Problem capturing video because "Capture device offline".

[M***@adobeforums.com]

I'm using an AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3200+ 2.20 GHz 1.00 GB of RAM
I have Windows XP. I've installed Premiere Elements 3.0 and I'm trying to capture from my Sony HDR-SR1E

I cannot capture video because of the message "Capture device offline". Currently I’ve connected using USB as that’s all I’ve got.

<http://www.adobeforums.com/cgi-bin/webx/.3bbdcb0c>
This link talks about PE2, is PE3 the same, ie do I need to connect via an IEEE-1394 FireWire connection ? I can’t find any mention of a firewire connection in the camcorder manual, only HDMI component and a/v out jacks are any of these any use?

I can capture using HDD Handycam Utility, but then I have to convert the files from AVC to MPEG-2, when I import these files into PE3 the clips seem to be jerky and blocky as though some of the quality has been lost. I thought if I could capture directly into PE3 it might help, it would also be easier to do things in one step not three! I’ve tried reversing field dominance and flicker remover which doesn’t seem to have made any difference.

[g***@adobeforums.com]

You can not capture over USB into Premiere Elements.

The best way to capture HDV is downsample it and capture over FireWire. Here's how.
<http://www.adobeforums.com/cgi-bin/webx/.3bc434fa>

Here is some additional information.
<http://www.adobeforums.com/cgi-bin/webx/.3bc1c8d8>

[M***@adobeforums.com]

I don't have a FireWire connection on my camcorder, which I guess means I'm going to have to use some other software to capture and convert or I'm going to have to find some other software to edit with

[P***@adobeforums.com]

The SR1 is an AVCHD camcorder. You do not use Firwire to capture. PE2/3 will not work with AVCHD, however if you downconvert to MPEG2 and import it into PE2/3 it will work with it. However some folks have problems with using MPEG2 files in PE2/3.

[W***@adobeforums.com]

DID I UNDERSTAND CORRECTLY FROM ABOVE COMMENTS THAT PREMIERE ELEMENTS CANNOT CAPTURE VIA USB? WHERE IS THAT STATED IN THE MANUAL? BUT, IT MAY BE TRUE. I HAVE HAD NO SUCCESS IN CAPTURING A HI8 SONY VIDEO FROM MY HANDYCAM VIA A USB 2.0 EXTERNAL CAPTURE DEVICE. THE CAPTURE DEVICE, DAZZLE BY PINNACLE, IS EVEN LISTED AMONG THE SUPPORTED DEVICES. CAPTURING VIA ULEAD, ROXIO, AND PINNACLE POSED NO PROBLEMS. I PURCHASE PREMIERE ELEMENTS BECAUSE I ASSUMED (WRONGLY?) IT'S EDITING FUNCTIONS WOULD BE MORE INTUITIVE. HOWEVER, IT APPEARS I'LL NEVER KNOW SINCE THE CAPTURE FUNCTION DOES NOT WORK. NEXT STEP WILL BE TO SEE IF ADOBE WILL REFUND MY PURCHASE PRICE.

[C***@adobeforums.com]

William, please read this
<http://www.adobeforums.com/cgi-bin/webx/.3bbd5a2b>

[M***@adobeforums.com]

OK I understand I can't capture directly from SR1 to PE2/3 because I don't have a FireWire connection. So the first question: Is this a temporary situation, will future versions of PE allow capture of AVCHD via USB ?

Secondly Paul mentioned some people have problems using MPEG2 in PE2/3. Is this because of the method used to convert from AVCHD to MPEG2 or is there some other reason.

I've used Picture Motion Browser to convert and the resultant clips look fine in Picture Motion Browser but when I import to PE3 they are jerky. There don't seem to be any settings apart from the video quality, high or standard (I used high).

I'm currently investigating other conversions s/w which suggest they offer a range of options to change the quality of the output. Is this a way of overcoming the problems mentioned by Paul ?

I would like to continue using PE3 as I like it, spent a lot of money on it and don't want to buy something else only to encounter exactly the same problem again.

[C***@adobeforums.com]

will future versions of PE allow capture of AVCHD via USB ?




No one knows except the developers at Adobe, I would expect Premeire Elements to support the file before it will support USB capture but that is really hard to say.

It is always best to convert files to DV-AVI for editing in Premiere Elements, it just saves time and headaches in the long run.

I've used Picture Motion Browser to convert and the resultant clips look
fine in Picture Motion Browser but when I import to PE3 they are jerky.
There don't seem to be any settings apart from the video quality, high
or standard (I used high).




I always suggest a good photo editor for conversion of images, something like Photoshop Elements or Paintshop Pro. There are a couple of things you can do in Premiere Elements that will help. Press the Enter key to render the video, uncheck the 'Scale To Frame Size' option in Preferences, those two for starters.

If you get a chance Melanie, please stop by and visit us at <http://www.muvipix.com> lots of great stuff for people trying to edit video on their computers, hope to see you there :)

[K***@adobeforums.com]

Went through same thing with Adobe. They in no way admit that it cannot read from a USB device or from a video input card as well. I have tried Dazzle and Happague Win TV. Tech support gave me a work around: copy all my analog tapes to my Digital Camcorder via a tape deck and then read the tapes via a firewire input. It works but about 30% of the frames are dropped. Of course not good unless you have a Digital camera. They stone walled the issue and refused a refund stating that my 30 day return option had expired. When I threatened to sue them with a letter to their legal department I got a call from a lawyer who was quite suprised that their technical support had not solved the problem. I eventually got a check for a full refund. Pinnacle, Sony, Nero, and even Windows Movie Maker have no trouble reading analog input. Try one of those and forget Adobe.

[C***@adobeforums.com]

Kenneth,
Sorry to hear about your problems, I ran into very similar problems with about 6 other video editors before I found Premiere Elements. All of them have some problem or another, but Premiere Elements and the ADS Pyro A/V link was the best solution for me.

I have tons of VHS-C and standard VHS tapes to get on my computer, home movies from the past 20+ years. I want a good solution and found that capture cards and USB based capture devices are on the low end of the scale (minus a couple of very good, but very expensive, digital capture cards) and result in very poor quality when burned to DVD.

I have never heard Adobe say they support capture via USB except for a few camcorders that have USB Video Class 1.0 support, a whole other format of USB than the standard USB 1 or USB 2. Premiere Elements does support capture from USB Video Class 1.0 devices.

I wrote an article about my search, you can read it if you like;
<http://videoinasnap.chuckengels.com/source/chuck/chucks_corner_10-05.htm>

I still stand by the article except for the equipment which should be upgraded a bit now, maybe I will rewrite the article with new suggested computer specs. I do not believe there is a better editing program in existence, and the combination of Premiere Elements and a digital converter (ADS or Canopus models) is as good as it gets for now.