HD Camcorder w/iMac - MiniDV tapes or Digital harddrive better w/iMovie08

I'm looking at purchasing a new Canon camcorder either the HV20 or HG10 and have a new iMac with iMovie08. The HV20 uses the miniDV tapes and the HG10 has a 40 GB harddrive. Does anyone have any suggestions between the two types? I like the idea of not having to buy tapes but wasn't sure if I would have any import or quality problems with using the camcorder with the harddrive. Thanks.

Welcome to Apple discussions robnorv,
Look through the threads here and compare the number of problems encountered with hard drive cams, as opposed to miniDV cams. The choice should be clear and, as a bonus, with miniDV you will have unfettered access to use iMovie 06, should you find that iMovie 08 doesn't offer you enough editing solutions. You will have some quality degradation using a hard drive cam due to the high compression the format uses. DV is what iMovies all use and a miniDV cam will need no conversion processes to get the video into any iMovie programme you choose to use. Do some more research about these factors before you decide.
Tape cams also allow you to back up your completed video to a tape for archival purposes. If you go miniDV, it is good practice to buy quality tapes and always stick with one brand. Different manufacturers use somewhat different tape formulations and changing tape brands can cause head clogging problems. I bought several boxes of one brand (Panasonic MQ) online, where you will find good deals.

Similar Messages

What is the best miniDV camcorder to buy to export miniDV tapes to Macbook pro?

Hey there,
I have miniDV tapes with home videos that I want to export to iMovie or FCP 5.0 so I can turn the footage into digital video clips to burn to DVD's. They were shot on a Sony handicam that no longer works. I bought a Panasonic PV-gs15 in order to do the job but it doesn't export video, only pictures from SD card. Now I just want to get the best camcorder or device (within financial reason) for the job. Can anyone tell me the best way/Camcorder to get this video off these miniDV tapes and onto my computer please?

