My firewire won't read my camera

Question

Hello,
I have a Sony dcr-trv18 Digital Camcorder. It used to work great with my G4, using the firewire ports, then one day stopped.
I just purchased a Mac-Mini, & I have the same problem. So that's 2 different computers, same camera, no connection.
If anyone could help me I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

Answer 1

Hi t
This can be anything from simple to traumatic.
Error can be in:
- Mac
- FW-cable
- Camera
1. Test Your Camera with another FW-cable
2. And on another - third Mac
Here comes a killingly long list but it tracks up near all possibly origins to
all kind of problems with iMovie (and iDVD)
Print it out and use it with care. No responsability from my side !
Capture/Import problems:
a) File-Vault is on - turn it off
b) don’t Daisy chain camcorder - external hard disk - Mac
(except for some Canon-Cameras)
c) Slow hard disk (fragmented: repair permissions, repair hard disk, use a faster hard disk)
d) Something is occupying the CPU/System, like other programs, Internet etc.
e) Bad RAM-chips
f) drop outs on the miniDV-tape - make a camera to camera copy on a tape which You have previous recorded with a time code (dummy recording).
g) FW-wire cable OK?
h) Break in the time-code on the miniDV tape (make a camera to camera copy on a tape which is prerecorded with nothing/anything so that the tape has a time-code from beginning to the end)
i) defective camera TRY IT ON ANOTHER MAC !
j) remove bookmarks in iMovie project
k) Do You have desktop pictures or screen-savers active? Try turning them off.
l) Updating - OS has to be a clean install - not an update eg from X.3.x to X.4.x (no good)
  OS X.4.0-2 needs a clean install to work (I use X.3.9)
m) Updating QT and/or other updates (to 7 needs v6 to be cleaned out first)
  QT v.7 needs a clean install to work (I use 6.5.2)
n) Have you tried the crazy fix:
Open GarageBand, play a few notes, close it and reopen iMovie. The camera should import fine now. (Sue/SDillini)
o) NEW (from Sue/SDillini):
Trash the Font Collections Folder.
These files are found:
/YourUserName/Library/FontCollections folder.
Drag the folder to the trash and launch iMovie. iMovie will create a new FontCollections folder containing the files it needs when it next opens.
p) or thrashing the com.apple.imovie.plist file (Rodney Brown2)
May be You find some help in my list:
Mac:
- hardware
◊ Slow hard disk (fragmented: repair permissions, repair hard disk, use a faster hard disk)
◊ I wonder how full your Mac's hard disc is. (David Babsky) A near full hard disk prevents Import/Capture.
10% free is recommended + space for Import/Capture + work space (about 4 to
5 times the amount needed for Capture) eg on a 200Gb hard disk You need 20Gb + (one hour tape)
13Gb + 50Gb = about 80 to 90Gb free space.
◊ Disconnect all other ext devices (FW and USB) exept Camera (and keyboard + mouse) and try again
◊ Rebuild Desktop (Tech-tool or fingersetting during start-up) (System up to 9)
◊ Reset PRAM (Tech-tool or keyboard finger settings alt-cmd-P-R ??)
◊ Reset PMU ( Restting the PMU...is the the alt-ctrl-shift and powerbutton shortcut? ) (Sue)
PMU: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86760
PMU/SMU are essentially the same in the PM G5.
◊ Reset SMU
SMU: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300341
◊ Bad RAM-chips
◊ disconnect Mac from powerline (not just switch off, really plug out) for a few minutes to reset FW ports
- software
◊ File-Vault is on - turn it off
◊ Something is occupying the CPU/System, like other programs, Internet etc.
◊ Do You have desktop pictures or screen or energy-savers active? Try turning them off.
◊ Updating - OS has to be a clean install - not an update eg from X.3.x to X.4.x (no good) OS X.4.0-5 needs a clean install to work (I use X.3.9)
◊ Updating QT and/or other updates (to 7 needs v6 to be cleaned out first) QT v.7.0.0-4 needs a clean install to work (I use 6.5.2)
◊ Have you tried the crazy fix: Open GarageBand, play a few notes, close it and reopen iMovie. The camera should import fine now. Sue/SDillini
◊ Running iDVD at the same time as iMovie can cause problems: (Lennart Thelander)
◊ If You also have installed FinalCut Express/pro there are possibly problems with this
iMovie:
◊ remove bookmarks in iMovie project
◊ Trash: com.apple.iMovie.plist and com.apple.iMovie3.plist : files (Xinram)
Connection:
◊ don’t Daisy chain Camcorder <--> external hard disk <--> Mac
◊ FW-wire cable, is it OK?
◊ USB/USB2 is NO GO !
◊ Cheque FW connection at Camera end. OK? (Adam Smith1)
◊ Cheque FW connection at Mac end. OK?
Camera:
◊ The Camera is set to VTR ? (not as when You ”film” record with it)
◊ You may be need to go to the Camera menu and select digital out.
◊ defective camera TRY IT ON ANOTHER MAC ! (if the A/D chip in the camera is harmed then it will say in iMovie that the camera is connected and You can forward resp. backward the tape but there will be no picture or sound just the blue screen).
◊ connect camera to power-line, not battery-only....(Karsten Schlüter)
◊ Canons don't allow daisychaining on firewire, make it "only device" on port (Karsten Schlüter)
◊ Cheque the menu on Your Camera so that it communicates with the FW digitally to Your Mac
◊ Date and Time is correct on Your Camera ?
Tape:
◊ Drop outs on the miniDV-tape - make a camera to camera copy on a tape which You have previous recorded with a time code (dummy recording).
◊ Break in the time-code on the miniDV tape (make a camera to camera copy on a tape which is pre-recorded with nothing/anything so that the tape has a time-code from beginning to the end)
◊ If You recorded in LP-mode (90 min on a standard 60 min tape with 12-bit sound). Try to change in iMovie pref. to import but not as individual clips. If this doesn’t work You have to make a Camera to Camera copy with the receiving Camera set to SP-mode and 16-bit sound.
More:
◊ follow advises here http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=43000
◊ follow Grandmaster Dan's advice for Sony cameras here: http://www.danslagle.com/mac/iMovie/usage/5020.shtml
NEWS: Jerry Harris writes:
I know that in a lot of the new Sony HD cameras, iMovie requires that you turn i.Link Conv off. I would look for a similar setting for your camera. This setting has to do with shooting a movie in one format, and using the camera to import as a different format. For instance, if you shoot HD footage and have i.Link conv on - the camera will send DV to the computer etc...
So, case in point: look for a setting on your camera that has to do with the video format and see if that helps.
Yours Bengt W