using Avid media composer 2.8 on a Windows XP SP2

Hi there, it would be great if s.o could help me.

I am editing with 2 monitors attached to my desktop, placing source/record window and timeline on one and bins ont the other monitor. This works perfectly, and I can also choose to play back on a full screen when I want to.

However, I would like to control my edits permanently full screen on an additional monitor, like in a professional editing suite, I guess that's what Mojo enables you to do. I don't have Mojo. I would like to do this through my Sony HVR Z 1 camcorder, using the 1395 IEEE to get into the camera and attaching the camera to the 3rd monitor.

Help tells me that this can work if I check the 1395 button (it says IEEE so it should be ok). According to help, the next step is to right click on the video quality menue button in the timeline and to check 'output to dv device'. However, this is greyed out, I cannot activate it. The camera is recognized by the system, I capture with it. And  it is connected through fire wire. The DV output settings in video display settings are also greyed out and inactive.

I know this can work because I made it work a long time ago with a cheaper camcorder and Avid xpress 3.0. Do I have to change settings in the camera itself? The camera's display won't show the composer image either.

This is breaking my head... grateful for help!!!!

I had this problem tonight at a clients' facility.  I had to re-register the DV buffers.  Kind of a strange thing that initilized the video engine in the Avid.  

Follow option 2 and see if your results are better. If you are are at 2.8, don't worry about downloading. Just type in what is option 2.

If you have a firewire deck hooked up, make sure there is no other firewire devices on that chain, or on that card.  Also, consider if you computer has a firewire port on the front, and on the back that came on your computer, that those two ports are probably connected, and you can only hook up 1 firewire video device at a time.  I would disconnect all firewire devices except for the deck if the below does not work. 

DV buffers from the Avid Knowledge Center

Are you working in a SD or HD project? Just to mention that HDV cannot be output live over firewire during editing. Otherwise you should also check your Z1E settings, it has to be configured as a DV device not a HDV device.

Thanks for the support! I would like to share this with the community:

In deed, AVID can only play back DV through 1394 to a monitor, and I am working with HDV. (I will consider downconverting my footage next time and batch digitizing the final cut back to HDV only.)

However, in the meantime I found out that I can play back full screen on one of my two monitors while editing. I didn't realize that before. With two good size wide screen monitors I can now view full screen on one monitor and have source/record window, timeline and bins open in the other monitor. It doesn't replace playback on a standard reference monitor but to see it all full screen already helps a lot.