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Frequently Asked Questions

Pipeline Tech Support

Pipeline Digital



Tips and Troubleshooting



Updated August 9th, 2005



If you are having a problem with a Pipeline Digital product, or are not sure about a particular hardware/software configuration, you may find the answer here. On this page, you'll find some of the most common tech support questions and answers. But first, we've got to tell you that THE most common problem is NOT reading the Read-Me or the electronic User Guide that comes with each of our products! This contains CRITICAL information regarding the product you have. If you can't find the solution in the online documentation, the next step would be to consult this page.



At the bottom of this page you will find the current version numbers for each of our products. The problem you are having may be related to the version you are using, so check there first.



Technical support policy
Technical support is free to registered users within the 90 Day warranty period. If you are out of warranty, you should upgrade to the current version(s) listed for technical support.
Online Technical support
You may direct your tech support questions via e-mail to tech support We check for e-mail several times a day, and can get back to you very quickly. Considering the time zones that can be involved, this is the best method for obtaining technical support.  Please go to the About Us page for links to sales and technical support.

 





 



Matrox AXIO



No Cable Error





ProVTR must see the Pipeline Digital cable, or the Addenda Electronics (Addenda RS-2/3, RS-2/4, RS-2/8 and the new RS-USB/4) cables on the RS-232 comm port or you will get the cable not connected error. This the 10 foot 9 Pin D Female (comm port end) to 9 Pin D Male end (RS-422 end) it has a label on the RS-422 end "PD1099MF". Please refer to the ProVTR user guide, Installation, starting at page 7.





AutoLog 4 FAQ



All Platforms



Is there a limit to the number of lines for the AutoLog Export to other Translators?



Yes, 1000 logs is the maximum for any AutoLog translators.



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How do I start a new log in the run time version?



You can save as many copies of the solution as you like. From the File Menu, choose Save a Copy As...

Choose the name. It should go in the same directory as the AutoLog Solution. Quit the Solution.

Open the new template. Choose Delete Records from the Records Menu.



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Is the AutoLog run time file cross platform compatible?



Yes. The run time version opens the file correctly on either platform, runtime or FileMaker Pro 5.0 or better.



 



Mac



In the Macintosh AutoLog Solution when I start Live Video, a thin horizontal line of video appears above the Video Window.



This is a known issue with FileMaker Pro 5 and FileMaker Pro Run-Time.  In order to view Live Video in the AutoLog Run Time solution, you must first hide the Standard Tool bar. The following are the steps needed to accomplish this. 



Make sure Live Video is off. Go to the View Menu>Toolbars> "Standard". If Standard is checked, select it to hide and un-check it. You may then click the Video Button. Video will now be displayed in the Video area.



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I have a the iRez Capture USB, when I start Live Video the size is 1/4 instead of 1/2



This is an iRez Capture USB driver issue. You can obtain a modified template from Pipeline Digital that circumvents this. 



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I have a Media100, when live video is running and when I grab a PICT, a Blue Boarder is present.



This is a Media100 digitizer issue.  We have not found a work around other that to crop the graphic. 



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What digitizers does AutoLog currently support?



The following is a list of digitizers tested by Pipeline Digital. There may be models that are not listed here that may function correctly. If you have such a model, let us know and we will add it to our list.



Windows Requires Video for Windows (VFW) compatibility



  • iRez CapSure USB
  • iRex CapSure PCMCIA (Zoom Slot)
  • Pinnacle DC 20, 30, 50, 1000, 2000


Macintosh Requires QuickTime compatibility



  • Apple Built-in Video Digitizers
  • Apple Built-in Firewire
  • iRez USB !Live
  • iRez CapSure USB
  • iRex CapSure PCMCIA (Zoom Slot)
  • Pinnacle TARGA digitizers


 



 

Pipeline MediaDeck Pro FAQ



Does MediaDeck Pro support OS-X version of Media100?



Yes, Pipeline MediaDeck 4.0 is shipping for Media100 version 8.0 or better. Please contact sales for more information on ordering or upgrading a previous version of MediaDeck Pro. Please go to the Contact page for links to sales and technical support.



I can't seem to get MediaDeck Pro 4.0 to work with older versions of Media100



Pipeline MediaDeck 4.0 is only for version 7.0 or better and 8.0  or better for OS-X.  You can use MediaDeck Pro 3.1.1 for older versions of MediaDeck Pro.   Please go to the Contact page for links to sales and technical support.



Is MediaDeck bundled with Media100?



