Power Computing provided the information in this article and it was deemed accurate as of 14 November 1997. Apple Computer, Inc. is not responsible for its content. This article is being provided as is and will not be updated in the future.

I have a few questions about the Miro PCI video capture card.

1. QuestionÐ I just reinstalled Adobe Premiere and the Miromotion DC 20 drivers and now I can't capture video. What could be wrong?

AnswerÐ After reinstalling both software packages it is necessary to copy the Adobe Premiere Presets File and the MiroMotion DC20 PtV from the Miro folder at the root level of your hard drive to the Adobe Premiere Plug-Ins folder which is located inside the Adobe Premiere 4.2.1 LE folder. These files set up default video capture settings and are essential for the Miro card to capture video.

2. Question Ð The movie playback on my computer monitor is choppy with dropped frames yet the output to my vcr/post view monitor is fine. WhatÕs up?

AnswerÐ This is normal. When playing a movie on the computer monitor the Miromotion DC 20 Codec is not being used. The maximum frame rate you can expect from the computer is about 15 frames per second.

3. Question Ð When I try to capture video all I get is a black screen in the capture window.

AnswerÐ In Premiere go to the movie capture menu and uncheck the video off menu command. Another possibility is you have the wrong input source selected. Go to the Movie Capture menu ; select video input and assign the source to be S-VHS or composite video which must be the same as the format you are using.

4. Question Ð When I launch Adobe Premiere there are no Miro options in the project presets window.

AnswerÐBoot the computer with the system software only plus the Miro drivers to eliminate third party extension conflicts. If this does not resolve the issue reinstall the Miro drivers. If necessary reinstall Adobe Premiere and the Miro drivers.

5. Question Ð When I capture video the image is distorted with many dropped frames. WhatÕs wrong?

AnswerÐ the Miro DC20 MJPG driver is selected by mistake in the video input window. In Premiere go to the movie capture menu, select video input and select compression in the pop-up window and select MiroDC20Rec as the compressor.

6.Question Ð In Premiere the Òvideo inÓ menu command in the movie capture menu are grayed out. Also the Miro control strip plug-ins do not show up in the control strip on the desktop.

AnswerÐ Boot the computer with the system software only plus the Miro drivers to eliminate third party extension conflicts. Reinstall the Miro drivers. If this does not resolve the issue the Miro card is not seated correctly in it's PCI slot. Refer to the owners manual for your computer for instructions on how to install PCI cards taking care to adhere to staticÐ sensitive electronics safe handling procedures.

7. QuestionÐ can the Miro DC20 handle audio signals? How do I get audio into the computer?

AnswerÐ The Miro DC20 is capable of handling video signals only. To capture audio it is necessary to use the microphone input jack on the back of the computer. This will require a dual RCA to stereo miniplug cable to get the signal from your camera/ vcr into the computer.

8. QuestionÐ I have the video output of the Miro DC20 connected to the video input of my VCR. From the VCR have an RF coax cable connected to the RF input of my television. I tune the TV to channel 3 or 4 to view the output of the Miro DC20. The issue is a grainy picture; color fringing; dropouts and overall loss of detail. However the VCR records the signal fine when I check it by running a video output from the VCR direct into the video input of the television. WhatÕs wrong?

AnswerÐ This method of video signal routing is to be discouraged if at all possible. The loss of signal quality is due to the VCR modulating the composite video/SÐVHS video into an RF signal; sending it out the RF jack of the VCR into the tuner on the television where it is demodulated back into a baseband video signal. This modulation/demodulation process results in high-frequency video signal roll off (loss of detail) , color phase shifting (fringing) and various other artifacts which are all easily avoided by keeping the signal path in the baseband video domain only.

Simply use composite video/ SÐVHS cables throughout the whole signal path all the way to the video input of the television.

9. QuestionÐ How to I defragment my hard drive? Is a defrag utility bundled with the Miro DC20?

AnswerÐ Bundled with the Miro DC20 is a defragment utility called Disk Express. To install it boot the machine with extensions off; insert the Disk Express floppy and run the installer. Before actually defragmenting the drive check it with Disk First Aid. Restart the machine; open the Disk Express control panel and select Optimize to defragment the drive.software is to be . When finished turn off Optimize Automatically, Monitor All Volumes and Monitor in the Disk Express control panel as these are background processes that will result in dropped frames!

10. QuestionÐ I am dropping frames when capturing video. Where do I start?

AnswerÐ First of all if you have report dropped frames checked on in the recording settings window in Premiere you will always get a dropped frames message as the first and last frames in a video clip are always dropped.

If frames are dropped throughout the whole video clip proceed as follows.

** Boot the machine with the system software only plus the Miro drivers.
** Turn off AppleTalk and Virtual Memory.
** It is necessary to play with the limit data rate value in the video input window accessible from the movie capture menu. The default rate is 1500K/Second. The optimal value (depending on the hard drive in the machine) is around 2500K/Second to 3500K/ Second although your mileage may vary. If set too low you will experience dropped frames; too high will result in uneven video playback.
** Defragment the hard drive using either Disk Express (bundled with the Miro card) or another drive utility such as Norton Utilities.
** Allocate at least 16MB of ram to Premiere.
** All internal/external removable media SCSI devices should have a disk inserted as the system periodically polls these devices to see if there is media to mount. This is a background process that uses some system overhead which can lead to dropped frames. The same holds true for floppy's- insert a disk in the floppy drive.

11. Question- The Miro DC20 is not in my list of capture devices or is grayed out.

Answer- Go into the System Folder/Extensions directory and make sure that only the following 2 Miro extensions exist: MiroMotion DC20 and MiroMotion DC20 QT.

In Premiere, select File/Capture/Movie Capture and select Video Input. Make sure the following are chosen:
Compression: Miro DC20 REC
Source/Digitizer: DC20

If Miro DC20 REC is grayed out, check the following:
Make sure the MiroMotion DC20 is plugged into the PCI slot properly
Try a different PCI slot
Troubleshoot Extensions.

12. Question- Computer does not boot up any more after installing miroMotion DC20 driver.

Answer- Boot with the Shift key pressed. This will disable all extensions and allow you to remove faulty extensions. Remove MiroMotion DC20 and MiroMotion DC20 QT

13. Question- Video is not full motion on the monitor.

Answer- On the Mac's monitor, the video will not be full motion. However, if you have a video monitor or TV connected to the output of the Miro DC20, you will be able to see full motion video.

14. Question- After I capture my movie and play it back, all I see is a grey screen with "MiroMotion DC20 Capturing!" in the center.

Answer- Go to the record setting under video capture and uncheck POST-COMPRESS VIDEO.

15. Question- When the DC20 outputs video, the clip window should appear grey. The video is appearing on the monitor.

Answer- "Play video on movie" is not activated in the control strip. Select the Miro logo from the control strip and select "Play video on movie".

or

The Quicktime-FILE, to be output, was not compressed with MiroMotion JPEG. Open the Quicktime-FILE in Adobe Premiere and put the clip in the construction window. Now do a make on this clip and set the compression to Miro DC20 MJPG.

16. Question- When the DC20 outputs video the clip window turns grey, but nothing appears on the VCR or an external TV.

Answer- The cables are bad or not connected correctly. Check to make sure you have good cables and check to make sure they are all plugged in properly.

or

The VCR is not set to record from the video line input. Check the VCR settings. All VCRs have a way to set the VCR to record from either the video line in or the Coax cable connector. This setting is usually called "Audio/Video" or "Line". You have to set this correctly on the VCR before you be able to record anything on the VCR from the composite or s-video input.

Machines Affected: All PCI Based Machines