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Sony Handycam USB Connection on Mac?

balamw said:
EDIT: Another option I keep bringing up is that you can use most DV camcorders as an analog/DV brige, even those that are otherwise broken. You can get good deals on eBay.
Click to expand...

That's a great option that I use frequently. In fact, I bought my particular Sony Digital HandyCam (DCR-TRV17) because it had that particular feature. If you go this route, make sure the camera has an analog-to-digital passthrough convertor. Without the passthrough part, you'd have to capture your footage from the analog source onto DV tape and then playback from the tape and out through the FireWire.
 
Is there a way to convert a 8mm video cassette to a mini DV cassette? If so please tell me because I just bought a new Canon ZR 500.:confused: :p
 
Yetra said:
Is there a way to convert a 8mm video cassette to a mini DV cassette? If so please tell me because I just bought a new Canon ZR 500.:confused: :p
Click to expand...

Yes. Put the recorded 8mm tape in your 8mm camcorder, and a blank tape in your DV camcorder. Plug the video output of your 8mm camcorder into the video input of your DV camcorder. Put both into 'VCR' or 'playback' mode. Hit play on the 8mm, and record on the DV. Wait the length of your movie. Done.

That's it. If you no longer have an 8mm camcorder, then you'll have to take it to a video production shop that does this sort of stuff.
 
the usb connection is only used for transfering photos with the handycam. You need to go to compusa and get yourself a firewire cable, i have a handycam and had the same problem.
 
ehurtley said:
As has been said, you need a FireWire cable.

On the Sonys, the USB only lets you transfer still pictures or low-quality MPEG videos off the memory stick, even on a PC, it won't let you transfer DV video over USB. (Depending on the model of Handicam, it might support 'live USB streaming' where it will act as a webcam, but Apple supports that over FireWire so you don't actually lose that.)
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I have a Sony DCR-DVD301 miniDVD handycam with no firewire connection and a new MacBook Pro 15". How do I transfer the video from the miniDVD's into my Mac?
 
Sorry...

KLR said:
I have a Sony DCR-DVD301 miniDVD handycam with no firewire connection and a new MacBook Pro 15". How do I transfer the video from the miniDVD's into my Mac?
Click to expand...

Whatever you do, DO NOT PUT THE MINI DVD INTO YOUR SLOT LOADING DRIVE.

Besides that...you need proprietary sony software and a tray loading drive.
 
appleretailguy said:
Whatever you do, DO NOT PUT THE MINI DVD INTO YOUR SLOT LOADING DRIVE.

Besides that...you need proprietary sony software and a tray loading drive.
Click to expand...

Couldn't I just use an RCA to FireWire converter box (which I could also use to convert old videocassettes) and avoid getting the tray loading drive and software from Sony?
 
KLR said:
Couldn't I just use an RCA to FireWire converter box (which I could also use to convert old videocassettes) and avoid getting the tray loading drive and software from Sony?
Click to expand...
You might as well since that's a shorter path to iMovie, which doesn't handle MPEG-2/DVD input very well... Although you end up doing the digital to analog to digital dance...

B
 
KLR said:
I have a Sony DCR-DVD301 miniDVD handycam with no firewire connection and a new MacBook Pro 15". How do I transfer the video from the miniDVD's into my Mac?
Click to expand...

If you have a tray-load external DVD drive, you can put the miniDVD in there, and use software like HandBrake to rip it to DV format. (I'm on the road, and don't have a DVD handy, so I can't double check, but I think HandBrake can rip to DV... If not, try MactheRipper or FortyTwo or some similar utility.)
 
ehurtley said:
If you have a tray-load external DVD drive, you can put the miniDVD in there, and use software like HandBrake to rip it to DV format. (I'm on the road, and don't have a DVD handy, so I can't double check, but I think HandBrake can rip to DV... If not, try MactheRipper or FortyTwo or some similar utility.)
Click to expand...
mpeg streamclip and DVDxDV are the two utilities most commonly referred to for this operation.

B
 
balamw said:
mpeg streamclip and DVDxDV are the two utilities most commonly referred to for this operation.

B
Click to expand...

Last I checked, MPEG Streamclip wasn't Universal. Is it finally? And I hadn't heard of DVDxDV. That sounds like the perfect utility!
 
How can you tell if there's a firewire port on a DCR-HC30?

ehurtley said:
As has been said, you need a FireWire cable.