Pipeline MediaDeck is no longer included with Media 100 as of the Media 100 4.5 release.  If you would like to use an enhanced plug-in that does work with a wide range of decks and is backed by Pipeline Digital, please consider purchasing Pipeline MediaDeck Pro.



The stop button seems to put the deck in Pause or Still mode.



Pipeline MediaDeck Pro does NOT issue a STOP command when the stop button is pressed or if you exit the Digitize mode of the Edit Suite. It instead issues a Jog Pause, or Still. This is because the M100 issues a STOP command after a frame forward, frame reverse, and in between Shuttle or Jog (forward and reverse). Since many decks will unload the tape from the heads when they are told to Stop, this makes these deck control functions unusable. There is a work around, and it is covered in the MediaDeck Pro User Guide: to fully STOP the deck, simply hold the shift key when pressing the STOP button, or when you leave the digitize mode of the Edit Suite Window.

The MediaDeck Pro splash screen appears several times during my Media100 session.



Media100 has made several changes to the way it must start and stop device control.  MediaDeck Pro 3.1.1 addresses the MediaDeck Pro splash screen will coming up multiple times.  There is one thing to be aware of.  If MediaDeck Pro was in use when you shut Media100 down, make SURE the Pipeline Digital cable is plugged in or you will get multiple Dialogs asking you to setup MediaDeck Pro.  Media100 does not for some reason accept when an error is returned.  There is NO work around for this.







ProVTR FAQ



Mac and Windows using Apple Quick Time



Export to tape goes to black.  No dialog is presented, I have to force quit.  What is the issue?



This was a feature of QuickTime introduced with 6.1 full screen  movie playback.  All alerts, windows and dialogs were masked out.  This has been fixed with version 6.1.1 which you can download from the Apple WEB site.



 



Mac and Windows



I can't seem to calibrate time code captures in Premiere 6. The time code offset in Premiere 6 seems to have no effect.



At  the time of this writing, the time code offset function in Premiere 6.0 (both Mac & Windows) does not work.  If you need to correct any time code errors, you may do so in the ProVTR Options dialog.  ProVTR 6.3.2 or better is required.  



 



In Export to Tape, The Edit and Record key does not work.



In order to perform an Edit or Hard Record in the Pipeline ProVTR export dialog, you must hold down the



W control key



M command key



while clicking the EDIT or REC button.  It is intended as a safety feature. ProVTR 6.1 or better will display an alert if you press the EDIT or REC buttons without the above safety keys.



Pipeline Recorder

Radius and Monitor Resolution.....
To use Pipeline Recorder to print a movie to tape, the composite output switch, (in the Monitors Control Panel, VideoVision Options) MUST be set to ON. The Pipeline Recorder plug-in and/or application may freeze when you go to edit or preview if you have a computer monitor hooked up to the VideoVision 15 Pin and Composite Output switch set for OFF (Computer resolutions).



TARGA...
If the TARGA 2000 control panel is NOT set to "dedicated desktop," depending on the computer monitor's size, you may get only a portion of the image on the interlaced (NTSC or PAL) monitor and Device. Make sure you set the control panel for "dedicated."



 





Pipeline Digital certified USB Adapters



We have tested and certified the following USB adapters. If you have successfully used an adapter not on this list, please send us an e-mail.  Please go to the Contact page for links to sales and technical support. We will include it on this list for the benefit of our other customers.



Macintosh





Please note, if you are planning to use both USB adapters and Port adapters, please check with the respective Adapter manufacture to see if there are any possible incompatibilities. We have found some issues when both USB adapters and Port adapters exist in the same system. If possible you should use one or the other but not both.



Please note, The KeySpanUSA28 has been discontinued, and has been replaced by the USA28X.  The USA28 and USA28X drivers are NOT cross compatible. Make sure you have the correct driver.  Please contact Keyspan for more information.



The Belkin a,d Xircom USB device for the Mac does NOT work with Pipeline products at this time.  These devices appear not to support Handshaking.  Please use another recommended adapter for Pipeline Digital Mac products.



Windows





 





Pipeline Digital certified Port Adapters



We have tested and certified the following Port adapters. If you have successfully used an adapter not on this list, please send us an e-mail.  with the name, manufacture, and version of the Port adapter you are using. We will include it on this list for the benefit of our other customers. Please go to the Contact page for links to sales and technical support.



