I have a Sony Handycam DRC-HC42E and I am about to buy an iLink cable and port for my PC. Is there any way to view the DV tape fullscreen on PC - IE: to show to someone, without first having to capture the whole tape and play it back? I mean, if a TV can do this, surely a PC can!??

Depends what software you're using.

In all versions of premiere, you can just control the camera via the capture screen without actually having to save it to your hard drive, but I can't speak on any of the other programs.

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You can do this in full screen using IUVCR.

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Thanks for the help - I googled this question and there were no relevant results - I'm surprised not more people are asking about the lack of software to preview fillcreen on PC? When a TV can do it so easily... I'm downloading IUVCR now. Thx again.

Just because Sony use the term iLink, do not let this trick into buying an expensive Sony branded cable. What you need is a bog standard firewire port+cable, that's all.

Just thought I'd add this in case you weren't aware.

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Getting a firewire port - I realised (luckily) that iLink and f/w are the same. Sony seems a bit unhelpful in this regard. Thanks for letting me know though.

All your help has been great and I've learnt a helluva lot more than anywhere else on the web.

The IUVCR works very well, except in fullscreen preview mode I experience the following:
1> Audio/Video becomes out of sync after a while.
2> The image in fast motion situations looks interlaced
3> My captured vid is 1.66:1 or whatever (widescreen), and it displays squashed TV ratio.
Are there ways around these issues?

Concerning capturing, I have tried WMM and WME(encoder). Too high quality makes WME not work (audio) and also the CPU load is too high for any decent capturing... have a 2.6+ AthlonXP with 1GB RAM (and now firewire)? In addition, it seems (again) interlaced and non-widescreen format.

Sorry about all the Qs - I haven't got much time to get this stuff captured (for a DVD for a bday pres this Sat, and still have to edit). Pushed for time :(

Any help will be appreciated.
J

I thought the original question was how to view movies from a camcorder on the PC screen without capturing. Now you seem to be worried about missing your edit deadline because you haven't done the captures yet.

Use your capture s/w to preview the tape, capture it and get editting. What are you waiting for? better to caoture muchmore than you need anyway. It gives more options later.

What am I missing here? Forgte about how to 'preview' it and just capture it and get editing.

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That was the original idea, yes. I thought better to use an existing post than make a new one. Sorry if this is the wrong way about going about things... I got it to work in preview - but with the problems stipulated. I'm sorry if I violated any rules, but I am new to this. Anyway, these problems remain...

I have firewire or iLink and a sony HC42E handycam. My software is IUVCR, Windows Movie Maker and Windows Media Encodee

The IUVCR works very well, except in fullscreen preview mode I experience the following:
1> Audio/Video becomes out of sync after a while.
2> The image in fast motion situations looks interlaced
3> My captured vid is 1.66:1 or whatever (widescreen), and it displays squashed TV ratio.
Are there ways around these issues?

Concerning capturing, I have tried WMM and WME(encoder). Too high quality makes WME not work (audio) and also the CPU load is too high for any decent capturing... have a 2.6+ AthlonXP with 1GB RAM (and now firewire)? In addition, it seems (again) interlaced and non-widescreen format.

Any help will be appreciated.
J