HDR-HC1 - import as DV from HDV footage

Question

The HDR-HC1 is able to export HDV footage as DV through in-camera conversion. However, when I try to import as DV into iMovie I get no image.
Can anyone else get the HDR-HC1 and iMovie to import HDV footage as DV??? If so can they please post the magic setting you need to use in the camera and the sequence of steps to setup a new iMovie project so that it can accept the DV stream?

Answer 1

It's slightly tricky to solve, but with a bit of logical thought it can be done (..I've just tested it for you ..but I'm sure you would have found the answer with some persistence..)
Firstly, of course, set the camcorder (..in the 'Standard Set' menu..) to "i.Link Conv - ON (HDV>DV)" ..so that it converts HDV to DV as the video finds its way out down the FireWire cable.
Then create a New Project in iMovie 5.0.2 (..that's what I'm using for this test..) as 'DV Widescreen' ..because that's the 16:9 shape of the original HDV.
When you connect your camcorder, iMovie will show that it's incompatible with the project! ..Why? ..Because the camcorder's own screen is showing "HDV1080i" in the top-left corner, because that's the original tape format which it's playing. (Make sure, by the way, that the 'Standard Set' menu is also set to "Auto" in "VCR HDV/DV", so that the camcorder isn't forced into HDV playback, but just plays whatever format is on the tape.) Make sure that the camera is NOT connected to iMovie - yet!
Now scroll down the camera's menu to "TV TYPE" and choose "4:3". [..I found that if I was set to the - obvious - 16:9 (i.e; widescreen) the next step gave a squeezed playback in iMovie..]
Start playing your movie on the camcorder, and - while it's playing - with iMovie onscreen, plug in your FireWire cable. Wait. The project should be fooled into thinking there's simply a camera - e.g; an iSight - connected, and will display your video onscreen, and instead of an 'Import' button onscreen, it should show a button marked 'Capture from camera' or similar wording. Click that button, and it'll import.
Don't be dismayed if the footage appears to be squashed in the 'thumbnail' picture in the right-hand clips pane of iMovie. When necessary, click on the 'Capture' button again to stop importing, stop the tape by touching the HC1's screen, and wind forwards or backwards to the next clip you want to capture, then touch 'Play' on the HC1 screen, and click 'Capture' again on the iMovie screen.
The second or third thumbnail clip should display in proper widescreen shape in the right-hand clips pane. Don't stop till you've finished all* your capturing/importing, though you may click Apple+S to Save your project from time to time.
When you Save, or finally Quit after importing all the footage you want, and you then then restart iMovie, any squeezed thumbnails should expand to be their proper shape in the clips pane. You can then play and edit clips as normal ..though they may at first 'overflow' the normal iMovie playback window, and temporarily obscure the Timeline counter.
I mentioned, above*, to keep going till you've captured all your clips, as you probably won't find it possible to import more clips this way once you've Quit from that project ..because once iMovie has labelled the project as "iSight" (..because you've fooled it!..) it will say that you're using an incompatible camera when it next detects your HC1 camcorder.
So you have to fool it, and then - during that period of importing - import all the footage you want.
That's what's just worked for me, anyway.
In summary; there's a bug: even though you set the camcorder to convert the HDV footage to DV, nevertheless, iMovie 5 seems to read the original format of the tape (..what appears on your HC1's playback screen..) and thus believes that what you're sending it is not DV but is HDV. I don't know if the bug is in iMovie (..a possible failure to read the format that's coming down the FireWire cable..) or is Sony's fault (..possible failure to deliver the correct info from the camcorder). So don't necessarily blame Apple without knowing the reason for this camera-to-program communication error.
You may try sending a bug report to Apple - via iMovie Feedback - but Apple's already on iMovie HD version 6, so little may be done to adjust iMovie HD 5 now.
iMovie HD 6.0.1 has a very similar bug (..not absolutely identical, as it may display 'HD' just below the Timeline - having detected it - but may accept that the camera is set to 'DV'..) and so a bug report to Apple, just describing your versions as plain "iMovie HD", may produce an improved version 6.0.2, but I've no idea if they'll update version 5 to remove this apparent inability of iMovie to recognise that the camcorder has been set to deliver DV from the original HDV footage.
So experiment at 'fooling' iMovie HD 5. I managed to do it ..but "your mileage may vary"..