Attempting to get video from small disc to my mac. No usb on camera.

[wolftrack7]

Hello,
I am trying to find a way to get video from my Sony recorder, which uses the small (3" I think) disc to my imac. The camera has no external video ports so I am assuming I need to buy some kind of device that will take the small disc and let me plug in to the mac with a usb cable? If there is such a device, what would it be called and where would I find one?

Thanks in advance for any help that can be had here!

 

[sharky05]

you may need to get an external tray-loading dvd drive that can take these smaller discs- adaptors are a bit risky as things can get stuck in your drive.

Could you tell me what model camcorder you are using? it may have some obscure connection on it that the internet could reveal to us.

 

[cbtlr]

Hi, download Apples own FireWireSDK26 (free from Apples developer site, apple.com/developer - just register or use your .mac address) this has a great app in this SDK called DVHSCap which will capture your stream as you play it on your cam in real time and you'll be able to open that stream with Mpeg Streamclip (www.squared5.com - another great free app) and convert to whatever you'd like for editing ie: .DV etc.

Sorry I just re-read your post, you're using USB so you won't need the FirewireSDK hopefully just mpeg streamclip.

Here's a little info from mpeg streamclip which may help you, good luck hope you manage to sort it.

OTHER COMPATIBLE DEVICES
MPEG Streamclip is compatible with FireWire, Ethernet, USB and DVD devices like Elgato EyeTV digital video recorders, ReplayTV digital video recorders, the Humax PVR-8000 set-top box, the Homecast set-top boxes, the Technisat S1 set-top box, the Panasonic SV-AV100 camcorder, the JVC Everio camcorder, the Sony T1 camera, the Panasonic VDR-M70 and the Hitachi DZ-MV230 camcorders; and with many other devices.

MPEG Streamclip is also compatible with MPEG-2 devices supported by DVHSCap and VirtualDVHS (free applications available from Apple as part of the FireWire SDK for developers); namely, the Sony IP7/MicroMV, the Sony HDR-FX1, the JVC GR-HD1 camcorders; the JVC HM-DH30000U and the Mitsubishi HD-2000U video cassette recorders; the Samsung SIR-T165 set-top box, and many more cameras or recorders. If you have one of these devices, please connect it to the FireWire, use DVHSCap or VirtualDVHS (whichever works better) to capture the M2T file, then use MPEG Streamclip to convert the M2T file into a more useful format.

Of course, a complete list of compatible devices is not possible since MPEG Streamclip can work with a wide range of MPEG devices and recorders. However, all known compatible devices have been listed here.

If you have a DVD and you want to play or convert its content, please open one or more VOB files from the VIDEO_TS folder.

 

[sharky05]

cbtlr, i think the issue is actually physically getting the dvd into the slotloading drive which doesn't accept mini-discs.

Again, if you tell us the model number (DCR-DVD1234 or whatever) i'll have a look round to see if any other users of that camera found a workaround.

 

[wolftrack7]

It is a Sony Handycam DCR-DVD105. I really appreciate the help here guys. This is a real frustration for me. When I purchased the camera, I had no idea that I would even be wanting to load the movies onto my computer.

Thanks!

 

[sharky05]

Hi,
you're correct - looking at the specs the dcr-dvd105 has no form of digital output. It does however have S-video out via an optional cable.

Solution no. 1: Get an external dvd drive (eg http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WM1Z14/)
Pros: Cheapest, will let you get your footage to computer fast
Cons: You won't be using the drive for much else.

Solution no. 2: Get an AV link cable for the camera, and a Video Capture Dongle for your mac (eg http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HNJ6U0/) so you play the video on your camcorder and capture it onto your mac
Pros: You can also use the eyeTV to rip any video source you want, and watch digital tv on your mac too.
Cons: Quite a bit more expensive, and it will rip in realtime (a 1 hour movie takes 1 hour to complete), also harder to set up and you may loose some quality.

If your only aim is to get the footage onto your computer, option 1 may be the best. Just make sure the dvd drive is compatible with a mac.

 

[wolftrack7]

Hey Sharky05, I can't tell you how much I appreciate the information. I am going to go with option one.
Thanks again!

 

[varmit]

Hey Sharky05, I can't tell you how much I appreciate the information. I am going to go with option one.
Thanks again!

Option 1 might not work since its a Sony camera. Sony is notorious for recording in their own proprietary format that can't be read or converted from just putting the disk into a computer. I had this problem with my ex-bosses Sony Camera that recored to smaller DVD. Had to use my EyeTV to get it converted on playback. So S-video, or playing the video back into a EyeTV like device might be the only choice.

 

[sharky05]

sorry wolftrack 7 i didn't consider that. Looking at other threads like here it may be that the best method of home-editing will be selling the dvd camcorder and getting a DV with firewire for better quality.

When you think about this the $$$ loss you get from selling and buying a new camcorder may be similar to the $$$ spent of an external dvd drive. A DV camcorder with firewire will give you better quality (as sony seems to compress the movie already on the dvd so by editing you are compressing it twice and sacrificing more quality).

 

[wolftrack7]

I will end up buying a new recorder but I need to transfer all of the disc that I have now to a regular DVD. I will check into this EyeTV as soon as I get some time to google it.

I will also see if someone offers a service to transfer from these small disc to a standard DVD disc.

Thanks again for all of your help!