iChat doesn't recnogize my camcorder?

[ravenvii]

I'm not sure whether to post this in the hardware help section or the software help section, but...

I have a Sony TVR-something camcorder that's about 2 years old. It's a 8mm digital camcorder (meaning it uses 8mm tapes, but have a firewire and USB port, and is digital because I can and did use it with iMovie and Final Cut Express to edit movies, so I know it works with the Mac). But I tried to set up video conferencing with iChat with another iChat user using iSight. Well iChat doesn't recnogize the camera. I connected it to the Mac with FireWire, and tried all settings (VCR, camera, memory, etc) and the Mac doesn't recnogize it at all.

Any tip?

 

[varmit]

Well

If the others reconize it, the whole system and all the Apple apps should reconize it too. Can your record yourself in iMovie, that is if you have the new iMovie 4? Usually its just plug it in, open iChat, and under Video at the top, Enable it. Its best if you set the camera up, turn it on and to the setting you want to test, then open up iChat and see if it reconizes it. Changing the setting of the Camera while iChat is open might not have iChat seeing that the camera is there.

Other than that, I would have to say Sony doesn't do good support for the Macs because they are a Windows PC company. I don't think they try to cripple it but they sure as hell done try and get it to work. I think you just fall under bad luck when it comes to having your camera reconized by all apps but iChat.

 

[LeeTom]

Have you tried going to the 'Video' tab of the iChat Preferences?

Lee Tom

 

[7on]

It'd need to be in Video recording mode but...

Some camcorders have problems (as in can't) output realtime video through FW. They can only output what's been recorded on them. You can test this by hooking up your cam (in Camcorder mode, not VTR) and seeing if the realtime image is shown in iMovie. If not, then it's the camcorder's fault.

 

[ravenvii]

I tried it on the family iMac with iMovie (I don't have it installed on the iBook), and the camcorder does output realtime video through the FW just fine. Couldn't test it with iChat on the iMac - it has Jaguar, so it doesn't have iChat AV. Back on the iBook, I have tried going to the video panel in preferences. It says "no camera attached to this computer". I started up System Profiler, and the computer sees the camcorder just fine. It's a Sony DCR-TRV340 by the way.

 

[Darwin]

DV Camcorders with iChat do not work with iBooks, or for that fact any G3 system

iSights on the other hand should

At least that is what I recall since I tried long ago to use my DV camera to test out the feature in iChat AV and I found out somewhere that it just didn't work with my iBook

This is the only link that I can find at the moment

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93206