Hi
May be You find something of interest in my notes regarding this (and iMovie - but it is General)
NO CAMERA or A/D-box
Cable
• Are You sure that You are using the FireWire Cable - USB-Cable will not work for miniDV tape Cameras
FireWire - Sure not using the accompany USB-Cable but bought a 4-pin to 6-pin (or 9-pin) FW one ?
• Test another FW-Cable very often the problem maker.
Camera
• Test Your Camera on another Mac so that DV-in still works OK
• Toggle in iMovie pref. Play-back via Camera (on <-> off some times)
• Some Cameras has a Menu where You must select DV-out to get it to work
• Camera connected to "charger" (mains adaptor) - not just on battery
• Camera set in Playback mode - NOT Recording mode
Does Your Camera work on another Mac ?
Sorry to say it is to easy to turn the 6-pin end of the FW-cable 180 deg wrong.
This is lethal to the A/D-chip in the Camera = needs an expensive repair.
(Hard to find out - else than import/export to another Mac ceased to work
everything else is OK e.g. recording and playback to TV)
A/D-box
• Is the dip-switches set right ?
• Set to same standard as recorded/editing e.g. NTSC 29.97fps or PAL 25fps
• Try resetting it
Connections
• Daisy Chaining most often doesn’t work (some unique cases - it’s the only way that work (some Canon Cameras ?))
Try to avoid connecting Camera <--> external HD <--> Mac but import directly to the Mac then move
the Movie project to dedicated external hard disk.
• FireWire-port - Can be re-setted by - Turn off Mac and disconnecting Mac from Mains/Power for 20-30 minutes
External device’s (hard disk’s)
• Should be FireWire as USB/USB2 performs badly and so does Airport or Net-work connected ones too.
• MUST BE - Mac OS Extended formatted - UNIX/DOS/FAT32/Mac OS Exchange - DO NOT WORK for video due to 4Gb barrier.
Mac
• Free space on internal (start-up) hard disk ? Please specify the amount of free space.
(Other hard disks don't count)
I go for a minimum of 25Gb free space for 4x3 SD Video - and my guess is 5 times more for 16x9 HD ones
after material is imported and edited. No Camera or A/D-box
• GarageBands fix - Close iMovie, Open GarageBand, Play some notes, Close GB and iMove can now be OK
• Does Your Mac have a FireWire Port
• White MacBooks - don't
• MacBook-Air - don't
if not then a few Mac’s has a PCM-CIA slot and there are FW-Cards that makes a FW-port this way
else - NO SOLUTION
Only option as I get it is either
• Use another Mac to Capture material (to an external USB2 - Mac OS Extended formatted hard disk - or -
• Change to another Camera that can be used with Your Mac (no there are no miniDV tape Cameras that can)
• If Your Mac-Book has a PCM-CIA Card place - then there are FW-port-Cards and then
You can import via this - but I've not seen this on more modern Macs. My PowerBook G4
has one and this FW-Card-port works greatly.
SoftWare
• Delete iMovie pref. file may help sometimes. I rather start a new account, log into this and have a re-try.
• Any strange Plug-ins into QuickTime as Perian etc ? Remove and try again.
• FileVault is off ? (hopefully)
• Screen Saver - OFF
• Energy Saver - OFF
Using WHAT versions ? .
• Mac OS - X.5.4 ?
• QuickTime version ? (This is the heart in both iMovie and FinalCut)
• iMovie’08 (7.1.?), 09 or 11 ?
• iMovie HD 6 (6.0.4/3) ?
Other ways to import Your miniDV tape
• Use another Camera. There where tape play-back stations from SONY
but they costed about 2-4 times a normal miniDV Camera.
• If Your Camera works on another Mac. Make an iMovie movie project here and move it
over to Your Mac via an external hard disk.
(HAS TO BE Mac OS Extended formatted - USB/DOS/FAT32/Mac OS Exchange WILL NOT DO)
(Should be a FireWire one - USB/USB2 performs badly)
from LKN 1935.
Hi Bengt W, I tried it all, but nothing worked. Your answer has been helpful insofar as all the different trials led to the conclusion that there was something wrong with my iMovie software. I therefore threw everything away and reinstalled iMovie from the HD. After that the exportation of DV videos (there has not been any problem with HDV videos) to my Sony camcorders worked properly as it did before. Thank you. LKN 1935
from Karsten.
in addition to Bengt's excellent '9 yards of advice' ..
camera set to 'Play' , not rec/computer/etc.?
camera not on battery, but power-line?
did your Mac 'recognize' this camera before...?
a technical check.
connect camera, on, playback, fw-connected...
click on the Blue Apple, upper left of your screen ..
choose 'About . . / More . .
under Firewire.. what do you read . . ?
More
• FileVault - Secure that it’s turned off
• Network storage - DOESN’T WORK
• Where did You store/capture/import Your project ?
External USB hard disk = Bad Choice / FireWire = Good
If so it has to be Mac OS Extended formatted
----> UNIX/DOS/FAT32/Mac OS Exchange is NOT Working for VIDEO !
mbolander
Thanks for all your suggestions. What I learned is that I had a software problem. I had something called "Nikon Transfer" on my Mac that was recognizing my Canon camcorder as a still camera and was preventing iMovie from working properly. After un-installing Nikon Transfer and doing a reboot, everything worked great.
I never liked the Nikon Transfer software anyway--I guess I'll get a cheap card reader and use that to transfer photos in the future.
No Camera or bad import
• USB hard disk
• Network storage
• File Vault is on
jiggaman15dg wrote
if you have adobe cs3 or 4 and have the adobe bridge on close that
or no firewire will work
see if that helps
DJ1249 wrote
The problem was the external backup hard drive that is connected, you need to disconnect the external drive before the mac can see the video camera.
MaryBoog wrote
Maybe your problems is solved in the meantime, but for all others this might help as I had the same problem, also have the Sony HDR-HC7, but the 7e (Europe, PAL). I found this link today and it works perfectly
//support.sony-europe.com/tutorials/dime/videotransfer/vtransfer.aspx site=odw_en_GB&sec=DVH&m=HDR-HC7E
What I exactly did.- put camera in play mode - open guide - choose connection guide - choose comp./printer (where to transfer movie to) - select connection.- i-link (on my camera) but equal to firewire - OK - choose HDV - choose NO for conversion of i.link.
Settings are shown then (VCR HDV/DV.- HDV and i.link-conv..- OFF), press OK, OK, END.
Switch camera off. Connect firewire cable to camera & Mac. Switch camera on, in play/edit mode.
Open i-movie, choose import from camera. On screen below the camera connection is shown.- DV (HDV). Now you can import, automatically or manually.
This worked perfectly for me. Took me 2 days to find out. Could not find any clear thread explaining what I had to do on the camera and the manual was not clear either.
Yours Bengt W

