DVin/out?

[Cornish Jack]

Any Dig Video gurus out there, please?
I have a Grundig DLC 10 DV camcorder - (this is a 'badged'version of the Panasonic DA1). It is one of the early models which had DVin deliberately disabled. I have found a source of DVin 'widgets' which claim to re-enable DVin/out to allow no-loss download/upload via Firewire. Does anyone have any experience of these devices and are there are any other methods of 'fixing' the problem. Also, is there any way of taking the standard video out lead's output into a Firewire card?
TIA :confused: :confused:

[spannersatcx]

I have a panasonic dv camera, NVDS11B, which was dv-in 'disabled', enabled it using a widget and it works fine.
Mine comes with a dv-firewire connector so can't help with the second part, having said that if it has the small dv-out type connector you should be able to pick up a cable that has dv-firewire connectors.

[Cornish Jack]

Many thanks, Spanners.
Am I right in assuming that 'the small dv-out connector', which you refer to, is the DV Stills mini jack port? This is incorporated and, apparently, Panasonic make a stills-to-serial port lead which is required as part of the 'widget' set-up.
May I pick your brain again, please? I can. at the moment, download to the PC via a Pinnacle Systems Studio 400 interface box which allows me to edit the .avi's and feed the result to an S-VHS recorder. The question is, is the difference between this S-VHS film and the product of the 'widget' enabled output large enough to justify the £70-£80 cost? Difficult, I know, but only 'home snapshot' quality output is required. :=
TIA

[Nightrider]

I have a Panasonic DV as well and bought that gadget also.
When DV in is enabled, the firewire connection is used in both directions, works charming...
This way you can download the movie, edit and cut 'n paste, add sound, etc...and play it back to the tape...no quality loss and transfer is real time.

[Cornish Jack]

Hi Nightrider
Sounds as if the 'widget' is worth the price, BUT, my camera does not have a specific DV out socket and the advertised 'widget' appears to connect from the camera 'stills' socket to the PC serial port, NOT the Firewire card. What makes the connection to the Firewire card?... or does your camera have a Firewire specific outlet? Would appreciate any further information.
TIA

[Nightrider]

The DA1 has in front, just next to the Focus and White Balance pushbuttons a hidden access panel, underneath is the firewire connector.
Through the stills connection I was only able to capture stills so far and the quality was poor compared to downloading part of the movie and take stills from an editing programme.
Through the mentioned firewire connector the down and upload works like a charm after you enable the camera with the utility.
It is actually only disabled for European models as a seperate tax woud apply because it converts the camera in a fully working VCR.
Cameras bought in US or Singapore are (normally) not required to be changed......
Can provide more details if required...let me know.

[spannersatcx]

I think Nightrider has answered the question you asked me earlier.

Have a look here for widgets datavision (http://www.datavision.co.uk/) there are 2 types one like you describe and another that will plug straight into the fire wire/dv-in/out port on you camera.

There is a compatability list which shows the DA1B as compatible to both types. Might be worth mailing or ringing them first to make sure.

DV capured film is of a very high quality abd can be encoded to DVD, which is more or less with no loss of quality.

Once you start re encoding you will loose some quality.

In my opinion DV quality is the best. You can output it wherever you want, tape, CD or DVD, or back to the camera.

Is the pinnacle card a analogue or digital capture device. If it is digital then as long as you can output it to tape then there would be no need to enable the camera for DV in.

Re reading your post it sounds like all you need is a firewire cable to connect your camera straight to an IEEE1394/Firewire port on your pc, which should be a lot cheaper than getting a widget. You won't need to dv in enable the camera if you can output to tape tghrough the pinnacle card.

Hope that helps

[Cornish Jack]

Nightrider and Spanners
Thank you both. It's starting to make sense now, but I think that my vidcam is one of the originals. It doesn't have any sort of DVout, other than the stills socket. As I understand it, with the 'widget' modification, this socket is connected to the PC serial port and then there is a software 'fiddle' to make that port able to pass DV in its original form rather than as an .avi.
The Studio 400 is a combined passthrough box for interconnecting camera, PC and VCR. The original film is downloaded to the PC as .avi and edited in that form. The resultant edit is then used to control both vidcam and VCR to produce a VHS film as per the edit. Quality, however will be at VHS level.
Anyway, I'll explore further and if it produces results,will report back.
Thanks again :D

[Background Noise]

In my experience, the widget (or you can do the same thing with software from your PC) connects through the stills socket in order to reprogram the camcorder code. This then allows the dv socket to be used bi-directionally. Either the widget then acts as a record button or the pc editting software actually starts and stops the cam when required. If you have no dv socket at all I don't think the widget will help - you certainly need to confirm that before buying one.

I have a panasonic, dv-out only, cam which I in-enabled using software downloaded from the net and the serial-to-stills lead which comes with the cam. DV quality footage is then transferred to PC and saved as avi format. Editted DV quality mpg2 movies can be saved back to DV tape via the firewire cable.

Its certainly worth searching the web for DV in info for your model. This is where I got my DV enabling software from: (I have subsequently disabled and re-enabled with no problems)

http://www.volny.cz/mkrejcik/dvzone.htm

editted to remove some gobbledegook which somehow appeared.

[Cornish Jack]

Background noise
Many thanks. I reckon you have hit the nail on the head. No Dvout = no posibility of software adapting. However, I have e-mailed an Austrian site which SEEMS to indicate that my particular camera CAN be adapted. Will view their reply, (if there is one) with interest and report.

PS - Just been to that url. Thought I'd been before and it was non-english. This one was readable - excellent!! Many thanks

[Cornish Jack]

Background Noise
That url was MOST helpful. Have just had a reply from Ernst Parth (incredible service!) Not only did he indicate how useful the 'widget' would be but he also directed me to find the DVout socket which DOES exist on the camera !!! I think I need an extra nurse or two .... or better glasses!
It seems that my camera works the same as yours. Soooo..... it seems that I need a video stills lead to go with the software.
Thank you again and to Spanners and Nightrider and will let you know if it's successful.