Start by ensuring that none of your cables are bent at a hard angle or straining to reach either the deck or the computer, and that all are properly supported. All three of these factors can cause cable failure.

As noted in the Hardware Setup guide, make sure that the port and cable you are using both have the Thunderbolt symbol. For some Mac laptops, the symbols are not included above the ports, but you can check the specifics by reviewing the Apple Port Guide.

The most time-honored of troubleshooting tactics.

Restart DVRescue and the deck.

• It can be helpful to do this a few times, changing the order of things slightly. For example, try turning the deck on before or after opening DVRescue.
• Always pause for a moment before turning the deck back on.
• Always wait at least a minute after closing DVRescue before opening it again.
• It can take DVRescue a few minutes to connect to the deck if you’re using a new daily build or release, or if it’s the first time you’ve opened DVRescue.

If it is still not detected, restart your computer.

• Turn the deck off and close out of DVRescue
• Reboot the computer
• Once the computer reboots, turn the deck back on.
• Wait a few minutes and then open DVRescue again to check if it is connected.

If you’re still not connected to the deck, move onto further troubleshooting steps for your system.

Check for the Device in the Command Line

Check whether the deck is detected through the command line by opening Terminal and running dvrescue --list_devices

This is more comprehensive and accurate than what is displayed in the GUI. If your deck is listed, then DVRescue is connected to it. Restart the DVRescue GUI and wait a few minutes to see if it shows up.

If your deck is not detected in the list of devices, next check whether it’s detected by other programs.

Check for Device in Other Programs

This helps to know if the issue is with the connection between your computer and the deck or with only DVRescue.

Verify Firewire Connection

Check for Issues with BlackMagic

If all of the previous steps have failed, there may be an issue with your Blackmagic drivers. Even though you only directly use a BlackMagic video card for analog videotape captures, it is still required to run vrecord and dvrescue in general.

Check for Device in BlackMagic Media Express

First check BlackMagic as well. Open BlackMagic Media Express. In the menu, choose Device. If it says “No device is connected” then this is further confirmation of the issue.

Reinstall BlackMagic Drivers

Before reinstalling BlackMagic drivers, double check the vrecord GitHub page, including the current issues, for conflicts with particular versions of BlackMagic. It is not always compatible with the current release of vrecord and can cause issues.

If there are no logged issues, then follow the next steps.

• Try a fresh install of BlackMagic Design drivers. If drivers are already installed, uninstall them using the uninstall command in the Blackmagic system folder.
• Download and install the drivers. The latest versions of BM software tend to be buggy, so just go with the oldest version of the drivers that your macOS can work with.
• During the installation process, you should be prompted to allow Apple to use 3rd party extensions. Click “Open Security Preferences”
• System Preferences will open a new window with your Security Preferences. Click on the General tab.
• If it’s not already unlocked, click on the lock icon in the lower left hand corner of the window. Enter your password when prompted.
• Click “Allow” near the bottom of the window.
• Make sure to relock the lock to save the changes you have made to your Security Preferences.
• Shut down your computer (don’t restart if prompted).

At this time, DVRescue offers limited support for non-OSX systems, although we hope to expand in the future. If you are using Windows, Linux, or Ubuntu and DVRescue still isn’t able to interact with your DV deck, or if you have any other trouble with the software, you may need to do some research in order to troubleshoot.

Some versions of Ubuntu might need permissions to be edited to allow DVRescue access. See this issue on the project page for a possible solution.

If you suspect a hardware rather than a software issue, review the Failed Component troubleshooting section for general advice. Also peruse the GitHub Issues page for any discussions that might relate to your issue.

Try using a different deck, cable, or adapter, making sure to change only one variable at a time in order to hone in on the part that is not working. The most common issue would be a failed cord or adapter. Unfortunately, Apple adapters seem to have a longer lifespan than other brands at this time. For a step-by-step guide to ensure you determine the correct variable, see the following section.

For most of these tips, the assumption is that you have additional cables, adapters and FireWire devices. It is our recommendation that when you purchase a cable or adapter that you buy at least two (or more) at a time to ensure that you have a replacement for testing and in the event of cable failure.

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Try another device

• Try connecting your FireWire cable to either a different deck or another FireWire compatible device (such as a legacy hard drive or camera) and see if the device shows up (using the steps “Establishing Deck to Computer Connection” and “Restarting” sections above).
• If the second device shows up, there may be an issue with the first deck you were attempting to use (likely the FireWire output is broken).
• Try connecting the first device again. If it shows up, you are good to go. If it fails to connect, we would recommend having the device inspected for possible damage.
• If the second device does not show up, move onto the next section.

Try another cable

• Preferably using a brand new cable, re-connect your deck to the computer (either with or without adapters depending on your set-up).
• Repeat the steps listed in the “Establishing Deck to Computer Connection” section as well as the above troubleshooting steps, if needed.
• If the deck still does not show up, move on to the next section.

Try another adapter:

• If you are using more than one adapter, follow these steps for each one, switching out one at a time.
• Preferably, using a brand new adapter, try connecting your deck to the computer.
• Repeat the steps listed in the “Establishing Deck to Computer Connection” section as well as the above troubleshooting steps, if needed.
• If the deck still does not show up and you are using more than one adapter, try switching out the second one.

If none of these components can be pinpointed as the source of the issue, consider whether there might be a problem with your computer’s FireWire port. If you can, attach a different FireWire device. Alternatively, test the same setup using another computer.

Disable System Integrity Protection

Change the security policy

Rosetta (M1 only)

The first time you open the DVRescue GUI, a pop-up window may open that prompts you to install Rosetta. (This depends on your computer’s hardware and whether you have already downloaded Rosetta for another program.) Click “install” in the pop-up window.

Camera and screen recording access

• Click on the “Capture” tab.
• Plug in the deck you wish to use.
• Turn on the deck.
• When prompted, grant DVRescue permission to access your camera.
• You should get a similar prompt asking for permission for dvrescue to record your screen the first time you capture DV.

After granting these permissions, you will then be able to use all of the DVRescue tools in the GUI.

• Ensure you are logged into your computer as an Administrator
• Open System Preferences
• Click on Security and Privacy
• Select the Privacy tab
• Fix Camera Permissions
  • Select Camera from the list
  • To make changes to the settings, you will need to unlock the lock located in the bottom left hand corner of the window. Click the lock and enter your password.
  • If not already included, add both of these items to the list. You can do so by clicking on the + button and selecting each from the applications list:
    • Terminal
    • dvrescue
  • If the Camera menu does not have the +/-…
    • Drag and drop DVRescue from the Applications folder into the permissions window.
    • You can add the Terminal and dvrescue to the Full Disk Access list instead.
    • Alternatively, you can disable the permissions settings automatically in place with most macOS software by following the steps below for disabling system integrity protection. (This is advised in order to prevent additional permissions related errors or limitations.)
• Fix Screen Recording permissions
  • Select Screen Recording from the list on the left hand side of the Privacy window.
  • If not already included, add dvrescue to the list.
  • Make sure the checkbox is checked.

Finally, reboot your Mac for all changes to take effect.