Need compatible MiniDV Camcorder for imac

I am in need of a compatible Mini DV Camcorder? Does anyone know what camcorders are compatible with the imac? Camcorder that records on the little tapes. Currently I have a Sony Mini DV DCR-TRV27. It is not recognized. I have the correct firewire cables. 4 pin to 9 pin. MySony DVD player/burner does recognize so I know the Sony is outputting a signal. I have a ton of movies that I want to import to imove and cannot. Is this a Sony model issue or is it the mini DV format issue. Any help or suggestion would greatly be appreciated!!!
Jed

Hi
Sony Mini DV DCR-TRV27
Is supposed to work. My list on this.
*NO CAMERA or A/D-box*
Cable
• Sure that You use the FireWire - USB will not work for miniDV tape Cameras
FireWire - Sure not using the accompany USB-Cable but bought a 4-pin to 6-pin FW one ?
• Test another FW-Cable very often the problem maker.
Camera
• Test Your Camera on another Mac so that DV-in still works OK
• Toogle in iMovie pref. Play-back via Camera (on<->off some times)
• Some Cameras has a Menu where You must select DV-out to get it to work
• Camera connected to "charger" (mains adaptor) - not just on battery
Does Your Camera work on another Mac ?
Sorry to say it is to easy to turn the 6-pin end of the FW-cable 180 deg wrong.
This is lethal to the A/D-chip in the Camera = needs an expensive repair.
(Hard to find out - else than import/export to another Mac ceased to work
everything else is OK eg recording and playback to TV)
Connections
• Daisy Chaining most often doesn’t work (some unique cases - it’s the only way that work (some Canon Cameras ?))
Try to avoid connecting Camera <--> external HD <--> Mac but import directly to the Mac then move
the Movie project to dedicated external hard disk.
Mac
• Free space on internal (start-up) hard disk ? Please specify the amount of free space.
(Other hard disks don't count)
I go for a minmum of 25Gb free space for 4x3 SD Video - and my guess is 5 times more for 16x9 HD ones
after material is imported and edited.
SoftWare
• Delete iMovie pref file may help sometimes. I rather start a new account, log into this and have a re-try.
• Any strange Plug-ins into QuickTime as Perian etc ? Remove and try again.
• FileVault is off ? (hopefully)
Using WHAT versions ? .
• Mac OS - X.5.4 ?
• QuickTime version ? (This is the heart in both iMovie and FinalCut)
• iMovie 8 (7.1.?) ?
• iMovie HD 6 (6.0.4/3) ?
*Other ways to import Your miniDV tape*
• Use another Camera. There where tape play-back stations from SONY
but they costed about 2-4 times a normal miniDV Camera.
• If Your Camera works on another Mac. Make an iMovie movie project here and move it
over to Your Mac via an external hard disk.
(HAS TO BE Mac OS Extended formatted - USB/DOS/FAT32/Mac OS Exchange WILL NOT DO)
(Should be a FireWire one - USB/USB2 performs badly)
from LKN 1935.
Hi Bengt W, I tried it all, but nothing worked. Your answer has been helpfull insofar as all the different trials led to the conclusion that there was something wrong with my iMovie software. I therefore threw everything away and reinstalled iMovie from the HD. After that the exportation of DV videos (there has not been any problem with HDV videos) to my Sony camcorders worked properly as it did before. Thank you. LKN 1935
from Karsten.
in addition to Bengt's excellent '9 yards of advice' ..
camera set to 'Play' , not rec/computer/etc.?
camera not on battery, but power-line?
did your Mac 'recognize' this camera before...?
a technical check.
connect camera, on, playback, fw-connected...
click on the Blue Apple, upper left of your screen ..
choose 'About../More..
under Firewire.. what do you read..?
More
• FileVault - Secure that it’s turned off
• Network storage - DOESN’T WORK
• Where did You store/capture/import Your project ?
External USB hard disk = Bad Choise / FireWire = Good
If so it has to be Mac OS Extended formatted
----> UNIX/DOS/FAT32/Mac OS Exchange is NOT Working for VIDEO !
mbolander
Thanks for all your suggestions. What I learned is that I had a software problem. I had something called "Nikon Transfer" on my Mac that was recognizing my Canon camcorder as a still camera and was preventing iMovie from working properly. After uninstalling Nikon Transfer and doing a reboot, everything worked great.
I never liked the Nikon Transfer software anyway--I guess I'll get a cheap card reader and use that to transfer photos in the future.
*No Camera or bad import*
• USB hard disk
• Network storage
• File Vault is on
jiggaman15dg wrote
if you have adobe cs3 or 4 and have the adobe bridge on close that
or no firewire will work
see if that halps
DJ1249 wrote
The problem was the external backup hard drive that is connected, you need to disconect the external drive before the mac can see the video camera.
Yours Bengt W