On the Sonys, the USB only lets you transfer still pictures or low-quality MPEG videos off the memory stick, even on a PC, it won't let you transfer DV video over USB. (Depending on the model of Handicam, it might support 'live USB streaming' where it will act as a webcam, but Apple supports that over FireWire so you don't actually lose that.)
Click to expand...


I see from the discussion that the USB cable is useless and I need a firewire cable to connect my Handycam DCR-HC30 to my iMac. But in looking at the camera, the other ports are labeled DV, A/V and LANC. Would any of these accept a firewire cable?

Sorry if I sound stupid; I'm new to this.
 
ivymain said:
But in looking at the camera, the other ports are labeled DV, A/V and LANC. Would any of these accept a firewire cable?
Click to expand...
DV or iLink is what you are looking for on a Sony. Should take a 4 pin FireWire cable.

EDIT: Should look something like this:
iLink.jpg


B
 
Answers...

ivymain said:
I see from the discussion that the USB cable is useless and I need a firewire cable to connect my Handycam DCR-HC30 to my iMac. But in looking at the camera, the other ports are labeled DV, A/V and LANC. Would any of these accept a firewire cable?

Sorry if I sound stupid; I'm new to this.
Click to expand...

DV refers to a four pin firewire connector, also referenced as iLink or IEEE1394.

Most "DV" cables are four pin (connect to the camera) to six pin (what most people would refer to as a "normal" firewire port on a Mac).

That make sense?
 
Oh. In that case, Sony helpfully included a firewire cable. Thank you both very much. The next question is, where does it plug into the iMac? I don't see a port that looks right.
 
ivymain said:
Oh. In that case, Sony helpfully included a firewire cable. Thank you both very much. The next question is, where does it plug into the iMac? I don't see a port that looks right.
Click to expand...

Sony includes 4-pin connectors on all of their computers, so they probably included a 4-pin-to-4-pin cable. Apple uses 6-pin connectors on their computers. So you will need either a 6-pin-to-4-pin cable, or a 6-pin-to-6-pin cable plus a 6-pin-to-4-pin converter. (Often included with cables.) Unfortunately, I don't know of any that convert a 4-pin into a 6-pin.

Apple has a good article on FireWire ports.

The FireWire port on your iMac looks like port 3 in the following picture:
88119_2.gif


(This happens to be an iBook, Apple doesn't appear to have any pictures of the ports on an iMac on their website!)

Ah, here we go, snagged from the PDF 'iMac Technology Overview':
 
Help! New SONY Handycam 30GB - HD AVCHD

:confused: Help! New SONY Handycam 30GB - HD AVCHD

How do I connect this to my Mac? I need to connect for web conferencing and for imovie and so forth. So what's the trick?
It only appears to have USB and that serves to apparently the PC only.
Thanks everyone!
Patrick
patrickmdryan@comcast.net
 
Patrick, see your email.

For others: At present, the only way to edit AVCHD is to use the bundled software. Which is, sadly, Windows-only.

I fully expect iMovie '07 to include the ability to import and edit AVCHD when it is (likely) released in January. (I'm specifically waiting for then to buy an HD camcorder, just to see if iMovie gets AVCHD editing.)
 
ehurtley said:
I'd recommend having it transcode to DV, as that's the format iMovie is most friendly with. (It's also the largest, as it's pure uncompressed video.)
Click to expand...

Correction: DV isn't uncompressed. it's intraframe compressed, as opposed to MPEG-2/4's interframe compression. uncompressed raw DV-sized video would be well in excess of 100Mbps.
 
aznspyder said:
Hey guys!

I tried to plug in my Sony Handycam via USB and it's not being recognized at all in my Mac. iMovie didn't turn up anything either. Anyone have any ideas besides buying the firewire cable for it?
Click to expand...

You need to open it up and tell it to connect to your mac, it works just like an external hard drive
 
to beat a dead horse

I got a sony handy cam for XMAS and am using a Macbook. I have a 4-6 pin fire wire cable, but when connected, nothing happens, on the Mac or the Handy cam. It is a a MiniDV handycam dcr hc28. Am I missing something?
 
Well...

brrkelly said:
I got a sony handy cam for XMAS and am using a Macbook. I have a 4-6 pin fire wire cable, but when connected, nothing happens, on the Mac or the Handy cam. It is a a MiniDV handycam dcr hc28. Am I missing something?
Click to expand...

Well, what would you like to happen? It to become sentient? Make you breakfast? Import video? Do a little soft shoe?

;)
 
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