Capturing video from NVGS400 to new laptop P750

**Madame Foo** · 04-10-2012, 02:52 PM

Hi, I'm hoping someone can help!!

I have a Panasonic NVGS400. Until recently I was connecting this via the supplied usb cable to my laptop running Vista and using Windows Movie Maker to edit.

I decided to buy a new laptop with a better spec,expecting this to make video editing much quicker. I bought a Toshiba P750, thinking all I would need to do was connect the video camera using the same usb cable.

It seems that it's not that simple!! I can only see the photos on the SD card, no sign of the video. Several hours of internet research have confused matters because everywhere says that the NVGS400 had to be used, and was supplied with, a Firewire cable. Mine definitely worked with my previous laptop via a usb cable.

My new laptop doesn't have a firewire port, it has 1 x usb 3 and 3 x usb 2.

Please can anybody help?

many thanks

**TimStannard** · 04-10-2012, 03:08 PM

I'm surprised you were able to capture dv across USB. You must have been very lucky. Unfortumately what you're trying to do is not possible. Find a friend with a PC?

**slimbob** · 04-10-2012, 03:13 PM

Hi there

I have a NVGS400 too aren't they great !!

I connect mine to my P.C via firewire and use windows XP with WMM 2.1 editing software.
I echo what Tim says get yourself a P.C with firewire port .

Good luck

**Madame Foo** · 04-10-2012, 03:41 PM

Hi
thanks for the quick replies. I love my NVGS400 too. I don't understand though why it was supplied with a usb cable, surely Panasonic must have expected it to work, as indeed it did with my old laptop. I have a huge problem now because I've spent a lot of money on the new laptop which I wanted specifically to use for video editing. I rang Toshiba before making the purchase because I couldn't decide between 2 models and they recommended the P750. No mention was made of a Firewire and as I've never used one, didn't give it a thought.

I have since rung the Toshiba technical helpline, he said use my usb cable but this doesn't work!! He said that Firewire is old technology and therefore not included on their laptops. I see however that Sony Vegas lists Firewire as a requirement.

This is driving me nuts! Apart from the suggestion of using a PC, is there any way in which I can get my video onto the laptop to edit?

many thanks

**Midnight Blue** · 04-10-2012, 04:20 PM

Get a firewire card. Have a read of THIS to see if it helps

**TimStannard** · 04-11-2012, 10:31 AM

Originally Posted by Midnight Blue

Get a firewire card. Have a read of THIS to see if it helps

It won't. The article talks about using a firewire card in a PC or a PCMCIA or PC Express card in a laptop (The Tosh P750 has neither)

Madame Foo, it's not a case of Panasonic didn't think about it. USB simply does not support capturing DV across USB. The fact that you did it before (if you really did) is purely luck.

If the spec for a road bridge is 5 tons and there are two bridges that conform to that spec, you drive a 10 ton truck successfully over one bridge, but the other collapses, it's not the bridge builder's fault!

**Madame Foo** · 04-11-2012, 10:55 AM

Tim
I have several DVDs of family holidays made by connecting the NVGS400 via the USB cable. This was the only cable supplied with the videocamera - I have even read the users guide to check the correct cable was packaged and it only mentions connecting the USB cable, so they obviously did expect it to work.

Midnight Blue - thanks for the article, I had already read it in my desperate search for a solution. Unfortunately I can't apply this solution to my laptop.

**Madame Foo** · 04-12-2012, 07:19 PM

Hi
just thought I'd update you. I have now managed to capture video from my NVGS400 to the new laptop using the USB cable and Windows Movie Maker. Don't start groaning about the quality - it looks fantastic.

Tim - I take exception to you questioning whether I really did capture DV previously via the USB cable "The fact that you did it before (if you really did) is purely luck".
I can't decide whether you think I made this up (I am a busy working mother of 3, 1 autistic, no need or time to make things up) or whether you think I was mistaken about the type of cable (no, definitely was and still is a USB)

I was going to take a photo to prove to you that it does work but I'm not going to waste my time, I have videos to edit!!

Thanks to everyone who tried to help.

**slimbob** · 04-12-2012, 07:51 PM

Originally Posted by Madame Foo

Hi
just thought I'd update you. I have now managed to capture video from my NVGS400 to the new laptop using the USB cable and Windows Movie Maker. Don't start groaning about the quality - it looks fantastic.

Congratulations Madame Foo on getting it sorted

Originally Posted by Madame Foo

Tim - I take exception to you questioning whether I really did capture DV previously via the USB cable "The fact that you did it before (if you really did) is purely luck".
I can't decide whether you think I made this up (I am a busy working mother of 3, 1 autistic, no need or time to make things up) or whether you think I was mistaken about the type of cable (no, definitely was and still is a USB)

I was going to take a photo to prove to you that it does work but I'm not going to waste my time, I have videos to edit!!

I get a feeling of told you so here

...but don't forget Madame Foo that Tim spent time answering your thread more than once and is a very experienced and knowledgeable member of this forum.

Regardless of how you have done it well done and best of luck with video editing Madame Foo

**TimStannard** · 04-16-2012, 09:53 PM

Originally Posted by Madame Foo

Hi
just thought I'd update you. I have now managed to capture video from my NVGS400 to the new laptop using the USB cable and Windows Movie Maker.

Well, for once I'm happy to be proved wrong and I'm glad you got it working.
But i thought i'd look into it a bit further. I connected my own camera up via USB. Whilst Windows 7 recognises the camera as a Web cam, Windows Movie Maker does not recognise the camera and will not alow me to capture from it.
Sony Vegas seemed more promising. It appeared to allow me to capture from the camera although this only appeared to be the video stream not the audio. Once I stopped capturing, Vegas crashed.

A quick look at the manual and I see there's a significant difference between using the Panasonic supplied software (MotionDV Studio) with USB and firewire. Specificall it mentions that for it to work with USB, the Video Stream Driver must be installed. Presumably this driver does some sort of magic that compensates for the fact you cannot capture DV over USB (or, more accurately, you cannot canot capture it over USB using standard Windows drivers). This actually suggests that I, along with the dozens of internet articles which say the same are right.

I'd be interested to see how capturing this way compares with capturing over MiniDV so i'll see if I can download this driver from somewhere and have a play.

Originally Posted by Madame Foo

Tim - I take exception to you questioning whether I really did capture DV previously via the USB cable

No need to take exception. I'm just allowing for the fact that we all mis-remember things from time to time, especially if we've got so many other things on our minds. Mind you, I fail to see how having an autistic child adds any weight to your certainty. (And before you take exception to that comment, remember it was you who brought your child's autism to the table)

I'm off to see if I can get a driver that works with Windows 7.