Resource Info for new Digital Video Camera.

Hello.
Can anyone suggest a good resouce/magazine/website to research digital video cameras?
I have used the same Sony DCR TRV120 for the past nine years. It ran out of steam. Mostly used it for family, nature and even spots for a local hokie TV station. Time for a new camera to use with FCE. And I have no clue where to begin researching.
Thank you.

Well l will ask this another way.
I'm in the market for a prosumer camera.
I want to video both SD (NTSC) and HDV.
If I went with a camera that _did not record_ in NTSC but rather 1080i or whatever, would it be possible to convert the video to NTSC in FCE? I do lots of family videos etc. Not everyone has an HDTV & widescreen at this time.
Message was edited by: B. Hunter

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Looking for forums for Sony digital video camera recorder DCR-TRV 11

I've been thinking hard and decided that I WILL use my Sony digital video camera recorder DCR-TRV 11. (I was being tempted by a smaller Sony that has a 40x optical zoom.
Question: Do you know of where I can find a good forum for this brand and model? I Googled it but would like personal recommendations.
Thank you.
-L

Bengt Wärleby wrote:
Hi
Don't know of any other forum else this (and FinalCut)
Your Camera NEED an FireWire-Cable FW-800 <--> 4-pin or FW-400 <--> 4-pin
I have a FireWire cable.
The supplied USB-Cable will not work with iMovie or FinalCut - Sorry.
Yours Camera also can record Audio as 12-bit or 16-bit Audio.
Please - SET IT TO 16-bit (now) - else severe audio sync problems in iMovie
(FinalCut - might be able to Capture 32kHz audio)
How do I set my Sony digital video camera recorder DCR-TRV 11 to 16-bit?
Also, I do not have or use Final Cut.
Thank you for the warning about 16 bit. I wish you would tell me why it is important to set to 16 bit, though.
Thank you,
-L
Yours Bengt W
Don't know of any other forum else this (and FinalCut)
Your Camera NEED an FireWire-Cable FW-800 <--> 4-pin or FW-400 <--> 4-pin
The supplied USB-Cable will not work with iMovie or FinalCut - Sorry.
Yours Camera also can record Audio as 12-bit or 16-bit Audio.
Please - SET IT TO 16-bit (now) - else severe audio sync problems in iMovie
(FinalCut - might be able to Capture 32kHz audio)

Digital Video Camera Choices

I am in the market for a new digital video camera. Can anyone provide advice as to what cameras will work with my iMAC G5? I would like to purchase the Sony DCR-SR100 but it is unclear to me as to whether it will work. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

what cameras will work with my iMAC G5?
well concerning iMovie, the rule is:
iMovie is a video edit app meant to work with firewire connected miniDV camcorders
as mish mentioned, any other format needs an unconvenient process of conversion, mostly accompanied with loss of pic quality.
if you want HiDef, get a miniDV HD camcorder, as Sony offers too…
if you want to use a Harddrive-corder, you need $$$$ FinalCut, which handles such devices and formats.... but very different in usage, compared to iM...

Digital video camera compatible list

hi, i cant seem to find the list here for compatible digital video cameras with mac.
i really like the JVC hard drives, but have read here there is a loss of quality, and they are hard to work with IDVD?????
thank you

general rule:
any firewire connected, miniDV
camcorder has access to the simplicity & convenience
of the iApps...
This is not absolutely correct. I have personally suffered a great embarassment when I tried to showcase iMovie HD on my PowerBook G4 17" to a colleague who had a couple years old Samsung MiniDV camera with him that day. iMovie wouldn't even recognised it. And he uses it with Adobe Premiere on a PC with no problems. We then tried some JVC camera lying around and it worked perfectly. Being PC user he took it for granted but I was really shocked.
I have immediately Googled for that camera model and, apparently, it is incompatible with iMovie at all. I can't remember the model now but if you search the net for it you'll find out.
Since that time I am more cautious about making bold statements.

My new MacBook Pro and Imac can't recognize my digital video camera (Canon GL2) via FireWire 800 9 pin to 4 pin cable.

