Help & Advice Needed Badly!

[adrian1407]

I bought a Canon Vixia HF S20 camcorder in the USA before Christmas. Its a beauty of a camera but it has one major fault. It will not communicate with my Casablanca Kron Smart Edit 8.3! I made the big mistake of thinking it had a DV Out connection and it hasn't. I have tried the AV port on the camera and I get perfect sound on the Kron but no video. The screen just goes into a furious rolling sequence. I then bought a USB/DV lead thinking that would solve the problem but no luck, just a blank screen.
Before Christmas I filmed nine School Nativity plays and promised the school I would do DVDs for them to give to parents. But with the camera not communicating with the Kron I cannot capture the footage and therefore no DVDs for the school. Major problem.
Has anyone experienced this problem in the recent past? And if so, how did you overcome it? Please help, I'm at my wits end.

[CasablancaExpert]

Sorry to say that your situation is by virtue of technological advancements. The Smart Edit OS (Kron, etc) were created for working with a video stream (import via cable) while the newer cameras, such as yours export a video file (via USB, Flash media, etc). This is not compatible with your Kron or other Smart Edit Casablanca units - but is compatible on the new Bogart OS Casablanca editors.

There are possibilities of exporting those files onto a computer and then export the files either via Disk Transfer or a video stream to a DV camcorder and then back into your Kron but it is quite a work-around.

Perhaps other Forum members have tried this and have advice?

Regards,
Chet

[Charles]

Hi Adrian
Looking at reviews of the camera one of the comments states "Easy TV Connectivity" which to me means you see what you have filmed on your TV the key is how do you connect to the TV. If you get the footage on TV then perhaps you can then record to a format you can load into your Kron

Also not sure with card cameras if the NTSC v Pal format difference is still there,if it is that could explain the rolling sequence you are seeing.

[LouBruno]

Solution#1



.Press the PLAY button inside the door panel area

.Press the menu icon

.Play Icon>TV TYPE 16:9

.Wrench Icon>AV/Headphones>AV


.Wrench Icon>OUTPUT ONSCREEN DISPLAY >OFF

.SMART EDIT SYSTEM should be OFF

.Connect the ANALOG CABLES (STV-25ON) to both the camera (audio output/1/8 plug) and the inputs (RCA) of the editing system.

.Make sure your settings are for VIDEO and not DV in smart edit.

.Press the first thumbnail on the cameras LCD screen and start to "PLAY"

.Press the RECORD button to your project which should be set to 16:9

.NOTE: I doubt it, but if you getting a roll, that means your camera is a NTSC model.

SOLUTION #2

.Find a friend who has BOGART and IMPORT into a SD 16:9 project or IMPORT into a HD project and downconvert via the clipboard.

.Go to FINISH and export to DV TAPE and then IMPORT back to your Smart Edit via a DV tape deck-I think they are still around.. OR Make AVI files of the individual scenes-AVI 2 works well all around-import via disc transfer.

[CasablancaExpert]

Oops - seems I missed an important comment from the original poster here. Good catch Charles & Lou - I momentarily forgot that some of the new file based camcorders do have a composite (RCA/Phono) Jack for output of the video stream.

Regards,
Chet

[TimKennelly]

Adrian,

Yes, unfortunately I think you have a major problem.

I think the problem is not about input mode, but a fundamental issue of trying to use an NTSC cam (bought in the USA) with a UK Kron (which will be using the PAL based format).

While the frame size has been unified with HD the frame rate is still an issue (25 vs 29.97) and that will definitely cause incompatibility issues.

[LouBruno]

CHET: With all the new cameras on the market, it is very difficult to remember which camera has what output/input/proprietary cable etc. On another forum, I swore up and down that no flash based camera has firewire anymore and I was mistaken. Some models have firewire output even though they are flashed based with usb ports for exportation as well.

TIM-I think the gentleman is tucked away sleeping right now in the UK but I would like to know if he has a PAL or NTSC model camera that is switchable or can be upgraded. His best bet, if he purchased from a reasonable retail establishment is to switch the camera out for a PAL model. The "USA" referral went past my reading comprehension, so you are 100% correct as is the other poster.

SOLUTION#2 is out the window because, even though it may be an executable file, the GOPS and FIELDS/FRAME rates are not compatible with PAL.

Oops - seems I missed an important comment from the original poster here. Good catch Charles & Lou - I momentarily forgot that some of the new file based camcorders do have a composite (RCA/Phono) Jack for output of the video stream.

Regards,
Chet

[adrian1407]

I'm overwhelmed by the response to my plea for help. God bless you chaps for piling in so quickly to offer help and advice. I now know why I love America and Americans. The problem seems to revolve around two areas, that of the difference in the level of technologies of the camera & the Kron, and the NTSC/Pal question. I'm firstly going to try LouBruno's detailed sequence in his solution #1 (thanks Lou) and if that fails then it has to be Chet's 'PC' route where I export to PC and then back to the Kron via a firewire link or DVD (I have a DVD recorder with a DV output).
Either way, I'm determined to get around the problem and get the finished DVDs to the school so that the parents can see their 'little treasures' in action.
Thank you again for being such a huge help. I'll let you know how I get on!

[Barmston]

Hi,
I live in Northallerton and use an s2000, if you would like to contact me at classicdvd@thornton-le-moor.co.uk, then you could at least try to load it, problem could be NTSC.
Keith Jackson