2 questions: Convert analog video AV- USB Converter; Good TV Tuner For IMac

1) I need to convert analog video tapes onto my Mac. What's a good AV to USB converter?
2) I'd like to take advantage of my 24" screen and occasionally watch TV on my Mac. What's a good TV tuner?
Thanks.

Most recommend the Canopus converter, but it is $100-200. I was curious if the analog to digital tv converters available for $10 with the $40 govt coupon would serve the same purpose. I don't know why it wouldn't, but I haven't seen one. I'm going to try to borrow from a friend and see.
Otherwise you can borrow someone's Sony Digital8 to use to play Hi8 and it works as a converter (some models don't do Hi8 playback). This worked for me, but I was afraid I would wear out the "eject' on my friends Digital8 bc I have 60 tapes to transfer.
Other option is to play on old Hi8 thru a miniDV camcorder, used as a converter. My Canon zr500 miniDv doesn't seem to have that option.
I may try to use my Presidian dvr from Radio Shack as a pass thru converter. I haven't tried it yet either, but I think it might be yet another option. If anyone knows how to do any of these, please reply. It seems the tv converter should work and I'll get one if it does.

Similar Messages

What is better when converting analog video for FCE, Canopus100/110/300/or5

All,
What is better when converting analog video for FCE, Canopus100/110/300/or500? I have a new MACPRO with FCE HD and I wanted to convert some of my older video that was recorded on a HI8 Camcorder... Thanks.

I have the ADVC-100 (older model) and ADVC-110. They are identical except that the ADVC-110 does not come with an AC power adapter. Currently sells for about $220USD. If all you need to do is convert from HI8 tapes, the ADVC100/110 will do the job quite nicely.
The ADVC300 adds some enhancements for video signal cleanup, but at a higher price. Currently sells for about $450USD. The ADVC500 is overkill for home use.

Audio bad: Sony analog video, RCAs into converter, firewire into PowerBook

Using iMovie HD 5.0.2 and OS X 10.4.9 on a PowerBook G4.
Importing video from a Sony analog video camera by running an RCA cable for video and an RCA cable for audio from the Sony camera into a Formac converter. From the converter I run a FireWire line into the PowerBook. With this set-up, iMovie captures the video okay, but the audio is only a rapid buzz; sounds like a perfectly regular square wave.
I can confirm that the audio signal is being sent from the Sony camera through the converter and on into the FireWire cable by using the same hardware set-up but using Final Cut Express to capture the movie. But I don't want to work in FCE, I want to work in iMovie.
What might be going wrong with the audio capture in iMovie?
several Mac OS X (10.4.9)

Welcome to iMovie Discussions.
As far as I remember, some of the Formacs (..I've never used one, but there was talk of this here..) exhibited this "chainsaw buzz" around the time that iMovie was upgraded to Version 4, I think.
(..Something to do with Formac's non-stringent interpretation of the Firewire spec, perhaps..)
Formac did post info about it on their website, and offered two kinds of upgrade; a firmware download/upgrade for some models ..which you could do yourself.. and a factory upgrade for others.
I don't know if they still offer either of these options, sorry..

When converting analog video to digital to my macbook the audio desyncs halfway through. Any ideas?

I am trying to convert Analog video to digital to my Macbook for work, and every time I run it through my converter the audio De-syncs about halfway into the video. Does anyone know how to go about fixing this issue or have had similar issues to this? I have no issues when converting to my PC, but only my Mac. Thanks!

Hi Rick,
I am extracting the material from the dvd directly using handbrake. The file that handbrake creates lands on the desktop. I then ammend the end of the filename from mp4 to m4v. Following this I click and drag the file onto the itunes icon in the dock. I can then download it to the ipod no problem. The dropouts occur no matter where I play the file. In other words, on the desktop (with QT), in the itunes library and on the pod.
I went back and looked at all the dvd's that are giving me this trouble. The culprit seems to be that the audio signal is in LPCM (linear pulse code modulation). Just for the **** of it, I tried to rip one track using handbrake changing the sampling rate of the audio to 48,000 Hz which I believe is what LPCM uses (previously I had set it at 41,000 Hz in handbrake). But no go, still has dropouts. One of these problem dvd's has a second audio option in AC3 (2ch). As a test, I ripped one song using that. Dropouts are gone. However, the audio is a director's commentary (on the music video he shot) with the music in the background, so it's not what I want.
Is there any way to convert LPCM to AC3? Or any other way to fix this dropout problem.
Thanks,
Pete

Convert analog video to digital using a miniDV camcorder

Hi hi
So I want to convert some old analog videos I have from about 10 or so years ago to digital so I can edit them in iMovie HD. I've been reading a lot of the forums around and have successfully (I think) connect the analog video camera to the the miniDV (a Sony Handycam DCR-HC30E) using that A/V jack in the digital recorder and the analog to connect them. And the digital recorder is connected to the computer via firewire. So that's all right.
But now I'm up to the stage where I need to import it into iMovie HD (version 5.0.2) and it's been stubborn and not doing anything. I press play on the analog like people have said but iMovie just says "Camera no tape" and the "import" is unclickable.
Please please please please help! I've no idea what I'm doing wrong!
So just for quick reference, I'm using:
iMovie HD 5.0.2
Sony Handycam DCR-HC30E (Mini DV) and
Panasonic NV-VZ1 (analog video recorder)
P.S I don't want to have to record onto the the mini DV tapes because I've got none.
Thanks!

