Downloading video from my Panasonic PV-GS500 camcorder.

I am trying to download video from my PV-GS500 camcorder using the same firewire/DV cord that I was using for my Sony camcorder. I can't figure out how to get my iMac to see it. When I go into iMovie it doesn't see it at all, when I click on the video icon it just goes to iSight. How do I make it see the camcorder...?

iMac, Mac OS X (10.4.11)

Posted on May 27, 2009 10:15 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on May 27, 2009 10:37 PM

Hi

In some Camcorders one has to in a menu set DV-out.

else

Test another FW-Cable.

FireWire - Sure not using the accompany USB-Cable but bought a 4-pin to 6-pin FW one ?

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)

Free space on internal (start-up) hard disk ? Please specify the amount of free space.
(Other hard disks don't count)

Delete iMovie pref file may help sometimes. I rather start a new account, log into
this and have a re-try.

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) ?

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)

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)


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..?

Yours Bengt W
2 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

May 27, 2009 10:37 PM in response to akhusker

Hi

In some Camcorders one has to in a menu set DV-out.

else

Test another FW-Cable.

FireWire - Sure not using the accompany USB-Cable but bought a 4-pin to 6-pin FW one ?

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)

Free space on internal (start-up) hard disk ? Please specify the amount of free space.
(Other hard disks don't count)

Delete iMovie pref file may help sometimes. I rather start a new account, log into
this and have a re-try.

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) ?

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)

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)


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..?

Yours Bengt W

Jun 29, 2009 8:19 PM in response to akhusker

I had the same problem. To use the Panasonic PV-GS500 with iMovie on a Mac you need to connect it using firewire to the Mac (on windows you can use USB). Then instead of placing it in the "PC" mode, which was stupidly labeled because it doesnt even work on my PC, you need to place it in playback mode.

If you dont, iMovie will say "cant communicate with camera" or something to that effect.

Hope that helps.

(Arent user-to-user forums great?)

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Downloading video from my Panasonic PV-GS500 camcorder.

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