Looking fora camcorder that also has an s-video or rca jack input to convert my vhs tapes to digital

looking fora camcorder that also has an s-video or rca jack input to convert my vhs tapes to digital.

Hi ltcps,
Thanks for writing us!
None of Canon's current camcorders include S-Videos, RCA or other auxiliary inputs.
Did this answer your question? Please click the Accept as Solution button so that others may find the answer as well.

How can I convert MiniDV tapes to DVD? I've use a Canon GL 2 and an iMac about 1 year old. I'm trying to use iMovie and I've installed the latest drivers.

How can I convert MiniDV tapes to DVD? I've use a Canon GL 2 and an iMac about 1 year old. I'm trying to use iMovie and I've installed the latest drivers.

MiniDV was a great format, one I still use often. I also still use iMovie HD6 to process it and, for all the iterations of iMovie that followed it, I still believe it was one of Apple's greatest movie software programmes, next to Final Cut Pro, using a timeline method of editing. That was also in the day which Apple put Superdrives into their computers, so that you could not only make your movie in iMovie, but you could render it to iDVD and then burn the DVD. Now you need to buy an external burner.
Since iMovie HD6 and iDVD 6 were "universal" software, it has continued to work through the many OS releases since it came out with Tiger, I believe it was. So, it may still work with Mavericks too and, if you could locate a copy of iLife 06, probably used, you might enjoy the difference that HD6 has over all iMovie releases since then.
Not saying you can't process your MiniDV with current iMovie versions, but I'm not the one to speak about that.

Any way to use standard VHS deck to convert VHS tape to digital file (iMac)

I use FCE/iMovie. I've had old 8mm films converted to digital files to make family movies - very costly. Is there a way to use a standard VHS deck as a source with my newer iMac to convert old VHS tapes to digital files for editing?

I purhcased the Canopus 55 - it is working well. You can't preview in iMovie, though, which is a challenge and was a comment in reviews on Canopus 55. I did buy the power source with it based on reviews.
However, I am posting a question about iMovie 08 which has quit making thumbnails & writing the video even though the import screen appears to import.

For SD camcorder are miniDV tape and Firewire bad choices?