Macintosh





Please note, if you are planning to use both USB adapters and Port adapters, please check with the respective Adapter manufacture to see if there are any possible incompatibilities. We have found some issues when both USB adapters and Port adapters exist in the same system. If possible you should use one or the other but not both.





Premiere Pro (7.0)FAQ



What version(s) for ProVTR are required for Premiere Pro?



ProVTR 7.0 or better is required for Premiere Pro.  ProVTR 7 has work around programming for Premiere Pro non drop-frame issues, as well as other issues.  Please refer to the documentation for very important information concerning issues with Premiere Pro 7.0 issues that ProVTR 7 addresses.



My source tape is Non Drop-Frame but Premiere Pro is displaying Drop-Frame



This is an issue with Premiere Pro 7.0.  The work around is to restart the movie capture window.



Export to Tape dialog comes up, but after the preroll, nothing happens and Premiere retunrs to the time line.



This is an issue with your digitizer.  Please contact their tech support with this issue.





Final Cut Pro Device Control FAQ



There are no presets for my device in Log and Capture.  How do I create a preset for my device?



To use device control based on your device and serial ports, you need to create a Device Control Preset.  This is similar to creating TCP IP, or Remote Access Preset.

Pull down the Final Cut Pro menu, and select Audio/Video settings.
Click on the Device Control Presets tab.
You'll see a list of available presets, all of which are normally some type of Firewire.
Select any preset, then click Duplicate.
A new window opens, allowing you to rename and modify the duplicated preset.
If your serial adapter is connected and active, it will appear in the "Port" field as the active communication port. For RS-422 decks, select"Sony RS-422" from the Protocol menu. Other settings can be modified as needed.
Click okay to save the new preset, and exit the  Audio/Video settings dialogue.
Now, open the Capture window, and select this new Preset from menu.

 For more information, please refer to the Final Cut Pro user guide, or contact Apple for technical support





 



Matrox ReelTime 2000



Time code inaccuracy



Historically, the first release Matrox Drivers usually exhibit a lag for both capturing and exporting to tape.  This is usually fixed with subsequent releases of the driver for a particular digitizer.   Please check the Matrox site for new drivers.  



Matrox RT 2000 drives have a problem with analog capture. It delays about 2 seconds after device control releases control for Premiere to start capturing. It behaved this way with the first release Video Tools version 1. This was fixed in Video Tools version 1 service pack 2 or 3



Video Tools version 2 has re-introduced the problem. 



As of 4/19/2001 it looks like version Video Tools version 3 has solved this problem.  



Please note, there have been reports that the first captured video after reboot, or boot can be an additional 2 frames off to subsequent captures.  Make sure when you calibrate your capture after you capture a "dummy" clip.



Macintosh OS FAQ

What versions of Mac OS does Pipeline Digital Products require?



All current Pipeline Digital products work with System 7, 8 and 9 and OS-X  



Do Pipeline Digital Products work under OS X?



Please see the OS-X Information page for up to date information on the availablitiy of Pipeline Products on the OS-X operating system



OS-X Versions Information



Does Pipeline Digital support 68K Macs?



Sorry, Pipeline Digital  no longer supports 68K Macintosh.  



What version(s) of Pipeline Software is required for Mac OS-9?



AutoLog 2.6.10 (discontinued) AutoLog 4, MediaDeck Pro 3.1.1 ProVTR 6.3.2 or better is required for Mac OS 9 or better on any PPC Macintosh.





Windows OS FAQ

What versions of Windows OS does Pipeline Digital Products support?



All current Pipeline Digital products work with the following Windows Platforms: 



 Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows XP, Windows NT 3.5.1, 4.0, and NT Server, Windows 2000 and Windows 2000 Server.





Mac Error FAQ



I'm getting a "-97" Port in use error while trying to get a serial port.



This means the port you have selected is busy or in use by another process.  Apple Talk is the usual suspect.  Try one of the following:



1. Unless you are connected to an Ethernet network, you must turn AppleTalk off. It will always take over the serial port.

2. You must disable fax/modem software.



3. If you are using a USB adapter, make sure the drivers are enabled and working.  In some cases it is better to restart the Macintosh when you have "HOT" added a USB Port adapter as the port list can become out of order.



I'm  getting a "-98" error, Driver Open Error Code, parameter ram not configured for this machine.



This means the Parameter RAM is not allowing the Port to be opened. The only way to fix this is to ZAP the parameter ram. At boot time you hold down the Option-Command-'P' and 'R' keys simultaneously until you here a 'boot beep' again. Note that this will reset all your network, volume, and other preferences to default. You will need to re-set them. This is a VERY rare error.




