Panasonic DV input

I have an EZ28 and it will not accept either my Canopus 110 or my computer DV output. There is no technical reason for this as my earlier Pioneer would. I just bought a Magnavox 515, but have not tried it yet.
-Bill

It is unlikely that the 515 will accept anything other than camcorder input. The manual devotes several pages to the dv input. I spell: C-A-M-C-O-R-D-E-R. What part of CAMCORDER do you not understand.

Panasonic dvdr's will accept dv output from a video mixer that has dv, video, or s-video camcorder input.

I haven't tried dv input on my 515 yet, but on the Panasonics, the dv input will automatically set chapter points each time the camcorder was turned off. Likely, it is this type of special assistance that rejects non-camcorder input.

I owe a bit of clarification. On the EH55 dvdr, the Input Selects are DV, Ch, In 1, In 2, and In 3. In DV mode, there is a FUNCTION option DV Camcoder Rec. It is probably this option that records the chapter breaks.

To the mixers. From the mixer, we use the Panasonic Input Select DV, a 4-pin DV connection. The cameras (3 Sony DCR-VX2000) are left on with the tape removed (to avoid the after-5-minute shutdown) during a recording session.

The first mixer we used was the Videonics MXPro-DV, which handles any combination of four of the inputs: 4 video, 4 s-video, 2 dv.

The dv outputs on the cameras are 4-pin. The dv inputs and output on the Videonics mixer is 4-pin. We used two of the Markertek 4-pin/4-pin extended distance cables, one 160 ft and one 125 ft. We use one or two Premium S-video cables from Cablewholesale. It is important to note that all these cables worked glitch-free. The dv cable carries audio, so an advantage of the digital cable is the ability to switch to audio from the camera builtin microphone when the regular source fails. (I try to use the house audio when I can; the cameras pick up the audience noise.) To switch audio sources is a menu operation.

The Videonics will display the output screen (you supply the screen; I use 13 inch tv's) and the ready screen which can be the ready screen full size, two screens half size, or all four inputs at once. There is a several second delay when the mixer has to build and maintain all four screens. The Videonics is still operational on my Transportable unit. Wheel it in, remove the padding, plug in to power. Except for setting up the cameras, operational in less than 15 minutes.

The second mixer, the one we are using now and have been for about six or seven years to record the weekly church service is the DataVideo SE-800 which has four inputs, each of which can be video, s-video, dv, or one other option which I don't recall at the moment. The DataVideo has a separate monitor connection (I think BNC) for each input source as well as the output. This has been a godsend for us. The side aisles of our church are very narrow and would be completely blocked by tripods, so we have a Varizoom remote control unit on each side of the church. The camera operators sit behind the video director, watching the same monitors (13-inch tv's) the director is watching. The recording unit is in the basement.

Audio selection on the SE-800 is a button press and turn of the volume dial. Multiple audio sources can be active at the same time. Again, dv carries audio.

So far, so good. Except, the Datavideo dv sockets are 6-pin! We tried to find 4-pin-to-6-pin adapters, but found none that worked. 6-pin to 4-pin, yes, but not the converse. 6-pin/4-pin cables, yes, but the longest of these was about 11 feet; we needed 90, 110 and 150 foot lengths.

We tried a set of converter boxes and Cat-5 cable, a total disaster. Every time a switch was thrown, the sound board, light or any other equipment turned on or off, we'd get one or more monitors with green bars, green screens, lasting from just a flash to twenty minutes. Recordings were unuseable. (I don't know if flushing the toilet would affect the signal; I wouln't be surprised if it did.}

What to do! We knew the extended distance cables worked; we had used them on the Videonics with no problem. Dare we cut one end off the extended distance cable and solder on a 6-pin end??? Tediously I traced the pins and wiring of the 4-pin/6-pin cable, cut a 6-pin/6-pin cable in half, twisted the proper ends together, tested for continuity, then our sound man slipped a piece of heat-shrink tubing on the wires, soldered them, wrapped and taped them up, and tried it. Several weeks, no failures, we tried a second cable, with success. Ordered a set of three (two to replace the ones we "borrowed" from the transportable unit) and converted the third cable and returned the cat-5 stuff. Realize, we had destroyed the structural integrity of the cable even though we had tried to include "splints", so we can't pull or treat them roughly, but for the near-permanent installation they are in, they have worked well.

Tips, if anyone wants to try this- it's not rocket science, but the wires are fine, seems like about the size of human hairs.

1. Protect the 6-pin connector white wire. Insulate it well, and don't let anyone near it! It carries power that the 4-pin cable doesn't need or want. If the power adapter for the SE-800 flickers dimly, check for a short in the dv cable. I refuse to answer why I'm including this caution.

2. Ignore both sets of black and both sets of white wires in the extended distance cable. Connect red to red, green to green, blue to blue, and yellow to yellow. Test for success before soldering. If this connection doesn't work, I found this one did: red to green and blue to yellow.

Yes. That's the cheap one. The DataVideo is around $4,400.

These are video mixers, to select from multiple input sources to a smooth single ouput signal.

I'm not familiar with the Canopus 110. If what I've found, an analog to digital video converter, why bother with it? Why not use the analog video/s-video inputs on the Panasonic dvdr?

I think it is pretty safe to say that computer dv output is not well received by dvdr's. Some other sources MAY work, but no guarantee.

Maybe we should go back to sqare 1. What is it you are trying to do? Where did the Canopus come into the picture? Why is it there?

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Why? Why go through a video mixer if you don't need to? A video mixer is used to smoothly transition from one active video source to another. We have three camcorders plus a fourth selection between Powerpoint, dvd player, titler, or a fourth camera to record our weekly church services. If you are not recording a performance of some kind, or a meeting or something where you want to quickly switch between inputs, I don't see the need for a mixer. I recorded our annual Christmas Cantata for a number of years using a single Hi-8 camcorder.

I went from a single camera shoot to multiple cameras ten years ago when I was videoing a children's talent program, using a single camera. For one child's preformance, the music stand completely blocked the child's face; all I could get was a lot of finger activity on the guitar strings. That's when I decided "Multiple Cameras" and made up my Transportable Production cart.

If you don't need it, don't buy it. Ten years from now it will be a lot cheaper (unless it's a Model A Ford or '65 or '66 Mustang).

I currently have this set up.

It is a Panasonic controller for my vcr.