When you try to capture DV or HDV video in Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 on Mac OS, the Record button in the Capture panel is dimmed, preventing you from starting capture. The Capture panel also displays one of these errors:
Do the following steps in order. Try to start capture in Premiere Pro after you complete each step.
Steps 1 through 3 are about hardware setup. Steps 4 through 7 are about software configuration. If you still cannot start capture after you have completed Steps 1 through 7, then go to the advanced troubleshooting in Steps 8 through 10.
If you are capturing from a camcorder or VTR, then verify that the device is turned on and in playback mode (which on a camcorder may be called VCR or VTR mode). Verify that the videotape has not been advanced to its end.
If you are capturing from an analog-to-digital converter, then verify that both it and its analog input source are turned on, connected correctly, and are in the correct input/output mode. See the converter's documentation for instructions.
Connect the device directly to a FireWire (IEEE 1394) port on your computer. Do not connect the device to a multi-port hub or to another FireWire device.
If the device can output video over either USB or FireWire, then configure it to output over FireWire. See the device's documentation for instructions.
Note: Premiere Pro CS4 does not natively support capture of video over USB or USB 2.0 connections. To capture video from USB-only devices, use a third-party application or install a third-party capture card.
Note: If you are capturing from a DV-only camcorder, then skip this step and go to Step 4.
Some video devices can output more than one digital video format. Determine whether your device has a button, a switch, or a menu setting that changes its output format. See the device's documentation for instructions.
Important: If you change your device's output format, then close the Capture panel, disconnect the device from the computer, reconnect the device, and reopen the Capture panel.
Some HDV camcorders and VTRs have a setting that can cause HDV source material to be downsampled to DV resolution during output. If you are capturing HDV video, then you should disable any device setting that downsamples HDV video.
If you are capturing from an analog-to-digital converter that can output video in more than one digital format (MPEG-2, H.264, and so forth), then select DV as the output format. If your converter cannot output in DV format, then use the converter's bundled software to capture video and then import the captured clips into a Premiere Pro project.
If you are capturing from a device that is compatible with both the PAL and NTSC standards, then select the correct standard on the device.
Note: Not all devices can correctly process both PAL and NTSC videotapes. For example, if you have a PAL videotape, then do not play it in an NTSC-only device.
The capture format that you choose in Premiere Pro must match the format that the device is outputting to the computer. For example, if the capture format is set to DV but the device is outputting HDV video, then you will not be able to start capture.
When you create a project, the New Project dialog includes a Capture Format pop-up menu, which has two options: DV and HDV. The format that you choose from this menu will be the project's initial capture format, but you can change this setting.
To identify a project's current capture format and change it if necessary:
Note: Alternatively, you can change the capture format in the Settings tab of the Capture panel. Click Edit in the Capture Settings section, choose a capture format from the pop-up menu, and then click OK.
Playback quality may be poor if you add DV clips to an HDV sequence, or if you add HDV clips to a DV sequence. To preserve playback quality, add captured clips to a sequence whose format matches the format of the video you captured. For details, see Create A Sequence in Premiere Pro CS4 Help.
You may not be able to start capture if the device control settings are incorrect.
To verify or change the device control settings:
If you cannot start capture after you have verified or changed the device control settings, then disable device control.
Note: When device control is disabled, you must start playback on the device manually.
To disable device control:
Download and install (or reinstall) the current version of QuickTime from the Apple web site at www.apple.com/quicktime/download.
For assistance with installing QuickTime, see the Apple Support site at http://support.apple.com or contact Apple.
A damaged user account or an account with limited system permissions may prevent Premiere Pro from functioning as expected. Create a new administrator account and then try to start capture in the new account.
To create a new administrator account, see "Install or run the Adobe application from within a new user account (Mac OS)" (TechNote kb404927).
When you have created a new administrator account, do the following tasks:
If you cannot start capture in the new account, then go to Advanced Troubleshooting.
If you can start capture in the new account, then stop the capture after a few seconds, log out, and log in to your original account. In the original account, re-create the Premiere Pro preferences files by renaming the 4.0 folder (for example, to Old 4.0) in the /Users/[your user name]/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Premiere Pro folder. Then open Premiere Pro and try to start capture. If you still cannot capture in the original account after you have re-created the preferences files, then migrate to a new account.
If you cannot start capture after you have completed all of the steps above, then do the following advanced troubleshooting steps in order.
Disconnect all other FireWire devices from your computer, and then do one or both of the following tasks:
Try to capture video from your device in Apple iMovie. For assistance with setting up capture in iMovie, see the iMovie Help or contact Apple.
If you cannot capture in iMovie, then go to Step 10.
If you can capture in iMovie, and you have completed all of the steps above, then your installation of Premiere Pro CS4 may be damaged. Use the Premiere Pro CS4 uninstaller or the Creative Suite 4 suite uninstaller in /Applications/Utilities/Adobe Installers to remove Premiere Pro CS4. Then reinstall Premiere Pro CS4 and all available updates, and review or repeat Steps 1 through 7 in this document.
If you have completed all of the steps above and you still cannot start capture in Premiere Pro CS4 on your computer, then try to capture on a different computer.
If you cannot start capture on a different computer, then your video device may be malfunctioning. Contact the device's manufacturer for support.
If you can start capture on different computer, then your computer's FireWire interface may be malfunctioning. Contact Apple for support.
Video capture stops unexpectedly (Premiere Pro CS4) (TechNote kb406964)
Cannot start DV or HDV video capture (Premiere Pro CS4 on Windows) (TechNote kb407600)
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