Hi catspaw! Thanks for replying
I probably should have mentioned before that I did change the 'A/V to DV out' to on, and I think that's the same as "passthrough"
And I've tried suggestion 2 as well, but to no avail! The connection either dropped once I took the tape out or it started to film on my iSight camera! Which is bizarre because my iMovie usually does not let me film with it! I've also been able to film with the camera connected to the computer and recording on the computer and see what I'm fliming on the computer.
But thanks for your help anyway!

Trouble using Canopus to convert analog videos to digital for iMovie

I am trying to convert my old Sony HandyCam Video 8 analog videos so that I can edit them on iMovie and burn them on a disc. I have connected it as described in the directions but although my computer recognizes the device, I just get the blue import screen and no picture or sound. I have pressed play on the camera and video is running there but does not appear on the screen. Any idea what I am doing wrong? It is connected with the 6pin firewire that came with it to the computer and the DV out plug... and on the other side it is connected with the two plugs I use with the camera...Video IN and Audio IN... and Video OUT and Audio OUT on the camera. The camera is in the player mode with power on. And my computer is a new MacBook Pro with iMovie 08.
Really need help. Thanks

K.C.S.
I am having the same problem ADVC-55 to MacBook Pro and iMovie 8. I was able to convert two full VHS tapes but when I started the third, no go. Red status light and nothing I have tried will get it to green. I tried myVCR and iMovie 7, also no go.
Geoff

Converting analog 5.1 (multiple cables) to Digital DIN (for Inspire 5700), how?

Hi,
So far I've been using my Inspire 5.1 Digital 5700 speaker system together with my Audigy Platinum in my Desktop PC to watch DVDs and play games with a 5.1 experience. To connect soundcard and Speaker system, I used the provided Digital DIN cable, and it worked fantastically, for both, DVDs and games.
Now I bought a notebook and the only choice to improve onboard sound was the X-Fi Xtreme Audio Notebook. I thought that I could simply connect it to my Inspire 5700 by connecting optical out with optical in using a TosLink-Mini -> Toslink cable. While this may work for DVDs (I don't have the cable yet), it won't work for all other applications, because as I read optical connections only provide a stereo signal unless the signal it'ss encoded via AC3 or DTS.
Of course there is the docking module which provides multichannel analog out. Trouble here: the Inspire 5700 only comes with two analog line in channels, front and rear. So that would lead to 4.0 instead of 5.1. Missing the center speaker for games is very bad.
Therefore I am looking for a way to convert the analog signal coming from the docking module into something that can be decoded as a 5.1 signal by the Inspire 5700. I have already found the DTS-610 which would turn the analog signal into a DTS signal. But that costs more than the soundcard itself.
So, my question: Is there any simpler / cheaper way how to transform multicable analog 5.1 to one-cable digital 5.1, either AC3, DTS or Digital DIN? I'd prefer a simple converter to Digital DIN, because that's what the Inspire 5700 was mainly designed for and it worked perfectly with my old Audigy.
Alternatively, one could possibly also use some fancy software to convert all the wave-out sound into AC3 or DTS and send it along the optical cable. But I don?t know any such software plus I expect this to drain a lot of processor power.
Any help is greatly appreciated it'ss kind of frustrating that two products of the same company can't be connected with each other, just because neither, the card nor the docking module provide Digital DIN.
Thank you very much and best regards
- spitfire
P.S. in another post, pjc said: You will probably require a 4-pole mini-jack > DIN converter to connect your Creative speakers to this socket.
That's exactly what I'm looking for, but I couldn't find such a converter on the creative homepage.

I believe the DIN for soundcard are mainly built and solely used by Creative. I don't think there is any 3rd-party converter in the market to do DIN. There is a software here posted by some other users that can do AC3 encoding on the fly. Not too sure where's the post now but you can do a search for it.

