This is not working. Handycam to mac.

[coffey7]

I have a sony handcam model dcr-hc32 ntsc. I was told that you just plug the camcorder in and a program pops up and says, Hi do you want to transfer the videos to your mac. This has not happened. I do not have a setting that says vcr on my handycam. I don't think I have the firewire cable. I have a usb cable that came with the thing. I don't even have a place to plug in a firewire cable on my base for the video cam.

 

[coffey7]

NEVER MIND. I HAVE TO BUY A F@#$ING CABLE FIRST. Those commericals that say I just plugged my video camera into the mac and the computer did everything for me are bull.

that is such bull. You have to buy a cable to get it to work. I thought macs were just plug and transfer. I hope the damn cable isn't $30 dollars.

 

[Lebowski]

well, ive never heard of imovie automatically downloading your footage.

some apps like iPhoto will pop up when a digi cam is connected, but imovie does not.

finder machelp owns you.

that is such bull. You have to buy a cable to get it to work. I thought macs were just plug and transfer. I hope the damn cable isn't $30 dollars.

well your camcorder isnt made by apple. its made by sony. be mad they didnt give you the cable.

my canon dv cams cam with firewires......

while macs are VERY user friendly, they arent retard proof.... which is what you apparently need.

 

[coffey7]

Which firewire cable do I need?

This reminds me of using a windows computer. I have to read through the books to find out how to hook the sony video camera to my macbook. I really hate when the damn cables don't come with the camera.

I have a sony dcr-hc32. I really don't know anything about the fire wire cables. I looked at the side of my mac and I can't tell if I have 4or 6 pins. The book that came with the video cam doesn't say anything about what cable I need. I almost karate chopped my macbook today and threw the camera at the wall. Sorry, I just hate it when the cables are not included.

 

[coffey7]

I just want to know what cable I need. the apple website doesn't even list them. how the heck do I know how many pins the cable has. Does apple make video cameras?

 

[bigbossbmb]

you will need a 4pin to 6pin firewire cable

 

[coffey7]

thanks. I think i might just buy one of each(type) for those times later when I need others. who knows when?

 

[Chundles]

You'll probably need a 4-pin -> 6-pin cable.

Sony calls firewire "iLink" and most often uses a 4-pin outlet on it's cameras - to be honest I don't know why they didn't include the cable, video transfer over USB is flakey at best - firewire is much faster at transferring sustained data (ie video) than USB.

If the outlet on the camera (probably marked "iLink") is very small - maybe half the width of a regular USB port and it looks like a rectangle with one of the long sides squashed down it's a 4-pin port. If it's larger - about the size of a USB port and shaped like a rectangle with two corners lopped off at one end it's a 6-pin port.

I would hazard a guess that the port on your camera is a 4-pin port and the port on your Mac is a 6-pin port. Cables with a 4-pin plug on one end and a 6-pin plug on the other end are pretty easy to come by in a regular electronics shop or computer store.

I still can't get over that Sony didn't include the firewire cable - you can't blame Apple though for Sony's mistakes, it's a general video-industry standard that video transfers are done over firewire.

Go grab that cable and you should be all set.

 

[VanMac]

I just want to know what cable I need. the apple website doesn't even list them. how the heck do I know how many pins the cable has. Does apple make video cameras?

Make things easy on yourself. Take your camera into a store (Radio Shack, Best Buy, Staples, Frys, whatever....your in NY, you should be able to find something). Find a kid with pimples and a name tag, show him your camera, tell him you need a firewire cable to plug your camera into your computer...a mac. The pimply faced kid will hook you up. Less then $10.

 

[law guy]

I just want to know what cable I need. the apple website doesn't even list them. how the heck do I know how many pins the cable has. Does apple make video cameras?

A staples or a best buy or a circuit city or a CompUSA, etc. will help you work out the FW cable that you need. Mine is 4 pin (smaller port on camera) to 6 (larger port on computer) - which is very standard (you'll see the same sort of small to large on USB cables). You're looking at a $10 or so purchase given the google search I just did for one. A Sony DV cam comes with some of the items that you need, but not everything (although I think mine came with a FW cable back in 1999) - for example, DV tape is not included.

 

[Texas04]

umm yeah the commercials are correct... you plug your video camera into your mac.. it needs to be firewire and if you looked it up it does say that and you can do a magic iMovie.. it is very simple..

 

[Anonymous Freak]

I've been disappointed. iMovie used to come up automatically when I plugged a DV cam in (in 'Capture' mode and everything.) I don't remember which update got rid of that, but I miss it.

With the current iMovie, it should pop up offering to do a normal iMovie Project, Magic iMovie, Magic iDVD, or OneStep DVD.

 

[andy89]

NEVER MIND. I HAVE TO BUY A F@#$ING CABLE FIRST. Those commericals that say I just plugged my video camera into the mac and the computer did everything for me are bull.

that is such bull. You have to buy a cable to get it to work. I thought macs were just plug and transfer. I hope the damn cable isn't $30 dollars.

