Greetings people smarter than myself.
Problem: cna't capture hdv from hd sony handicam. I can only get the footage if I use the downconverter in the camera.
equip: FCP 4.5, dual 1 ghz powerpc g4 1.5 gb ddr sdram


step by step: I can connect the camera just fine when it is in down converting mode. log, capture, sing, dance, etc. Then I turn that off in the camera and Change the settings in FCP to easy setup dvcpro HD-1080i60. To no avail. It will not recognize the camera. I've tried plugging and unplugging the fire wire (then I read another post on this site about the dangers of firewire unplugging for sony hd cameras-yikes) I've read other posts on this site that say to change the device control to Sony HDV firewire, but I don't see that option. Either it doesn't exist in fcp 4.5 or I've not found the right spot on the computer to bang my head against.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm not at wits end but I can see it glistening on the horizon.
-Tim

Well thats because your camera is not sending DVC-Pro HD to your computer, you're sending HDV, which is a world of difference. Make sure the settings in your camera are changed from downres to HDV and then connect to your comp thru firewire

As i recall, I dont think 4.5 supported native HDV editing but im not sure on that. Look for a setting called Apple Intermediate which will transcode your HDV to a format 4.5 will work with. The other option, as I recall, was capturing your HDV through iMovie and then importing your source files in to FCP.

I hope you have a lot of harddrive space because Apple Intermediate takes up quite a bit more room than DV or HDV but from your specs, its prob the only way to go. Im not sure your processor could handle HDV...

I looked up the difference between dvc-pro HD and HDV. That was a most useful tip. Looks like its time to go beg for an upgrade. I really appreciate your help.
-Tim