Firewire Video Transfer to PC....
 

Hi All,

A buddy just bought a MiniDV camcorder (Panasonic PV GS32) and he wants to know how to x-fer the video from his camcorder to his PC. I know it's a firewire interface, so I assume he'll need a firewire card. The other question is software -- does he need any software to download video off of this thing, or will Windoze XP recognize the camcorder as soon as he plugs it in?

Do the MiniDV camcorders produce a format that can just be burned onto DVD or CD, or will he need software to do that....

I've never played around with this stuff before, which is why I'm asking :)

Thanks!

Sure Chris, it's for your "friend". Right! :D

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D

Windows XP should recogninze when the camera is attached to the firewire card, and it can then (usually) control the camera, and record to the Harddrive.

I use Adobe Premiere Elements which seems to be great for an amateur like me.
It seems to have less frame loss than the built in Windows program.
--Larry

Windows Movie Maker is a basic system but won't make DVDs for you. It will record in DV AVI format. A good site for it is:

http://www.windowsmoviemakers.net/

If you're also interested in Windows Media format check out the Windows Media Encoder.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/win...r/default.aspx

Also, Roxio, Sonic and Nero all have DVD authoring tools which you can use with the captured DV AVI. I have Sony's Vegas Video + DVD which is a good product but more expensive.

Great! Thanks guys. Looks like all he needs is a Firewire card unless he wants to get fancy with Adobe Premiere. Am I correct in assuming the PC will convert the video to AVI format?

Chris

FireWire card and cable (camcorders usually come with a USB cable but that's useless except for web quality or stills). Cables come in 4-pin and 6-pin. The camcorder will be 4-pin and the card can be either so check to make sure he gets the right one.

Windows Movie Maker is included with XP. I think XP SP2 includes WMM2 otherwise it's a free download from MS. It can capture to Windows Media or DV AVI format.

Super! Thanks a bunch :thumbup:

i have premiere pro and it kicks absolute a$$. i also have a sony media center pc, and i can edit *ANYTHING*. the sky's the limit!