Import from camcorder stops after few seconds. Never used to! Ideas?

Question

Hi you wonderful experts and enthusiast out there.
Been using iMovie HD 5 successfully for a couple of years, but all of a sudden I can't import from my camcorder. I have a long, unbroken, recorded sequence on the camcorder, but when I go to import iMovie imports just a few seconds before stopping. And if I hit import again it does the same, but the "bits" don't match exactly so I cant even splice them together. Which leaves my with no idea how to proceed.
I did wonder if the movie was already too full (unlikely, but the same happened on a brand new movie) and also whether the DV tape was just too old (but the same is happening with a brand new tape).
It's a Canon MV960, if that helps.
ANd if I can't use iMovie to import it - is there another way? (Like I can use image capture in place of iPhoto if I so desire.)
Message was edited by: Trevor C

Answer 1

Hi
My list of what to try:
Test another FW-Cable.
The GarasgeBand trick. Start GB save a fake project close it. Now try iMovie again.
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)
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 Exchange formatted - USB/DOS/FAT32/Mac OS Exchange WILL NOT DO)
(Should be a FireWire one - USB/USB2 performs badly)
FireWire - Sure not using the accompany USB-Cable but bought a 4-pin to 6-pin FW one ?
Using WHAT ? :
• 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) ?
Free space on internal (start-up) hard disk ? (Others don't count)
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)
Delete iMovie pref file may help sometimes. I rather start a new account, log into
this and have a re-try.
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..?
Yours Bengt W