No capture with Sony DCRPC109? a quick fix

Hi guys,
I recently got myself a Sony DCR PC 109 MiniDV Camcorder. Nice compact, great quality etc...

So as I wanted to put a personal VHS onto DVD, I connected it to the Video player and then by firewire to the PC, Selected A/V>DV OUT on the Camcorder menu.

This Camcorder uses a docking cradle, with all the connections, and should operate as a pass through device, ecoding the analogue video signal to Digital.
After a full weedend of absolutely no success at capturing to the PC, I phoned the helpline in UK, useless....
After some searching I uncovered a tutorial "How to use a Sony Digital camcorder as a pass through device to convert analogue video to digital and capture it on a Sony Vaio computer", Now my PC is one I built myself, but I checked out this tutorial and came across the one bit of info missing from the Sony website and Sony manuals;

Written as follows:
IMPORTANT: This process will not work if there is a tape left in the Sony Digital Camera.

Why this wasn't in the manuals I just don't know?

You need the tape removed from the Camcorder to capture VHS through to the PC.

Camcorder works fine now...