"Unknown Recorder Error" with VHS capture

[jackfalbey]

Trying to capture VHS-C from 1995; my workflow:
VHS adapter in Panasonic DMR-ES46V VCR, via component to Datavideo TBC-1000, via component to Pyro A/V, via Firewire to PC, capturing in PE3.0.

I keep getting an "Unknown Recorder Error" which stops capture and apparently no video has been captured at all after this error. There's nothing in the PE3.0 Media window and nothing in the Project folder or on the hard drive. If I stop capture manually before the error, the video up to that point does appear in PE and on the hard drive.

The error occurs at different points, so it's not a specific spot on the tape that might indicate damage. I've had this problem with other (even older) tapes, and it has always been fixed by fully fast-forwarding and rewinding the tape to restore proper tension. That trick doesn't work with this tape; I've gotten the error 8 times in a row. I finally switched to PPro CS3 and got it captured, so this is more of a theoretical question at this point...

How can I "capture" 30 minutes or more of video, and then have not a single byte of that video anywhere on my hard drive after experiencing the "Unknown Recorder Error"? Does PE3.0 hold all captured video in a Temp folder until capturing has been properly ended?

[Steve Grisetti]

Make sure you've got Abort Capture on Dropped Frames turned off, Jack.

When you're using a pass-through or a bridge, the program sometimes reads dropped frames when there aren't any and that can cause the sort of thing you're describing.

[jackfalbey]

That makes sense, Steve. Since I'm usually able to fix it by retensioning the tape, and since I was able to capture this particular one using CS3, I'm more curious where the video goes when this happens... if the error occurs well into a capture, shouldn't there be something on the hard drive from the part of the tape already captured?

[Chuck Engels]

I am pretty sure it is capturing everything to a temp file that is deleted if any errors occur.

[jackfalbey]

Yeah, that's kind of what I thought was happening... if that is the case, can the temp file be recovered rather than start the whole capture over again from the beginning?

[Chuck Engels]

I don't think so. Similar things have happened to me before, but that was with the Pyro and version 2.

[Ken Jarstad]

Use WinDV for capture. No hassles - problem free.