My new MacBook Pro and Imac can't recognize my digital video cameras (Canon GL2 or Sony) via FireWire 800 9 pin to 4 pin cable. I've tried two different cables. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Is your DV camera plugged in to AC power (not batteries only)? When you step down from 9 pins to 4 pins, you lose the "power" pins.

Older Digital Video Camera - no firewire port

I have an older Sony Digital Video Camera and a MacBook Pro with iDVD"08 and I want to transfer my tapes to DVD using OneStep DVD. The camera has a USB port, but no firewire port. Is there an adapter I can get or some other way to use OneStep DVD?
I also have a Mac Mini with iDVD6.

I have the same problem and I have a new Sony HDR-SR7 HDV Camera.
In the past iMovie and iDvd (for example iLife '06 and earlier) worked mainly via firewire when it came to importing or capturing video. It is still the preferred protocol on most macs. And it is what I continue to use on all 4 macs in my home.
However, in order to compete with most PC's as well as changing market conditions; USB 2 was only recently incorporated into the macintosh platform with the introduction of iMovie 7 (I'm guessing it was done to appease camcorder manufacturers that only supplied internal Hard Drives and USB2 ports and dropped FW connectivity altogether as a cost cutting measure and not necessarily because USB is a better than firewire (which it most certainly is not). Keep in mind iMovie 7 now allows for capturing video via USB2 when connected directly to the camera but it won't allow you to create custom chapter markers (unless one uses Garage Band to perform this much needed function). Nor will USB2 allow you to export your finished i-Movie back to the camcorder (at least not on most macs). Apparently this particular feature was also dropped when writing this newer iMovie software.
Nevertheless, iMovie 7 will allow you to share / export the finished iMovie (and automated / interval chapter markers) to iDvd'08. But for those of us who still prefer to use Firewire over USB2 as well as maintaining custom chapters, apple does offer iMovie 6 as a free download (provided one has already purchased iLife'08).
http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/imovieHD6.html
If your camcorder has no FW ports, your best remaining option (short of buying apple's pro apps / exchanging for a camera that has firewire) is to use the existing USB2 interface to connect your camcorder directly to your mac and apple's latest software / iMovie 7.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1014
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=305919
Hope this helps but if not just come on back.
Message was edited by: SDMacuser

Quick Time is not recognizing my Digital video camera (sony digital 8)

Quick Time is not recognizing my Digital video camera (sony digital 8) Am using ieee cable and camera is recognized as on and imports if I open iMovie, but when I go to quick time, new movie, I get drop down message that says "No recording device found." All other applications are closed and not interfering with QT. How do I get QT to recognize camera?

VOB is an MPEG format for DVD videos.
http://filext.com/detaillist.php?extdetail=VOB
http://www.answers.com/topic/vob
See:
QuickTime: About using MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 media
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61608
Using the QuickTime MPEG-2 Playback Component with VOB files
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300516
QuickTime MPEG-2 Playback Component
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/mpeg2/
There are also a lot of free and shareware programs to convert VOB files.
http://www.versiontracker.com/php/search.php?mode=basic&action=search&str=vob&pl t%5B%5D=macosx&x=0&y=0

SONY Digital Video Camera DCR-DVD 201 and iMovie

I have a sony Digital Video Camera
Posted: Aug 6, 2006 6:59 PM in response to: max Farina
Reply Email
Can I use this Digital camera with my MacBook Pro
it is a SONY DCR-DVD 201
I do not see a firewire port on the camera ONLY a USB.
How can I get my video from my DVD to iMovie?
I want to put my home video from this camera to iMovie, Can it be done?
I am going nuts, I paid alot of money for this camera and now I can't use it in my new Mac?
I am very new to Mac and this hurts!
PLEASE someone help me, I only see a USB, DO they sell some thing to help get the Video into iMOVIE?
Thanks......

Search this forum for "compatible, DVD camcorder" and you will find many threads where people lament this truth:
iMovie is for miniDV formatted video connected via Firewire.
Mini DVD camcorders are designed for you to do very light editing on the camera before you finalize the DVD and don't support being imported into a computer. Anyway, many of the experts here know of converters and workarounds, if you want to spend some more money. You could start with these threads:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2404104&#2404104
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2288697&#2288697
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2243781&#2243781
Somewhere I have read a pretty detailed thread describing what converter you need and how to do it. So just keep searching...