Good Wireless Router for iMac

I just ordered my first Mac, an 20" iMac G5. Now I need a good wireless router for it. I looked at the Airport Extreme Base Station, but it sure is pricey. Any suggestions on some more reasonably priced wireless routers? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Clayton,
Although a bit pricey, the next router I buy will be the "AirPort Express Base Station with AirTunes". It is a full featured router that is certainly compatable with any other AirPort equiped Mac -- including WPA excryption. That router has the added Apple AirTunes feature that you will not find on any other router.
If you want to go the cheaper route (no pun intended) then I have had good luck setting up friends with several different models of both DLink and Linksys routers including my current DLink DI-624. I have had nothing but success connecting several Apple PowerBooks with old and new versions of AirPort cards to several different makes/models of these routers and can't say I have ever had difficulties.
One thing to watch when using WPA is that you choose exactly the same settings on both the Mac and the router such as "WPA-Personal" using "TKIP". Note that some routers such as Linksys may call the same settings "WPA-PSK" and preselect "AES" instead of "TKIP". As long as all of your protocols match and your network name and preshared key match then everything should work as expected.
Also, when choosing a model don't be fooled into paying for any of the "Xtreme", "Speedbooster", "SRX", "pre-n", or "MIMO" routers. Unless you have special needs the vast majority of home users simply need a basic 802.11g router.
The one last bit of advice I have is to NOT install the software that comes with home wireless routers (except for Apples'). Instead, simply use your web browser to connect to the routers IP address (usually 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1) and then use the built-in web configuration to make all needed settings including the minimum: 1) changing default password, 2) turn off SSID broadcast, 3) set up wireless network name and WPA encryption, and 4) turn on NAT firewall.
Best of luck,
Tim

Converting analog video to DVD

I have VHS and VHS-C (I have the adaptor for this). I want feed them into iMovie. Does anyone suggest a converter? I found Formac's StudioDV. Does anyone know anything about this? IS this good? It is about $115 or so. What other options are there? Any help here would be appreciated.

If you have a digital camcorder it may have analog/digital pass through that allows this conversion. I needed a new camcorder in 2001 so I purchased a camera with this feature instead of a dedicated unit like you mention. My tapes are now converted and I still have a camcorder.
Regards,

Converting analog video to digital

I'am currently running on a new powerbook G4 OS 10.4 and having great difficulty getting my computer to read my camera. The problem is that my camera is connected to a digital converter. Dazzle Hollywood DV Bridge. My camera is a Sharp that runs Hi-8 tapes. If anybody has any clue on how to get my computer to recognize this set up I would greatly appreciate it.

Brian,
I have the same Hollywood DV set up and every now and then it acts goofy. Take a look at the lights at the top. the lowest one (AtoD) should be green. (analog to digital) If all lights are red click the switch on the top rear of the Dazzle unit.
Also use the firewire port on the rear. Seems like mine has an issue with the front.
Lastly save and exit the I movie program and restart AFTER hooking up and selecting Ato D.
Make sure you set the switch on iMovies interface to "camera".
One last thing. You have to work the camera by it's controls. You won't get them to work through I movie.
If this doesn't help hook up a VCR to the DV Bridge, Hit play and see if it sends through to iMovie. If it does it's your camera or connecting cable.

Capturing/Converting Analog Video

I have been using Plextor's PX-M402U A-D converter to create MPEG2/MPEG4 files. Unfortunately, the Intervideo WinDVD software that comes with this device causes both PRE7 & PE7 to crash. There is some conflict which prevents Intervideo's products and Adobe's from cohabitating on the same computer (at least under XP). Is there any way to get the PE7's capture facility to recognize the PX-402U? That would be the easiest solution. Alternatively, is there a capture program that would work with the PX-402U and behave in a friendly manner with PR7 and PE7? Thanks.

Paul, when I purchased the Plextor unit, VideoStudio did not come with the package. I notice on the Plextor web-site that the current product does have VideoStudio bundled with the converter. I also notice that both InterVideo WinDVD and VideoStudio are Corel products. Are you telling me that VideoStudio would not conflict with PE7 whereas WinDVD would?

Suggestion on a good external drive for imac

I just got to the point of having no memory space. I am looking for the best approach to picking a solid, cost efficient external hard drive. Any suggestion on where to get or possible prices.
TX-Nobya

Robert and BDAqua gave some links to OtherWorldComputing (OWC) a reputable vendor of Mac-compatible accessories and upgrades. I don't represent them, just another satisfied customer over the years.
I think FW drives are in general better performance than USB drives, but there are many variables like how many other devices you have connected, etc... I think most folks would recommend FW drives over USB.
Your model info still doesn't quite narrow down the potential list enough to know if you have FW 400 or FW 800 ports, I think it depends on the display size, only the 24" had the FW800, I'm not really sure.
In your Apple Menu Bar, select the About This Mac, then in the little window that pops up, click the More info button. This will launch System Profiler. You will see a window with lots of info about your computer hardware, click on the FireWire triangle and see the info displayed about the Maximum Speed of the channel.
So for example if you have FW 400, this means the max theoretical speed is 400Mb/sec, if you have FW 800 then your max speed is 800Mb/sec. Neither of which you will probably ever attain this quoted Max speed, but why spend more on a FW800 drive if you only have FW400 ports on that iMac, unless maybe you plan to use it with a future machine.
You definitely need to free up space on your primary internal disk, free space is needed for temporary files and virtual memory as you use your computer, it can lock up if you lack sufficient free space.
http://www.otherworldcomputing.com/
FW 400 Neptune drives
http://eshop.macsales.com/search/Neptune
FW 800 drives
http://eshop.macsales.com/search/FW800
Striped RAID-0 dual drives, enclosures
http://eshop.macsales.com/search/RAID+0
Basically, if you have questions, call Other World Computing, they are also very helpful in making your selection if you aren't totally sure the best fit to your needs.

