Help with Sony Digital Camcorder DCR-SR42 Pulling Images FROM Camera to Mac

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Help with Sony Digital Camcorder DCR-SR42 Pulling Images FROM Camera to Mac

I need some help...I purchased a Sony DCR-SR42 camera and used it while on holiday. I can't seem to figure out what software I need to pull the movies from the camera. After MANY calls to Apple Tech support (and being told that I HAD to buy iLife 08, which I don't want to do if i can avoid it), I finally found somebody who said that I could use freeware MPEG Stream Clip to pull the videos from my camera and convert to MPEG4, then I can use iMovie HD 06. All this is with the assumption my computer recognizes my camera as a harddrive (which I'm not sure, and I'm at work without computer OR camera).

My question is this - does anybody have any experience with THIS camera (Sony DCR-S42) and what to do with iMovie 06?? Any and ALL suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks!
-Jill

iMac, Mac OS X (10.5.1)

Posted on Jan 9, 2008 11:05 AM

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Answer 1

Mar 30, 2008 9:35 AM in response to Floofs

Hi Jill,
Did you ever get an answer to your question? I am having the same problem.
I borrowed my friend's handycam that has some of our vacation videos on it but I can't get them to import on my Mac.
Sandy

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Answer 2

Klaus1

Level 9

52,879 points

Mar 30, 2008 10:04 AM in response to Floofs

Yes, only iMovie 8 will accept a video stream from a hard disk camera.

All other versions of iMovie will not: they require a DV stream from tape via firewire.

In other words, your camera is incompatible will all versions of iMovie except version 8.

To convert to mpeg4, or even DV which is what iMovie is intended for, you need:

mpegStreamclip:

http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/video/mpegstreamclip.html

which is free, as well as the the Apple mpeg2 plugin :

http://www.apple.com/quicktime/mpeg2/

which is a mere $20.

Another possibility is to use DVDxDV:

http://www.dvdxdv.com/NewFolderLookSite/Products/DVDxDV.overview.htm

which costs $25.

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