I have a macbook pro and I want to use my canon digital video camera on yahoo chat. When I sign on to chat and attempt to use a camera, the system automatically defaults to the built in camera on the notebook. Can I override that default?

I have a macbook pro and I want to use my canon firewire digital video camera on yahoo chat. When I sign on to chat and attempt to use a camera, the system automatically defaults to the built in camera on the notebook. Can I override that default?

You have 10.6 on that machine, I suggest you stick with it for performance, third party hardware and software reasons as long as possible.
Consider 10.8 (not 10.7) when it's released, because 10.7 and 10.8 will require a new investment in software and newer third party hardware as it requires newer drivers the old machines won't have. (forced upgrade because of software, really nice of them)
http://roaringapps.com/apps:table
Far as your Safari problem do these things until it's resolved:
1: Software Update fully under the Apple menu.
2: Check the status of your plug-ins and update (works for all browsers) also install Firefox and see if your problems continue. You should always have at least two browsers on the machine just in case one fails.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/plugincheck/
Flash install instructions/problem resolution here if you need it.
How to install Flash, fix problems
3: Install Safari again from Apple's web site
https://www.apple.com/safari/
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I am looking to buy the least expensive high resolution digital video camera to convert/record 8mm video tapes.

Hi. Thanks for your help in advance.
I am looking to buy the least expensive digital video camera with the highest resolution I can find in order to use it to record 100s of old (1960s era ) reel to reel video tapes. I am told that in order to do that I must record the "old" video onto a new platform, which means I will set up an "old" projector and play the tapes and record the video on a digital camera. I only want to do this once so I want the highest resolution format I can find. Therefore, I am looking for a camera to purchase. Any help is appreciated.

Hello Lance,
Transferring film to digital video is a complex, challenging process. To cut to the chase, the best way to do this is to engage a firm that specializes in film-to-digital transfer services. There are quite a few around. Costs for 8mm transfer range anywhere from about $0.15 - $0.40 per foot and there are usually significant discounts for bulk projects. Plus, depending on the cost of the video camera you would otherwise consider buying, you may find it costs less overall to use a service than do it yourself.
You also mentioned that you "want the highest resolution format" ... Once you project 8mm/Super8 film onto a screen the effective resolution will not even be what we might consider "standard-def" in digital video. And the larger the projected image the lower & lower the effective resolution regardless of what kind of video camera you might use.
A transfer service, however, directly scans each frame to digitize them and depending on the math the resulting digital image may technically be as "good" as 720p ... but the overall image quality will still be limited by the quality of the original film ... and still probably not up the level of "standard-def" digital video ... but way better than anything you could obtain with a homebrew projector-screen-videocam setup.
Why DIY? Well, it sounds inexpensive and simple. But in reality it is a very time consuming way to get relatively low quality transfers no matter how high-end or expensive a video camera you use. I can share more details if necessary, but DIY film-to-video transfer is not the way to go if you are really interested in quality results.

Re: Satellite L - How to connect my digital video cam?

I have a Canon digital video camera (bought in 2004). I have been using it to transfer movies onto my other Toshiba laptop, but there is no place to plug in on my new laptop. I did use a iEEE1394 but it doesn't work on this one.
What alternative is there?
Also on turning on the laptop I get a message saying TOSHIBA SERVICE STATION NOT WORKING and proceeds to solve it but nothing happens.
Any suggestions pls.

Hey,
What notebook model you have it exactly? Some notebooks dont have firewire port but if your camera has USB port can use this port. As far as I know all notebooks have USB port
> Also on turning on the laptop I get a message saying TOSHIBA SERVICE STATION NOT WORKING and proceeds to solve it but nothing happens.
You should try to reinstall Service Station, I think this should work. Just download the newest version of Toshiba service station on official Toshiba website and install it:
http://eu.computers.toshiba-europe.com > Support & Downloads > Download Drivers
But dont forget to remove the old version first before you install the newest one. ;)

FCE: Possible to Capture SD footage from digital video cam?