I just purchased a camcorder (Panasonic SDR_H40) which appears incompatible with iMovie HD 6, so I am going to return it. I currently have iMovie HD 6.0.3 and will probably stay with that version (based on some discussions on this site). I was going to buy a miniDV tape camcorder but they seem hard to find and the salesman said that this format was becoming obsolete. Also other discussions on this site suggest that Apple may be phasing out Firewire. Assuming that I can find a SD miniDV camcorder, presumably with a Firewire output, is this a bad choice for a camcorder? I'd appreciate any help.
Tricia

for 'Standard' (=not HiDef) video, miniDv is still an excellent choice:
° less compression => excellent pic quality
° no limitation in 'disk space' => insert new tape = another 13GB/60min recording time..
° easy/convenient long term storage of 'raw data' => keep the tapes
° 100% compatible with iMovie 6 and other versions..
prob here: actual consumer MacBooks lack a fw-port => miniDV import is via fw only.
your options: use your 'old' Mac; use a MacMini; use a MacPro ...
nobody can tell you about 'phasing' of fw on Macs .. +'we don't comment on future products'+ ..

What firewire will connect 27 inch IMac with Cannon GL2 digital camcorder

What firewire will connect 27 inch IMac with Cannon GL2 digital camcorder?

According to the Canon spec's a > 4 to 9 pin firewire cables is what you will need, provided that you have a slightly older 27" iMac that still has a FireWire 800 port.

Sony DVD Camcorder to iMac

I've been trying to figure out a way to import video from my Sony DVD camcorder. I've searched these forums and so far much of the advice is not to buy Sony DVD camcorders. While I understand the good intentions of this advice, I like all the other advantages which the Sony DVD camcorders offer.
That being said, I have two questions which will help me decide whether I really should return the Sony DCR-DVD 205 and/or use a Sony DCR-DVD 305 instead:
1) Some others have suggested exporting the A/V out from the DVD camcorder and feeding it into the analog port of a DV camcorder. I happen to have a DV camcorder (broken lens but fine for this purpose) which can record the analog input onto a DV tape. This allows me to use the firewire out from the DV camcorder to the iMac just fine. I have tried this technique and while it is a hassle it appears to work well. Here's my question: Am I losing a significant amount of quality or resolution by converting DVD to analog to DV to iMac? The picture quality seems OK so far but I'm wondering if I am missing something.
2) So my next question is thiis: Is it worth getting the 305 model instead? Unlike the 205, the 305 has a USB 2.0 port. But from everything I have seen, USB 2.0 ports are far from ideal when it comes to transferring digital quality video.
Thanks in advance. I am going a bit crazy trying to figure out what to do about this.
iMac g5

welcome TeamIguana to the  board ...
you've done your research on this board about DVDcorders, so you do know, the iApps don't support such devices ... you miss the convenience of simply plug-in/hit import/done... and some others...
you have two options:
convert from dvd (please use the forum search for that popular issue), or, as you wrote, a playback-analoge-digital conversion...
the loss in pic quality happens while playback a dvd...- you record in a codec called mpeg2, which is a very, very effective compressor...- a standard iM project of 2h=~26GB gets compressed with mpeg2 to fit onto a 4.7Gb single-layer dvd-r...
to be so effective, mpeg uses different "tricks", e.g. it doesn't store every frame of the 30fps a video contains... dv (as on miniDV, or iM's native internal codec) does so... as you probably know: mpeg2 is a delivery format, no edit format...
so answer to 1): due to mpeg standards, you have a loss of pic quality. any miniDV would be ... better.- but it has to fullfill your tastes and standards, if it is ok to you.. just do it
ad 2) iMovie doesn't support the import via usb2.- when you're lucky, you get some Sony-made app with that device which allows to remotely control the corder via usb2 to force it to playback/stream the video to the Mac.. HardDrivecorders behave like some ordinary harddrive, easy to drag'n drop file from them to the Mac.. but a DVDcorder? even, when you hit manually "play"... how should your Mac know what to do with that stream of data coming via usb??
you guess it allready; I'm not convinced by DVDcorders
so, just to feed my personal curiosity:
I like all the other advantages which the Sony DVD camcorders offer.
... which one?

