above fail to show the video even though the device has been detected then it is likely that another application or utility program has already “staked a claim” to the camcorder.
DV devices communicate with Windows on two levels. The first level is via the AV/C Sub-unit Protocol – basically, this is an industry standard for controlling an AV device’s transport such as play, pause, record etc. The second level is via the DV stream containing the audio and video.
Any application wishing to use a DV device begins by asking Windows for a list of all the DV devices that Windows has detected. The application then asks Windows for access to the driver that will communicate with the device (this is the MSDV driver). When more than one application wants to use the same device, each one can communicate at the AV/C level – i.e., each application can control the transport of the camcorder for example. However, one – and only one – application can communicate with the device at the DV stream level. The first application to ask for the driver will get access to the DV stream. All the other applications trying to use the device at the same time will not see the DV stream.
Typically, the symptoms of this behavior are that one application will appear normal but others will display a blank image while any transport control buttons will work as expected.
Sometimes these symptoms will occur even though it seems only one application is running. In such cases, it is usually due to so-called utilities installed by various packages from Nero, Pinnacle and Roxio. Often, these utilities are present in the system tray on the desktop. Disabling or removing these utilities usually solves the problem.
To illustrate the problem (32-bit XP Pro only), carry out the Windows Movie Maker test above, leaving the wizard open at the preview screen. Now open the My Computer folder as described earlier to display the video. It will fail with the following message:
If a device that is already in use is selected for the Input stage of the Enosoft DV Processor then the video will not be visible:
Note that the timecode and format are available via the AV/C protocol and so are displayed.
When the other application that already “owns” the camcorder is closed and the camcorder reselected as the input (it is not necessary to close and relaunch the software) then the video is now visible along with other information in the DV stream:
The Enosoft DV Processor is one of the few Windows applications that allow more than one DV device to be used at the same time. This permits synchronized multicam capturing, for example. Unfortunately, limitations of the way that DV devices work with FireWire can lead to difficulties in getting more than one device to work simultaneously with Windows.
The most common symptom is that one or more of the devices will not show any video – much like the way described earlier. Sometimes, the devices won’t be detected at all.
When any device is connected to a FireWire, it tries to negotiate with the FireWire controller whether or not it should become the “bus master”. Typically, if it is the first device to be connected after the FireWire interface has been reset then it will be the bus master. Unfortunately, many DV devices expect to be the bus master and if a DV device is already connected then a conflict can occur. Some or all of the DV devices may end up not communicating properly with the host computer.
Some general rules based upon our experience
In an ideal world, the best recommendation is to dedicate one FireWire interface (e.g., an interface with 3 ports) per DV device.
Avoid sharing the FireWire interface with other FireWire devices such as external hard drives. Move these to other FireWire interfaces or, if supported, use USB2.0.
Attaching 3 devices to a 3-port interface will almost certainly fail.
Attaching 2 devices to a 3-port interface will often work successfully as long as the following guidelines are followed:
2 devices on one interface
• Unplug both devices
• Reset the FireWire interface (use Device Manager to disable
and re-enable the interface)
• Attach one device and turn it on
• Verify the device is detected – follow the steps above to test if the video
is available
• Attach the second device and turn it on
• Repeat the verification for the first device - it is possible
that connection of the second device causes the first one to stop communicating
properly.
• Verify the second device is detected and the video is available
If the above fails to provide two fully visible devices then try changing the order in which the devices are attached. Ensure that the FireWire interface is reset first.
You can launch two instances of the Enosoft DV Processor – one for each device – to verify if both are visible at the same time.
3 devices on two interfaces
Getting 3 devices to work on two interfaces can be a matter of trial and error. Assume the devices are A, B and C and the interfaces are I1 and I2.
• Using only one device at a time, verify that it is fully accessible on both
interfaces in the ways described earlier
• Using the guidelines for 2 devices on one interface, try to configure devices
A and B on interface I1. If successful, put device C on interface I2. You should
have 3 fully accessible devices.
• If this doesn’t work keep trying each pairwise combination on interface I1.
i.e., B and C then A and C.
• If this doesn’t work, try all the pairwise combinations on interface I2.
Usually, you will find a combination of DV devices and interfaces that will work. Make a note of the successful configuration.
Beyond 3 devices
The same principles apply to attaching 4 or more devices to 2 or more FireWire
interfaces.
Last Updated on Sunday, 8th March, 2009. Application Version 1.5.4.