Ok, probably a daft question this. Don't laugh...
I'm thinking of purchasing a digital video camera that uses SD cards. I currently use a MiniDV cam and connect via Firewire.
Is it possible to capture footage shot on SD cards into FCE?
And, if so, should I use USB from the camera, or insert the SD card into my card-reader?
The camera I'm looking at is able to record HD footage to a 2gb SD card (about 40 mins worth)
Thanks for your time!

Cheers Tom, I think you just saved me a small fortune..
Here's the camera: http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/camcorders/0,39029967,49263047,00.htm
(is it ok to link outside of the forums?)
In case the link get removed by a moderator, the model is the Sanyo VPC-HD1

Ichat 2.1 and canon digital video camera problems

i have ichat 2.1 running on my b/w g3 with a 900 mhz powerlogix zif upgrade...
i recently got my hands on a cool little program called ichat usbcam...
before i got that app, ichat would not recognize my canon digital video camera via firewire...now that i got ichat usbcam, it shows up and i can use the digital video camera...
however, i can't invite my brother to a one way video chat...when i invite him, his end shows up with a white screen...no video, but audio...
he has a g4 quicksilver...he is running tiger...we both use the aim account for ichat...
any ideas??? we really need some help on this because we both have 4 year old daughters who want to video chat...
he is going to get a camera if we can get this thing working...
G3 Blue and White/900 powerlogix zif upgrade Mac OS X (10.3.9) Yes

Hi Seusman,
Sounds like you have cracked it.
Framerates are detemined by what processor you have, with some adjustment on a chat by chat basis depending what the other person can manage.
The Bitrate is controlled by what Connection Speed you have, The System Preference > Quicktime > Streaming tab setting and iChat > Preferences > Video section Bandwidth Setting, plus any adjustments to match who you are talking to.
The up speed is more important than the Download speed when we are talking ADSL connections.
Any spped test will tell you get about 80% of what the ISP says they sell you.
iChat will use about 80% of what is left (depending on settings)
It is somewhat lowered depending on the framerate your Mac can do and what other things yuo are asking the Procesor to do and how much RAM you have obviously can effect that as well.
The framerates you quote are the same as mine.
The bit rates if often what I see in iChat based on my 1Mb down /256K up service.
11:31 PM Wednesday; March 1, 2006

IMovie wont' recognize my Canon Digital Video Camera

When I hook up my Canon ZR70 MC digital video camera through my firewire port, iMovie doesn't recognize it even after I did the following:
turned the camera on and off.
took the tape in and out.
restarted computer with the camera in.
After speaking to Canon technical support, they've determined that since 'DV In' was blinking on the camcorder screen, there must be a problem with the firewire cable, the port, or I'd need a firewire update. I'm running OSX 10.4.5.
Anybody had this problem before? I doubt it's the cable or the port because both are new. And I tried it on multiple computers. Please help.

sstrickeler,
First a few questions.
Has the camera ever worked correctly?
Are there any other FireWire devices attached to the computer?
Is the camera running of battery power or A/C?
Some other ideas in this thread:
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=1649431#1649431
Matt

Digital Video Camera not showing up as device on desktop

I have a 6 year old sony digital video camera. I am able to connect via firewire and upload video using imovie without a problem. It shows up as an option in imovie as dv-vcr. However the video camera does not show up in the desktop and when it is connected I can't find it being recognized anywhere using spotlight. So I am unsure of how to disconnect it. Normally if it shows up in the desktop I would just 'eject' it by dragging to trash. But now I just turn it off and unplug it. When I do it that way the 'did not disconnect properly' message shows up and my external harddrive that is plugged into the other firewire port disappears. Any ideas on how to solve this?

Hi mpagriffin
Try this: with Finder on the menu bar go to *Finder / Finder Preferences* and select General, then check all the boxes for *Show these items on the Desktop*.
You also might check to see if it shows up and ejects in Disk Utility?
note: that some devices won't show up on the desktop, my wife's Canon will only mount in and eject from iPhoto while all of our other camera's mount on and eject from the desktop.
Dennis

Resource Info for new Digital Video Camera.

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