Unable to properly capture HD video from miniDV tape in FCE

unable to capture HD video from miniDV tape
When I connect my Sony HDR-HC3 miniDV HDV camcorder to my iMac via firewire cable and use Final Cut Express to capture the video from the tape, I do not get a Capture window that allows me to specify in and out points, I just get a playback window that immediately starts capturing and the only option I have in this window is hit ESC to stop capturing. If I let this capture window continue to capture the video from the camera with miniDV HD tape, then the entire tape would be captured as one massive single video clip.
QUESTION: Is there something I change or do to make the proper capture window appear where I can specify in and out points to capture from tape for each clip?
NOTE: using same camera and tape with iMovie with automatic capture enabled, all the clips get captured properly. I also tried to use the manual setting in iMovie and it worked too.
More details(read only if you want more information)
I have a several miniDV tapes containing HD video created on a Sony Sony HDR-HC5 and Sony HDR-HC7. Unfortunately, both these camera were stolen, and I have since moved to a camera that uses flash memory, not tape. However, I need to get the video footage off these tapes, so I bought a used Sony HDR-HC3, it plays the HD miniDV tapes just fine and iMovie reads the video from this camera just fine, but Final Cut Express does not.
When I setup Final Cut Express, I used the Easy Setup and specified:
Format: HD
Rate: 29.97 fps
Use: HDV-Apple Intermediate Codec 1080i60
These setting match those of the camera and recorded tape. If I use any other settings but these, then Final Cut Express never sees the camera and never opens any capture window at all. Using Quicktime 10 movie inspector on the clips captured by iMovie from same camera, all the clips match this setting too.
Final Cut Express version 4.0.1
iMovie 09 Version 8.0.2 (821)
iMac 2.93 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 4GB 1067 MHz DDR3 running
Mac OS X Version 10.6.4
My Final Cut Express scratch disk is a Seagate 2TB external USB 2.0 Hard Drive that has been formatted to be Mac OS Extended (Journaled). This external disk is also where iMovie successfully captured all the video from the same camera.

Thanks for the answer. It makes me sad. I thought using Final Cut Express would be an upgrade to a more robust editing system from iMovie, yet iMovie does a superior job of logging and capturing video from HDV video on miniDV tape in comparison to FCE. Not only does iMovie capture each clip on the tape into it's own video file automatically, it also includes timestamp information in the filename indicating when the clip was originally recorded, which appears to be something that is missing from Final Cut Express. Now I realize that HDV miniDV cameras had a relatively short life span in the consumer marketplace and have since all been replaced by flash and hard drive based AVCHD cameras, but from circa 2004 to 2007, miniDV HDV camcorders were very popular and I am sure there are lots of consumers that must be super frustrated by Final Cut Express limited ability to log and capture clips properly from these cameras.
Assuming I do not want to make a rough cut of video in iMovie and prefer to begin my editing project in Final Cut Express (not doing XML export of iMovie project), I need to determine the best way to get clips captured via iMovie into Final Cut Express and determine if there is anything inferior in the iMovie captured clips that I need to be aware of. So far it appears that both iMovie and Final Cut Express reduce the 5.1 surround sound captured on the HDV miniDV tapes to stereo sound, which is not a big lose given the 5.1 sound was recorded from camera's built-in microphone, but it makes me wonder if the video is reduced in any way by the iMovie import process, examining the video in quicktime's inspector window the video appears to be the same in both iMovie and FCE, but I'll research the answers to these questions elsewhere on this forum and post additional questions if I do not find the information I need.

Connecting sony camcorder to imac

Hi, new to imac ( not even 3weeks yet!) loving it, but I now want to move on to do some more stuff- I assume I can connect my old Sony mini DV cam corder to the imac via firewire? the Sony's model is DCR-pc101e it has a small firewire look port under the flap - but what sort of cable do I use to connect the the 2? I'm new to firewire - I'm kinda guessing it's like usb? mini micro standard etc?
Also, and perhaps more to the point, will the imac recognise the camcorder? or will I need extra software to import video's?
tia Wayno

Apple says that virtually all miniDV tape video cams are compatible with iMovie - but you will need to connect via Firewire. USB will not work. You need a Firewire cable which you can get from the standard suppliers like Belkin. I assume you have a late model iMac which has only a Firewire 800 port so make sure you get the proper cable.
Once you have the camera connected to the iMac, start up iMovie, put your camera on play and then most likely the video import screen will show up. If not, then click on the little camera icon on the lower left side of the iMovie window. You should be able to control your camera from the video import screen.