Good surge suppressor for iMac

my iMac was attached to a standard surge suppressor; a very short power interruption caused startup problems with the computer so the suppressor obviously wasn't effective
is anyone aware of a highly effective suppressor, or is the only way to be safe to turn off the computer and unplug it?
Thanks, jwizardp

Instead of a surge suppressor get yourself a decent battery backup that has surge suppression built into it. Here is a good example for your machine.
APC BE750G
If you do a little shopping you can probably buy it for less, I think I paid about $75 delivered for mine.
Regards,
Roger

Best video camera to use with iMove '11 for iMac

I'm looking for the best video camera with no difficulties for iMovie. Just to be able to plug in the camera with out having to load additional software or any other difficulties.
Or if any one else knows what type of file format is specifically needed for macs? MPG4 or AVI?
Thank you!

John Vonk wrote:
You wrote :
I'm interested to buy a Nikon photocamera Coolpix S8100.
This camera is NOT on Apple's list of supported cameras to use with iMovie 11. Nor is the camera Canon SD3500 as mentioned by you, I thought ...
Do you think I could use the Coolpix S8100 camera as well with iMovie 11 ?
Or could I meet a problem ?
In my opinion, the camera will work with iMovie '11, HOWEVER....
I have a Canon SX30IS bridge camera [that is, not a camcorder], and the HD videos work absolutely fine on iMovie with one - for me - important problem.
As my camera is also not supported, when any number of short video files are loaded in together, iMovie will not understand the sequence they were taken in, and MAY load them in a fairly random order into a project.
This is not a problem where one or two files are concerned, but where there are more, it can be a major problem if you want them used in sequence.
You either have to load them into the project one by one, manually, or be able to identify clearly from the thumbnails which is which, or the order will be all wrong. It IS possible to relate what you see as a thumbnail back to the original file, but only one file at a time, so you can't use the thumbnails to work out the order, if the images shown don't do that for you.
I have used videos from 5 unsupported digital cameras, and even an 8mm cine conversion file quite successfully, so I have no doubt that the Nikon will also work.

Norton AntiVirus Software Good or Bad for Imac?

Would like to know if Norton AntiVirus software is good for protecting my Imac from malware or are there other brands that work better?
My ISP provides the Norton AV at no cost, but I've heard that it may cause problems, so want input on best AV to use.

Norton Antivirus (made by Symantec) has a very long and illustrious reputation for mangling Mac OS X systems, sometimes to the point where a complete reinstall is necessary. Among other things, it installs kernel extensions which are known to cause kernel panics and system freezes; it contains known and documented bugs which can silently corrupt Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign files, destroy a user's ability to authenticate as an administrator, and (on PPC systems) can cause Classic to stop functioning; and Symantec has on at least two occasions now released flawed .dat file updates which erroneously report certain critical Mac OS X files as "viruses." (Deleting these "viruses" causes damage to the system that in some cases renders it unbootable.)
Norton Removal Tool (Symantec Uninstaller):
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH103489&locale =en_US
And now this, from 11 January 2012:
Lawsuit Claims Symantec "Scareware" Warns Of Fake Threats To Sell Upgrades
http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2012/01/11/lawsuit-claims-symantec-sca reware-warns-of-fake-threats-to-sell-upgrades/
There are many forms of ‘Malware’ that can affect a computer system, of which ‘a virus’ is but one type, ‘trojans’ another. Using the strict definition of a computer virus, no viruses that can attack OS X have so far been detected 'in the wild', i.e. in anything other than laboratory conditions. The same is not true of other forms of malware, such as Trojans. Whilst it is a fairly safe bet that your Mac has NOT been infected by a virus, it may have another security-related problem, but more likely a technical problem unrelated to any malware threat.
You may find this User Tip on Viruses, Trojan Detection and Removal, as well as general Internet Security and Privacy, useful:
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-2435
The User Tip (which you are welcome to print out and retain for future reference) seeks to offer guidance on the main security threats and how to avoid them.
More useful information can also be found here:
http://www.reedcorner.net/mmg/

2 questions: Convert analog video AV- USB Converter; Good TV Tuner For IMac

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for