AHi-8 and Mini DV importing not working on Catalina with any software!

Help! Please!

This has been a living nightmare for me the last few months. I have read numerous forums, watch endless youtube videos, read software manuals and have not been able to figure this out.

I am trying to setup a system where I can continuously import Hi-8 and Mini DV footage that is uncompressed/original quality and does not chop up my footage into small clips.

I still shoot with Mini DV and Hi 8 so having the ability to do this myself on my own computer indefinitely is the goal.

My setup is…

Sony CCD-TRV118 Handycam for Hi-8
Sony GV-D1000 Digital Video Cassette Recorder for Mini DV
connected to
ADS \ Pyro A/V link via s-video and red/white rca
connected through
firewire 400 to 800 cable - to a thunderbolt adapter - to a usb adapter
connected to

2017 13” MacBook Pro
running Catalina 10.15.5
2.5 GHZ Dual-Core Intel Core i7 Processor
16gb of memory
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 1536mb graphics card

I have tried the following software…

Adobe Premiere 2020 14.2.0 - no dv import feature

Adobe Premiere 2017 - dv capture available - when I open import and press play on my camera nothing happens.

iMovie 10.1.14 - reads the ADS and captures but cuts the video into clips that cannot be seamlessly edited together - meaning when I place them next to each other in the timeline there is a missing or skipped frame essentially making any footage with that split in it useless. This does not seem to be a dropped timecode problem because each clip is exactly 1 min. It feels like the “make footage into clips” feature implemented by iMovie which for some reason this version of iMovie does not let you deselect (I may be wrong though).

Final Cut Pro X 10.4.4 and 10.4.8 - reads the ADS and captures - but cuts the video into clips that cannot be seamlessly edited together. Same as iMovie.

Quicktime 10.5 - new movie recording mode - The ADS comes up as an option to select in the dropdown menu but when I press play on the camera and record on quicktime no video plays - just a black screen.

Life-Flix - import opens seemingly acknowledging the ADS - but when I press play on the camera and start import - just a black screen.

Parallels with High Sierra attempting to use iMove 9.0.9 - Parallels (as well as virtual box) I discovered does not read firewire devices that are not mountable.

Also just so you know I am not interested in hiring anyone to do this (because I shoot with these cameras regularly and that would be expensive and timely) and I am not interested in using the Elgato usb video capture device or any other like it (my experience with that is it is a lower compressed quality and does not do well with sharp movement of the camera)

The only idea I have left is downgrading my OS to an operating system that would let me run older versions of premiere, final cut, quicktime, or iMovie but this option is not ideal because there is other software I want to be able to update in the future and eventually that will cause a problem if I am not updating my OS.

Also I have tried every combination of turning off my computer, camera, the ADA, disconnecting, reconnecting in different orders etc.

I know one might think that is just a problem with Catalina not being able to read dv footage but if that is the case why can iMovie and Final Cut read and capture the footage !?

Please any help in getting me to my goal here would be deeply appreciated. I love shooting with these old cameras and would really love to be able to work with the footage uncompressed and with missing frames at random points

THANK YOU!!!!

ADS \ Pyro A/V link via s-video and red/white rca connected through firewire 400 to 800 cable - to a thunderbolt adapter - to a usb adapter connected to 2017 13” MacBook Pro running Catalina 10.15.5


You listed a Thunderbolt to USB adapter, why? USB-C and Thunderbolt are not the same thing.

It's actually on a Mac you get a T'bolt 3/USB 3 hybrid system in that it is a T'bolt 3 port that can intelligently switch to a USB 3 function for USB 3 devices, so yeah, on a Mac, they are the same thing.

It might be worth trying Bootcamp and use Windows. I am on Mac OS everywhere but have Windows installed for any small bits I need now and again.

Once your footage is digitized you can step back into Mac OS, it's just a re-boot.

FCPX.guru wrote: It's actually on a Mac you get a T'bolt 3/USB 3 hybrid system in that it is a T'bolt 3 port that can intelligently switch to a USB 3 function for USB 3 devices, so yeah, on a Mac, they are the same thing.