Maybe thats got something to do with fedora core being on your macbook
My canon camcorder works flawlessly

 

[Anonymous Freak]

I thought macs were just plug and transfer.

They are.

It's not Apple's fault Sony didn't include a cable. (Think about it, Macs don't come with USB cables, either. So 'plug and play' to your new printer requires a USB cable purchased separately as well.) Heck, even if you had a Windows computer, you still would need to buy a cable. (And unless you have a Sony or HP computer, you likely wouldn't even have a FireWire port.)

 

[solvs]

(Think about it, Macs don't come with USB cables, either. So 'plug and play' to your new printer requires a USB cable purchased separately as well.)

They used to. FW cables too. Some printers used to come with cables too, and some still do. Just a money saving thing nowadays. Usually it says on the boxes of things like printers and cameras if the cable isn't included. Like batteries not included. Some people just don't read the box.

I'm kinda surprised more people aren't making fun of the OP for going ballistic because of his own ignorance.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

They used to. FW cables too. Some printers used to come with cables too, and some still do. Just a money saving thing nowadays. Usually it says on the boxes of things like printers and cameras if the cable isn't included. Like batteries not included. Some people just don't read the box.

I'm kinda surprised more people aren't making fun of the OP for going ballistic because of his own ignorance.

Ah, true. My Power Mac G4 I had at work (original, PCI model,) did come with a FireWire cord. But I have never had a Mac come with a USB 'device' cord. (An extension cord, for the keyboard, yes, but not a device cord.)

And printers have almost NEVER come with their cable, unless they used a custom connector (as some HP LaserJet's did.) Usually, when they DID include a cable, it was an advertising point! "Look! We even include a cable!"

 

[SuperCompu2]

I've never had a printer come without a cable, and I've had three.

the newest being a 2003 model.

 

[LethalWolfe]

I'm kinda surprised more people aren't making fun of the OP for going ballistic because of his own ignorance.

I would, but I think the OP is "special" and it's not nice to make those kinds of people. I mean, hell, it probably took him a week and a half to figure out his computer had to be plugged into the wall and that's why it wouldn't turn on. Lord knows how long it took him to figure out get on the internet. The fact that he hasn't died of asphyxiation by forgetting to breath is nothing short of a miracle. Everyone of his kind everywhere should be very proud of him for what he's accomplished so far in his life.


Lethal

 

[coffey7]

After watching a "I switched to mac ad" on youtube I wanted to see if I could get my video camera to work just like the switcher. It didn't work very well. I wasn't really mad at apple. I was mad at the companys that sold me the last 3 products without any cables. My hp printer didn't come with a cable at all, my video cam didn't come with a firewire cable even though it tells about them in the manual(but the manual doesn't list which one to buy) and my other fax machine printer didn't come with the ink or the cable. I really hate to break any bad news to anyone who thinks I'm not smart, but if I can run 5 different linux operating systems I think I can handle a mac. Sometimes it feels good just to go off and get mad. The cable cost me $20 online. I really didn't want to go to bestbuy and pay $32.

 

[MacFan25863]

After watching a "I switched to mac ad" on youtube I wanted to see if I could get my video camera to work just like the switcher. It didn't work very well. I wasn't really mad at apple. I was mad at the companys that sold me the last 3 products without any cables. My hp printer didn't come with a cable at all, my video cam didn't come with a firewire cable even though it tells about them in the manual(but the manual doesn't list which one to buy) and my other fax machine printer didn't come with the ink or the cable. I really hate to break any bad news to anyone who thinks I'm not smart, but if I can run 5 different linux operating systems I think I can handle a mac. Sometimes it feels good just to go off and get mad. The cable cost me $20 online. I really didn't want to go to bestbuy and pay $32.

Are you mad that the new sink you bought doesn't include plumbing too? Or that windows you buy from Home Depot don't include blinds?

It said clearly when you bought the camcorder that it doesn't include the cable. Same with your fax machine and printer.

And just saying you can run "5 different Linux operating systems" (even though every linux operating system has pretty much the same guts) doesn't make you a genius in everything that has to do with a computer. I know people who program the operating systems and programs for the Space Shuttle, yet can't put a computer together without color coded connectors and an instruction manual

 

[solvs]

(An extension cord, for the keyboard, yes, but not a device cord.)

You're right. I just remember setting up a friend's G3 iMac and it came with all sorts of stuff, including a couple of cables. Both the scanner and printer came with cables, as did one of mine, but most of them don't. I think I paid a ridiculous amount for a parallel cable for a printer for my first PC. I remember buying it specifically because it also had a connection for a Mac (round little serial thing at the time I think, already had that cable).

Pays to research what you'll need before you shop.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

I've never had a printer come without a cable, and I've had three.

the newest being a 2003 model.

I do on-site computer support for a living. I set up printer for clients on a regular basis.

Printer companies are getting better, but I'd say that only about 25% of printers come with the cable. Of my last FIVE printers, only one came with a cable. (It was an HP OfficeJet multifunction inkjet, it came with both USB and Ethernet cables.)