After what has been way too long, I finally paired the Sony HDR-FX7 with Adobe CS3 Production Premium for our first test run. And it didn’t work…

The message at the top of the capture box says “Can’t Activate Recorder. Try Resetting Camera”. Not the most encouraging error message ever and what I know about error messages, that doesn’t bode well.

What is encouraging though is the fact that I can play, forward and rewind the camera from the software, so obviously they’re talking.

In what seems to be a 24-hour period of duh! moments though, I discover that I’m obviously doing something wrong.

See, the HDR-FX7 can record in HD and SD, and wanting to wield the power of HDV, that’s what I recorded. Meanwhile, back in the studio (I like to pretend), I initialised a project using SD DV.

Wow, I’m dripping noviceness.

In order for Adobe’s CS3 Production Premium to talk to the Sony HDR-FX7, CS3 has to know what the Sony recorded. In lieu of a nose, CS3 sniffs this through the project you start. And if you’re starting a SD project, then don’t go and try capturing HDV, because, as illustrated, it just doesn’t work.

The solution thus to my little conundrum, was to simply start a HDV project. It also helps to set the device control settings to Sony, and as they don’t have the FX7 on the menu, Standard is apparently the most apt choice.

Right, let’s go capture some HDV.