Importing sony Video 8 from DCR-TRV310 (DV)

Question

I have successfully imported using this camera and firewire cable to my Mac using imovie 08 but cannot import older tapes (Video 8) Sony MP120. NO video or audio. imports were successful on Hi 8 tapes. Also imports were successful to HP computer using same camera same firewire cable. Imovie operates camera and I can hear and see on video camera playback but not on imovie8 screen

Answer 1

1. I could purchase a new playback device ..but if your existing one doesn't work - though I did get mine to work OK - what's the betting that "..a new playback device.." might also not work? I'd persevere with your existing playback device.
2. I could play back the analog through an ADC ..Mmm: Canopus or one of the others; I don't remember which one(s) people generally acknowledge to be the least troublesome: better search within discussions ..probably more references to them in iMovie HD 6 Discussions than here in iMovie '08 Discussions, though.
3. I could find another piece of sw to do the capture ..Yes; if your iMac is a PowerPC iMac, then downloading BTV Pro will do the job. If it's an Intel iMac, then you'd need to find something similar which is a 'Universal' application (i.e; runs on Intel Macs as well as PowerPC Macs).
4. Something else I haven't thought of ..Well; is your "playback device" so different from my Sony TRV330 camcorder? If it's not, then -p-e-r-s-e-v-e-r-e- and you may suddenly find the trick to making iMovie accept an import.
- Or, you may find that importing into iMovie HD 6 works, even if it won't import into iMovie '08.
- Or, if you can find a friend with a miniDV (or D-8) camcorder, you should be able to link the two cams with a 4-pin-to-4-pin FireWire cable, play the Analogue-8 tape out of yours into the other cam, and then import that newly-recorded digital tape into iMovie.
- Or, borrow an ADC (analogue-to-digital converter) before buying one, and see if that does work, before you splash the cash..
P.S: You say, above, in a previous post: "..5. In the event frame there's a <2 sec clip, mostly blank, beginning with some pink bars that I can't really make out and sometimes ending with the first few frames of the video. So it's trying to work, but quitting early for some reason.."
Perhaps the video has become corrupted. Try winding forwards to somewhere about 5 mins into the tape, play that in the camera and see if all looks OK, then try importing some of <i>that instead. Regions towards the very beginning of tapes often suffer stress from rewinding, etc, and often produce corrupt video after a while (..professionals never use the very beginning and end of tapes). It may be that corrupt pictures refuse to be recognised properly by the digital circuitry, which needs stable signals. See if importing from the middle of the tape works..