Compression of MiniDV Tapes

I have quite a few MiniDV tapes stored up, and have put a few of them on my hard drive. Unfortunately, these tapes take about about 12 GBs per hour- and that's more room than I can afford (one or two of those is ok, but 20+?). What format do you recommend I save these in? I've tried saving them as MP4's in iMovie, but I'm a little bit iffy about the quality loss. Surely there's a format that keeps most of the quality with less space. Any help here would be greatly appreciated- the tapes keep stacking up.

Yes, iMovies use about 13 GB per hour of video as imported. If you edit them, the size can increase dramatically, Most of the movies I have made are just under two hours and use up 25-30GB each, but several of them ballooned up to over 100GB.
It is not practical nor advisable to keep your edited iMovies on your computer's drive--unless you invest in several 1000 GB(1TB) drives.
You need to think through what you eventually want to do with all your movie tapes.
I disagree with you that tapes 'stacking up' is a problem. The miniDV tapes hold up well over time and the space they take up is minimal.
If you want to put your iMovies onto DVDs, you should import them a few at a time, just the portions that you want in one iMovie. The limitation for iDVD is total time length, not size. Using single-layer DVDs, you can burn up to two hours--that would include any menu/submenu videos and audios as well.
If you do a 'save as disk image' for each of your iDVD projects--and you should--you will be creating an image file that is self-contained, and can be used to burn DVDs of that same project in the future using Disk Utility.
SInce the disk image is self-contained, you can safely delete the original iMovie and iDVD for that project after you are finished with it.*See next sentence about exporting iMovie to camcorder.
I also export all my edited iMovies back to DV tapes as a way to save my movies*.
Those DV tapes are small, take up hardly any room, and keep my precious movies in digital format, ready for whatever technology follows DVDs.
But, I don't want to rely solely on DVDs to preserve my movies since DVD disks can crack, break, get stepped on, melt or meet some other disaster. If you have children or grandchildren around, accidents can and will happen.
I am a bit paranoid about saving my movies. I also keep a set of my DVDs in a safe-deposit box so that I can always duplicate it if need be, and I have each iDVD project's disk image saved on two external drives.
I have made DVDs of our family videos and still photos for a 20-year period. I have one plastic bin of the raw footage DV tapes, and another bin with the edited movies saved to DV tapes. Each of the bins is about the size of two shoeboxes. I consider them as valuables and feel fortunate that they occupy so little space!
There is no need to try to change the format of the DV footage. iMovie works best with it, and you don't want to do any conversion that may result in loss of quality.

How to convert old VHS tapes to digital

I am hoping someone can give me an overview of what kind of equipment/software is necessary to convert VHS tapes into a digital format that could be saved in iMovie. Do I just need the right cables for the VCR or something more complicated? Thanks!