All Thunderbolt 3 ports based of the Titan Ridge do that. There are passive USB C cables and active Thunderbolt 3 cables. Passive cables work for USB devices. For Thunderbolt 3 to work 100% correct you need the active cables (more expensive). That being said you would not be using a Thunderbolt to USB adapter. You can connect a USB or Thunderbolt device to the port but your should also use the correct cable.

I have had many Apple user comment that the new Apple products with Thunderbolt 3 have a hard time making use of Fire Wire DV converters. Videopixels is implying the Windows OS can make use of Fire Wire based DV converters using the same hardware. It might be the latest version of OS X causing problems.

That was my mistake my mac has two thunderbolt 3 ports. I confused them

Hello There,

I feel your pain. I have a 27 inch iMac running Catalina and newest version of FCPX and a few days ago I got out my Canon HV20 to import some footage (it's on miniDV). I hooked up my Canon HV20 with it's firewire cable and I had to buy two adapters so it would fit into the Thuderbolt port. (Thunderbolt to Firewire 800 then another adapter that was Firewire 800 to Firewire 400). So FCPX finds the camera but it will not let me import any footage. If I press "import". it does nothing. If I press play it turns the white play button blue and then does nothing. Lucky for me I have another iMac running Sierra version 10.12.6 with FCPX running version 10.3.3. When I hook the Canon HV20 there it works perfectly no problems, just like before. Once I have the footage in the timeline I export it to an SD Card and then I take that SD Card and import that into my 27 inch running Catalina and newest version of FCXP. It's a pain in the ass but it works. I don't know if that can help you, but maybe its worth buying a used older iMac?

I can still capture over Firewire (with adapter) on Mohave running the latest Final Cut on my 2013 Mac Pro. It might be Catalina. Just one more reason not to downgrade to Catalina OOOPS SORRY I mean "upgrade". Have you considered getting an older used Mac of some kind, installing an old Final Cut Pro or Premiere on there? Or maybe just Quicktime 7 Pro? Then have that machine be your capture station and don't let it do anything else, not even connect to the internet.

@ 8mm Guy and Redifer

Thanks for both of your suggestions and feedback

Unfortunately I am trying to avoid another computer because I live on the road and work and shoot out of my backpack. Having to lug around another computer would be a huge pain.

I am now trying the route of booting my mac to windows 7 or XP to run Virtual Dub to huffyuv which would be true lossless - this is showing itself it be its own problem because Catalina is not letting me use bootcamp to install anything besides windows 10 and I am having trouble finding instructions on creating a bootable usb drive for windows 7 or XP using Catalina. Agggghh!

allthingsmainy wrote: @ 8mm Guy and Redifer

I am now trying the route of booting my mac to windows 7 or XP to run Virtual Dub to huffyuv which would be true lossless!

If you use the ADS PYRO it will already be converted to DV-25 4:1:1 when it enters you computers Fire Wire port.

Resolve captures well.

PO wrote: Resolve captures well.

What products are you using?

Mojave and late 2013 Mac Pro. Seem to remember using firewire with DV Cam. through a converter cable. Mainly using a black magic ultra studio component out from Beta SP. Final cut captures from firewire too.

Hi I use latest fcpx with the latest OS and I had problems similar to what you describe and the nearest I got to a solution was that I found that another piece of software was somehow interfering, the main symptom would be when I went into import I could see FaceTime camera but not the dv source. I eventually solved the issue by creating a new user account and only use FCPX in that account.
I have no explanation as to why this might work but it did in my case.
Ian

PO wrote: Mojave and late 2013 Mac Pro. Seem to remember using firewire with DV Cam. through a converter cable. Mainly using a black magic ultra studio component out from Beta SP. Final cut captures from firewire too.

I know FCP can capture from Fire Wire. I have done a few tutorials using the ADVC 110 with FCPX. That being said the OP needs to capture Hi-8 not Beta SP. If the Hi-8 camera does not have a built in TBC the BMD products will not work. That is why I did not recommend the Intensity Shuttle. The video below demonstrates why a TBC is needed.

allthingsmainy does your Hi-8 camera have a built in TBC? If it does the Intensity Shuttle will work.

Also stuck here,
I recently imported about 60 mini dv tapes on both my desktop and laptop running latest Mojave, since when nothing has changed, and yet now I cannot get the camera recognised at all.
I have tried a fresh user etc etc yet zero....
very curious indeed.