Sony RS-422 Protocol FAQ



Sony
I can't make my DSR 40 Insert or Assemble edit..



The DSR 40 is not an Assemble or Insert editor.  This device can perform a Hard Record only.  Please check the specifications that came with this device for more information.



Does Pipeline Digital Products support the DVW A22 Digital Betacam Office Player?



No.  This device does not have a Remote port.  The 25 Pin connector is a Maintenance port only.



I have the EVO-9800, or the EVO-9800A, the search is very inaccurate.



These devices are not very accurate when searching in reverse. This will usually cause Pipeline Products to abort the search. The best work around for this is to search from the beginning of a tape, or when doing a Batch Capture, Rewind the tape.  Make sure and set the 'Use VTR's Internal Cue" in the Pipeline Digital setup dialog for the product you are using.  Please note, this device does NOT edit. The EVO-9850 does edit.



Sanyo
Does Pipeline Digital Products support the GVR S950?



The GVR-S950 is NOT a suitable Device for Pipeline Products. The manufacturer had a communication problem that was fixed with the next release of this Device series. You may be able to upgrade a 950 to a 955. Please contact your dealer or Sanyo.  The GVR-S955 works well with all Pipeline Digital Products. 



Sony- JVC RS-232 Protocol FAQ

Sony
I can't make my DSR 20 Insert or Assemble edit.



The DSR 20 is not an Assemble or Insert editor.  This device can perform a Hard Record only.  Please check the specifications that came with this device for more information.



Panasonic RS-232 Protocol FAQ

What Pipeline Digital Products support Panasonic RS-232 devices?



All Pipeline products support Panasonic RS-232 protocol. The Pipeline supported implementation of this protocol is now based on the AJ-D230 DVCPro deck. Please note that Panasonic RS-232 is NOT a frame accurate protocol, but you can expect to be within a few frames, both for capture and backspace editing.



 



What is the Menu setting for the AJ-D 250H  AJ-D230H with Firewire card installed when using RS-232 Protocol 



Menu 204-0000 (this is the ACK Return)

Menu 208-2001 (this one sets the deck control to RS-232C)



 



Does Pipeline Digital support the AG-5700 and or the AG-5710?



As of 8/1/97 the AG-5700 and AG-5710 devices are no longer supported by Pipeline Digital. These devices do NOT read time code, and has consumer operations protocols making it unsuitable for desk top video. However for those who wish to utilize it, here are some guidelines:



The jumpers on the communication card must be changed for 9600K baud, 8 Bits, 1 Stop Bit, NO parity. In addition, you must purchase the Pipeline Digital 23225-P Adapter for use with this Device. We do NOT support third party adapters. This Device does NOT read time code, make sure you select 'Timer' in the preference or set-up dialog. This Device is based on consumer VHS operation. As a result it may stay in pause from time to time when attempting to search to capture. Simply press the 'Pause key' on the Device to continue the capture.



Addenda RS-4/L FAQ

Addenda RS-4/L
This device has an LED on the front of the unit. This LED serves as a diagnostic tool for troubleshooting. To test the RS-4/L: make sure that the RS-4/L is NOT connected to the Pipeline cable coming from your computer. Turn your deck on, and plug the sub mini connector from the RS-4/L into the LANC port of your deck and observe the LED.
When the RS-4/L first powers up, the LED will illuminate for one second, and then turn off. This indicates that the unit has power, and is operating normally.



If at this point you only see a dim flash, then power is NOT being supplied to the RS-4/L. Make sure your deck is on, and if applicable, it is set for slave mode.  See EVS-7000 below



Next, connect the 9 -pin male computer cable connector to the 9 -pin female connector on the RS-4/L. Using the Pipeline software for the application you are using, make sure you select Addenda RS-4/L as the protocol in the setup or preference dialog. Once communicating, the LED will dimly flash, indicating proper operation. This is NOT the same flashing as in the previous paragraph.



Panasonic Device TIPs



If you are having a search problem with a Panasonic deck (especially an RS-422 protocol deck), set the "Use VTR's Internal Cue" setup item found in all Pipeline Digital products. The Sony RS-422 protocol defaults this setting to off. Some Pipeline Digital Products have a specific Panasonic RS-422 protocol setting. If you see Panasonic RS-422 protocol in your Protocol selection popup menu, you should use that instead of Sony RS-422. If you are using MediaDeck with the Media 100, you will need to upgrade to Pipeline MediaDeck Pro.



