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I am trying to import mini dv files from my camcorder using Imovie HD. It won't see my Sony DCR-TRV22E using an iLink cable or any other cable for that matter. I know the firewire ports are working as my iSight is working fine. I am sure i used iMovie HD to create holiday DVD's in July 08. Can anyone help as it's driving me mad!
As you've already "..used iMovie HD to create holiday DVD's.." the best thing may be to re-use a short clip from a previous movie: copy - or import from your hard disc - a short one of those existing DV clips, and put it at the
start of your new project. Then connect your camera, turn it on (in Play mode) and
PLAY that first clip which is at the start of your project.
Then try importing.
By playing an existing DV clip first, you 'kick-start' iMovie into understanding what it should be dealing with, and it can become more receptive to accepting what's coming in from your camera.
After you've imported your material, you can delete that original 'kick-start' clip from your project.
It oughtn't to be like that, but it's often the way to get importing started!
P.S: How to reach those existing clips? ..In the Finder, go to your 'Movies' folder, and Ctrl-click on an iMovie Project (..one of those files with a star against it..) and choose 'Show Package Contents'.
In the list of files and folders which then appear, click the 'Media' folder, and copy one of those clips, within it, to your Desktop. Then, back in iMovie, import that file from your Desktop!
A. First oof ALL Test Camera On another Mac. I killed two Cameras one hard disk plus
a A/D-bridge by inserting the 6-pin end of the FW-Cable 180 deg wrong on the back
of my old Mac.
Expencive lesson to learn.
B. My list.
Test another FW-Cable.
Test Your Camera on another Mac so that DV-in still works OK
Toogle in iMovie pref: Play-back via Camera (on<->off some times)
Other ways to import Your miniDV tape:
Use another Camera. There where tape play-back stations from SONY
but they costed about 2-4 times a normal miniDV Camera.
If Your Camera works on another Mac. Make an iMovie movie project here and move it
over to Your Mac via an external hard disk.
(HAS TO BE Mac OS Exchange formatted - USB/DOS/FAT32/Mac OS Exchange WILL NOT DO)
(Should be a FireWire one - USB/USB2 performs badly)
FireWire - Sure not using the accompany USB-Cable but bought a 4-pin to 6-pin FW one ?
Using WHAT ? :
• Mac OS - X.5.4 ?
• QuickTime version ? (This is the heart in both iMovie and FinalCut)
• iMovie 8 (7.1.?) ?
• iMovie HD 6 (6.0.4/3) ?
Free space on internal (start-up) hard disk ? (Others don't count)
Does Your Camera work on another Mac ?
Sorry to say it is to easy to turn the 6-pin end of the FW-cable 180 deg wrong.
This is lethal to the A/D-chip in the Camera = needs an expensive repair.
(Hard to find out - else than import/export to another Mac ceased to work
everything else is OK eg recording and playback to TV)
Delete iMovie pref file may help sometimes. I rather start a new account, log into
this and have a re-try.
from LKN 1935:
Hi Bengt W, I tried it all, but nothing worked. Your answer has been helpfull insofar as all the different trials led to the conclusion that there was something wrong with my iMovie software. I therefore threw everything away and reinstalled iMovie from the HD. After that the exportation of DV videos (there has not been any problem with HDV videos) to my Sony camcorders worked properly as it did before. Thank you. LKN 1935
from Karsten:
in addition to Bengt's excellent '9 yards of advice' .. 😉
camera set to 'Play' , not rec/computer/etc.?
camera not on battery, but power-line?
did your Mac 'recognize' this camera before...?
a technical check:
connect camera, on, playback, fw-connected...
click on the Blue Apple, upper left of your screen ..
choose 'About../More..
under Firewire.. what do you read..?
A. First oof ALL Test Camera On another Mac. I killed two Cameras one hard disk plus
a A/D-bridge by inserting the 6-pin end of the FW-Cable 180 deg wrong on the back
of my old Mac.
Expencive lesson to learn.
B. My list.
Test another FW-Cable.
Test Your Camera on another Mac so that DV-in still works OK
Toogle in iMovie pref: Play-back via Camera (on<->off some times)
Other ways to import Your miniDV tape:
Use another Camera. There where tape play-back stations from SONY
but they costed about 2-4 times a normal miniDV Camera.
If Your Camera works on another Mac. Make an iMovie movie project here and move it
over to Your Mac via an external hard disk.
(HAS TO BE Mac OS Exchange formatted - USB/DOS/FAT32/Mac OS Exchange WILL NOT DO)
(Should be a FireWire one - USB/USB2 performs badly)
FireWire - Sure not using the accompany USB-Cable but bought a 4-pin to 6-pin FW one ?
Using WHAT ? :
• Mac OS - X.5.4 ?
• QuickTime version ? (This is the heart in both iMovie and FinalCut)
• iMovie 8 (7.1.?) ?
• iMovie HD 6 (6.0.4/3) ?
Free space on internal (start-up) hard disk ? (Others don't count)
Does Your Camera work on another Mac ?
Sorry to say it is to easy to turn the 6-pin end of the FW-cable 180 deg wrong.
This is lethal to the A/D-chip in the Camera = needs an expensive repair.
(Hard to find out - else than import/export to another Mac ceased to work
everything else is OK eg recording and playback to TV)
Delete iMovie pref file may help sometimes. I rather start a new account, log into
this and have a re-try.
from LKN 1935:
Hi Bengt W, I tried it all, but nothing worked. Your answer has been helpfull insofar as all the different trials led to the conclusion that there was something wrong with my iMovie software. I therefore threw everything away and reinstalled iMovie from the HD. After that the exportation of DV videos (there has not been any problem with HDV videos) to my Sony camcorders worked properly as it did before. Thank you. LKN 1935
from Karsten:
in addition to Bengt's excellent '9 yards of advice' .. 😉
camera set to 'Play' , not rec/computer/etc.?
camera not on battery, but power-line?
did your Mac 'recognize' this camera before...?
a technical check:
connect camera, on, playback, fw-connected...
click on the Blue Apple, upper left of your screen ..
choose 'About../More..
under Firewire.. what do you read..?
I have managed to get the .dv files imported using my fathers Canon mini dv camcorder. I will persist with the Sony until i get a fix. Thank you all for your replies, adding the clip to the start of the project did not make iMovie to recognise the Sony.
