Capturing from a MiniDV Camera

cambrs00 · #1 (**permalink**) 07-10-2005, 11:47 AM

I purchase a Sony DCR-HC90E a few days ago - what can I say?! - this is the worst retail purchase I have ever made in my life! I am 51 years old - have been a keen photographer for 40 years - I have used PCs proficiently for 15 years - Sony clearly just want a joke at public expense -How do they get away with it??! The supplied software is utter crap. You want to burn to a DVD? Buy a Sony PC!! The effing arrogance of those Sony people!
Does anyone know how to get the data off the camera onto/into anything other than a CD-R? I have used an evaluation copy of BLAZE Media Pro which can take the data to hard disk but the video image is either "sqeezed" in the horizontal or "stretched" in the vertical - whichever it's distorted.
Also I have a Sony TV - (yes I must be a masochist because I've never been able to record to VCR in the 5 years that I've had the TV) - so no surprise that by following the instructions in the DCR-HC90E for connecting to the TV results in nothing whatsoever happening. Any clues as to what to actually do would be gratefully received.
Do I sound pissed off? Not half!! In the last 24 hours I've discovered that the internet is overrun with "Hate Sony" sites, but no doubt the Sony PCs used by those faithful robot workers in Sonyland prevent any unwelcome exposure to reality!
Simon

Marc Peters · #2 (**permalink**) 07-10-2005, 12:05 PM

Welcome to the wondeful world of video editing Simon! You'll have many years of hair tearing ahead of you.

Your DCR-HC90E is a miniDV camera. So far, so good, but what does this mean to you? Well, it means getting the footage from your camera to your PC is simplicity itself: all you need is a firewire card and a firewire cable; chances are you have at least a firewire port on your PC.

Look for a connections like this:

If you don't have one of these slots, get a fire wire card

Next you need a firewire cable (your camcorder will have a 4 pin connector and your PC likely will have a six pin connector - so you'll need a 4-pin to 6-pin cable). The link provided above comes with a free cable. Wohoo!

So now that's the Camera connected to the PC. Soon you'll be experiencing lossless video on your PC ready to edit. To get the video on your PC (and to edit) you'll need some editing software. Again, the above card comes with a free version of Ulead's Video Studio. Not a bad option, but I suggest you download the trial version of Premiere Elements and get yourself a good guide from Amazon.

Premiere Elements will allow you to capture, edit, author and burn a DVD all in one application.

denodigital · #3 (**permalink**) 07-27-2005, 10:19 PM

This is brw459@yahoo.com (denodigital). You may have answered my question. I'm going to buy the card this evening.

hockey-keeper · #4 (**permalink**) 08-17-2005, 12:47 PM

I have just purchased a SONY DCR-HC19 handycam (MiniDV), it came with a USB cable and some software. I installed the software and plugged the cable in to one of my USB ports, the picture streaming was fine but there was no sound at all.

I have a firewire port in my PC and Pinnacle Studio software on my PC, do you think if I get a firewire cable and connect the Camcorder in that way the sound will be transferred with the pictures.

I connected my analogue camera through the USB port using a Dazzle box and the sound and picture tranfereed fine into Pinnacle, so I don't think I have a sound card problem.

cheers

Ian