Panasonic
The AG DS-850 emulates Sony Protocol, but you need to be aware of a few menu settings. You will need to go to the Time Code set-up items and set items 7012 and 7013 (these number may be different on your Device).
The first item is the 9-pin VITC to Dummy LTC, if you are using Panasonic's implementation of VITC this should be set to "On." If you have Time code on your Audio Channel 2 track, this should be set to "Off."
The second item is the 9-pin interpolated VITC selection. This should be set to "On" for interpolated LTC as the returned response.
Please refer to your Devices User Guide for more information.



AJ D230, D640, D650, D750



The DVCPro decks have a very high maximum search speed. You should change this value to 32 (or some value around there) or you will get a search error message. Make sure you set the device type to other.



For the Media 100, MediaDeck Pro 3.1.1 or better is required for all Panasonic decks. This fixes a Master to Tape bug with these decks when the deck needs to cue in a reverse direction. Please contact us for more information.



Assemble Editing



Most Panasonic S-VHS RS-422 recorders support auto insert editing.  However, most Panasonic RS-422 decks do NOT support auto assemble editing.



 





DSR 30, EVS-7000/5000 LANC Slave Tips
These Devices work well in conjunction with the Addenda RS-4/L and Sony's Vbox, but make SURE that the LANC Mode Master/Slave switch or menu setting is set to "Slave." Although this gets remembered when you shut off the Device, if the Device looses power, it will reset to Master! These decks will NOT communicate with the RS-4/L or the Vbox if they are in Master mode. This setting is in the menu settings. Please refer to your deck's User Guide for details. These decks have may have two LANC ports, one in the front and one in the back.. An optional remote can be used with this deck. However, this optional remote controller MUST be disconnected while using the RS-4/L or the Vbox is the only LANC device hooked up or you will NOT be able to control the Device.



Digital Handycam Series (DV)
The new Sony Digital Handycams can be controlled by either a Addenda RS-4/L, Sony Vbox or TAO L-Port 422 connected to the Devices LANC port. Selecting DVTime will also shut off the "Use VTR's AutoCue." This is VERY important. This Device does not have it's own 'Goto' function like most other VTRs. All Pipeline Digital Products have "Goto" functions.



We have supplied a new "Time Source" just for this series called DVTime. All US (NTSC Model) Mini DVunits use Drop-Frame time code.  LANC or FireWire protocols do  NOT have the ability to report this via protocol.  You MUST set this manually.  This is only for NTSC systems.  PAL users do not need this function and can leave the time source set to LTC.



V-Box users: If you are unable to "Goto" any point, go back to Preferences and make sure that "Use VTR's AutoCue" is OFF.



VISCA in Timer Mode
When using timer mode (the control track counter) in VISCA, frames are not used or displayed. This has brought up an interesting bug in both Premiere and Radius Edit. These editors modify the In Point to calibrate the time code to the movie. This problem is discovered when auto-recording or batch capturing a clip in timer mode: the deck cannot find the requested time code start point. See the Time Code Offset section and read the information there.



Here is an example: You have requested the Device to start capturing at 00:21:10:00. Assuming that the time code offset is 0, both Premiere and Edit will actually request 00:21:09:29. VISCA in timer mode will never find this and ProVTR will return an error.



The work around is:



For Premiere, set the time code offset for +12 quarter frames (three frames). See page 241 of your Adobe Premiere 4.0 User Guide, "Selecting Recording Options."



For Edit, set the time code offset to one frame. See page 42 of your Radius Edit 1.0 User Manual, "Setting Special Digitizing Options."

Current Version Information

Updated 5/2004



  • AutoLog 5.0 (Mac)  4/2004
  • AutoLog 5.0 Windows 6/2004
  • ProVTR 6.5 (Mac) 10/2002
  • ProVTR 7.1 (Windows) 5/2004
  • Pipeline MediaDeckPro Macintosh 4.0  11/2002
  • Pipeline MediaDeckPro Windows NT 3.0 5/99


Please note, we do not automatically send out updated software. If you are in the warranty period, we will upgrade your Pipeline Software free of charge via e-mail. Just drop us an e-mail with your name and other information so we can verify your registration. You *must* be a registered user to obtain any upgrade of Pipeline Software. If you ordered software from us, you are automatically registered.



For additional information about Pipeline Digital or its products, or technical support, please go to the About Us page for links.



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