I recommend that you download the free iMovie HD6 for those with iMovie 08 who do not have a prior version of iMovie HD6. You can get it here: http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/imovieHD6.html
And, do this tutorial: http://www.apple.com/support/imovie/tutorial/
It is more capable of creative editing and you have a quite a bit more control over your iMovie with it.
+So, your method worked using just a VCR, a camcorder, and your computer? No special converters?+
Yes, I just used the AV connectors that came with my camcorder to hook the camcorder to the VCR....which was in a combo TV/VCR unit so I could see the footage on my tv, just to make it easier. The AV connector cable has a special prong that fits into the camcorder, and those white/red/yellow prongs at the VCR end. The TV/VCR is a few years old, certainly not anything fancy or new.
I didn't bother with a converter since I just used the camcorder.
My computer and that VCR are not physically close enough to try to import directly, and since I wanted the digital tapes of the original footage, recording first to the miniDV tapes worked for me. Canopus makes a couple of nice converters...they are around $150-250, I think.
Then, to connect to the computer with the camcorder you will need a 4-6 pin Firewire cable.
+I might do it sooner or I might put it off for awhile while I practice messing around with iMovie.+
The benefit of recording from VHS to miniDV tapes is that the tapes are digital, they store easily and the footage will not degrade before you get around to creating your iMovies and DVDs. iMovies can take up lots of drive space, so don't be thinking that you will just import them all and save them for editing later. You would need a huge amount of space for this. Most of my movies are just under 2 hours, and occupy between 25-40 GB each. A couple of my movies were well over 100-140GB!!!! Yes, that is correct. I have a couple of external drives that I use for my movies while I am creating them. I usually have about two or three that I am working on at the same time.
+We want to put them in a digital format that will be easier to store and play and safer from eroding over time, so I guess the end format I'm looking for is DVDs.+
Because DVDs can break/crack/warp/melt/etc, you should consider exporting your finished iMovies back to the camcorder so that you have the miniDV tapes for more permanent storage and as a backup to your DVDs.
That is one of the big reasons that I don't use iMovie 08---it does not permit exporting back to a camcorder.
Although I do not save my created iMovies on my computer after I have made the DVD and exported the edited movie back to tape, I do save all my iDVD projects as disk images. A disk image can be up to 4.7 GB--even my large movies were automatically compressed down when put into iDVD. The limitation in iDVD is the total length of the movie in TIME, not SIZE. I use single-layer DVDs, which can hold up to 2 hours of content. Creating disk images allows you to have an exact copy of your iDVD projects, self-contained so that you can delete the original iMovies and the original iDVD projects. You can use the disk image to burn your disks when you first create them, and any time in the future. It is a good backup for the entire DVD.
Enjoy being creative with your movie projects! Post back with any more questions, and feel free to email me if you want.
Regards,
Beverly

How best to Convert, and edit video tape to digital

I want to convert, and edit VHS and Betamax video tapes to digital. My research indicates that there are a number of ways to achieve this, including:
1. A video recorder with a hard disk and DVR (Which?)
2. The "pass through" feature on a MiniDV camcorder (Discussion Sites)
3. EyeTV 250 Plus (Magazine)
4. Canopus' (ADVC300), which “cleans and stabilises analogue video before conversion so the digital is a higher quality than the original analogue” (Magazine and Discussion Sites)
Some claim that an S-video connection is essential for best results.
Can an expert advise the best solution?

I have a Canopus ADVC-300 that I use when digitizing VHS and Hi8 material.
It works quite well. The included software allows you to adjust the quality of the image as it is being converted.
Connect the tape deck to the ADVC-300 using SVHS cable and an audio RCA cable then firewire between the ADVC-300 and your mac. Turn on everything and launch iMovie to capture the playing video stream.
If you have technical questions regarding iMovie and or iDVD, each has a specific forum here on the Apple Discussions site.
Good luck,
x

Import from Panasonic MiniDV tape to iMovie08

Panasonic MiniDV tape camcorder model NV GS 25 GC
(Software MotionDV STUDIO that came along with the camera indicates that is is compatible with Windows OS only. The website for the software also indicates compatibility with Windows OS only.)
I have MBP with Leopard OS.
When i connect the camera to the MBP, the digital photos taken in the camcorder can be shifted to iPhoto but the movie recorded in the tape is not recognized. The device 'NO NAME' has two folders. DCIM which has the still photos. MISC has a file AUTPRINT.MRK which I guess is the file for movie is not recognized.
Kindly suggest how to solve this problem. I need to transfer the MiniDV tape recorded data to iMovie08
Thanks.
from a user new to MAC world.

Try this.
This Camcorder has both USB and Firewire connections. Use the Firewire connection for importing into iMovie. You may need to acquire a firewire cable, but a firewire cable should have been included with your camera..
Camcorder must be plugged in (not on batteries).
Open iMovie.
Connect the Camcorder with Firewire.
Turn on Camcorder to Playback mode or PC mode (depends on camcorder)
Camcorder should be recognized.
Import the video from within iMovie 08.
USB connections work on some camcorders (those that store video to SD cards). Those that use mini-DV tape should use firewire.
Message was edited by: AppleMan1958

HD Camcorder w/iMac - MiniDV tapes or Digital harddrive better w/iMovie08

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