Q: Why am I getting the error message "Vencmpeg did not start"?

A: The VDR-3000 needs to have a signal to synchronize to before it records. This error message is usually given when a user enables recording on the
VDR-3000 before playing back source material. When recording from DV (IEEE/1394) you must play your source before pressing record on the VDR-3000. Running 10 seconds of black should allow for a smooth recording entry.

Q: Why isn't the DV input working?

A: When connecting to your unit make sure that you have switched the selector switch in the back of the VDR-3000 to "DV". Once the DV selector switch is changed to DV, a red led will appear on the front panel of the VDR-3000. Play your source video and watch to see that the video is appearing on your monitor.

Q: Why doesn't the S-Video input work?

A: If you want to record from an S-video input source the selector button on the remote control must be pressed when the unit is powered up. On the lower right corner of the remote control there is a button marked "I/P" this is the button that must be pressed.
The default input for video is composite (RCA type connectors) if you don't change the input the S-video input will roll and the video signal will not pass through.

Q: Power Point - Incorporating moving video clips from a
Datavideo CD-DVD (PC)

A: Power Point integrates well with Media Player. Windows Media player 8.0, 9.0 can decode cd DVD files.

Directions for inserting cdDVD files into Power Point:

1. Insert your cdDVD disk into your Windows PC.
2. Let the auto-run player begin and then close it.
3. Double-Click "My Computer", then Right click "SVCD" and select "Explore".

Here is an example below:


4. Open the "MPEGAV" folder by double clicking it.
5. Copy your files to your desktop or any other specific folder.
6. Open Power Point, then open your presentation.
7. Click "Insert" then "Movies and Sounds" and finally "Movie from file". Locate your video file usually named "AVSEQ01," etc.
8. When your done it should like the example below:



Q: Why doesn't the CD-R disc that was written by the VDR-3000 play back in my home DVD player?

A: Not all consumer DVD players are compatible with the VCD, HQ-VCD, SVCD and cdDVD formats. Some consumer DVD players are unable to read CD-R
and CD-RW discs.

Please refer to our listing of DVD players that are compatible with some of the VDR-3000 recording formats.

Q: Is there a way to get Windows Media Player or any other editing program to recognize the "avseq01.dat" file created
by the VDR-3000?

A: Yes, one of our good customers in Hawaii suggested this solution to us. The file name and extension of the raw mpeg file can be renamed to a "*.mpg" extension.

Windows Media Player is able to recognize this format.

Note: This will only work with mpeg-1 formats (VCD and HQ-VCD Modes) that are created on the VDR-3000.

Please see Question 4 above regarding MPEG-2 formats.

To achieve this, follow the directions below:

Explore your VCD or HQ-VCD disk in Windows Explorer Look for a folder called "MPEGAV" (this is where each track of *.dat files are saved in) Copy the AVSEQ01.DAT file to C:\ or any directory on your hard drive. Right click your "AVSEQ01.DAT" file and choose "Rename" Rename the file (anyname).MPG Then press - Enter

The file now appears as a Windows Media Player icon with the name you gave it. The file will now be recognized as such and will open in programs that are compatible with Windows Media Player.

Q: Is there a way to extract the MPEG video from the disc created on the
VDR-3000?

A: Use the following freeware (MPEGTOOL or TMPGENc) programs to extract pure MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 data from the recorded disc:

Directions:

1. Capture a SVCD or cdDVD clip on CD-R.
2. Use the "MPEGTOOL" to extract the video from CD-R to a HDD as a *.MPG file.
3. Try to use the extracted MPG file, to see if it works with your specific application.
4. If not, Go to 5).
5. Use the TMPGENc to re-encode the extracted MPG file (from MPGTOOL) to a standard MPEG-2 file.

Click to Download MPEGTOOL (197kb zip file)
Click to Download TMPGENc (872kb zip file)

Q: What do I do if my machine has a rolling picture and I am imputing an NTSC signal?

A: The unit could be set to the wrong format such as PAL@25 frames/second. To change the input selector back to NTSC mode the remote control is needed.

There is a button on the remote called "P/N" it stands for PAL/NTSC. It sets the input format of the machine. To change it back to NTSC

please do the following:

1. Power the VDR on.
2. insert a blank cd-r.
3. Select any recording format. (VCD, etc.)
4. Press the "P/N button on the remote controller.
5. Keep pressing it until it either says "Auto or NTSC". (Either one of these modes should be fine.)
6. Once this is completed, eject the blank disk and discard it. This should make the PAL menu display go away and put the VDR into NTSC mode.

Q: I am having recording and/or record stop errors, what could be
causing this?

A: More than 90% of these problems can be caused by high speed CD-R media
that is not compatible with 1X-4X recording speeds. The VDR-3000/MP-3000 records at speeds that range from 1X (VCD), 2X (HQ-VCD/ S-VCD) and 4X speeds (cdDVD).

If high speed CD-R media is used to write at 1X-4X it might cause some recordings to become unstable. Common errors include "record stop" or "writing error", please make sure to use CD-R's that can support 1X-4X recording speeds to ensure stability.


Q: Why must I use CD's that record at 1X. Why can't the VDR-3000 record at a higher rate?

A: The International Standard for the VCD format requires that they are played back at 1.15Mbps (Megabits per second). To encode video in real time that will play back at 1.15 Mbps, we must record it that way. This is a standard that Datavideo does not control.

Q: Does the VDR-3000's DV input work with Sony's Micro MV Camcorders?

A: The VDR-3000DV can accept a standard DV format however, Sony's Micro MV DCR-IP7BT and the DCR-IP5 do not record in standard DV, the recording format is MPEG-2. The following information is from a review in Camcorder Computer Video Magazine Page 52, July 2002 issue.

It explains that the Micro MV format is only compatible with other Micro MV products:

"While some newer Mini DV camcorders include video-editing software, you will need the included Movie Shaker editing software, if you want to feed digital signals from the Micro MV cam into your computer. The FireWire (i.Link) output is not a standard one found on Mini DV camcorders. It works ONLY with another Micro MV camcorder or on a computer using Sony's Movie Shaker software."

Q: How can I get More Information about VCD, HQ-VCD, SVCD, cdDVD Recording?

A: We have found a great site called http://www.vcdhelp.com. It has a large amount of useful information on MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 formats.

Q: Are there any programs available that will allow me to edit the mpeg files created on the VDR-3000?

A: We would recommend using Uleads (http://www.ulead.com) Video Studio 6.0 for editing the the VDR-3000 .DAT files.

Q: How can I find the firmware version number in my VDR-3000?

A: We have created a directions sheet in a Word .doc format.
Please click here to download the instructions.