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miniDV Camcorder (Firewire) to M1 Sonoma help! Can't find device

I purchased a Macbook Pro M1 Max for my dad so we can connect his MiniDV camera to the Mac and transfer/import footage using iMovie for editing. However, the camera is not showing up in the list of devices in iMovie after trying a several times. Here is the setup:


  • Canon Vixia HV40 miniDV camcorder
  • M1 Max 16" Macbook Pro (2021)
  • Sonoma version 14.1.2 w/ latest iMovie
  • Camera is connected to the Mac with 3 cables: FireWire 400 to Firewire 800 -> Apple Thunderbolt to Firewire adapter -> Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3
  • I tried a few different variations, but the camcorder is in "playback/vcr" mode (not record) and I hit 'Play'. I went to 'Import' in iMovie, but did not see any Camera device except for the built-in mac camera.
  • When going to System Report -> Hardware -> Firewire, there is nothing listed.
  • I think I heard a Mac 'ding' sound whenever I plugged in and removed the camera


Any help would be appreciated, as we purchased this mac specifically for this purpose after reading that folks had success. Thank you

MacBook Pro (M1, 2020)

Posted on Dec 10, 2023 7:06 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Dec 11, 2023 12:09 AM

You seem to have set everything correctly.


There were some recent changes involving how your mac deals with legacy video devices

I think that the missing piece may be in this support article:


If you can't use your camera or video output device after updating to macOS Sonoma 14.1 - Apple Support


Let us know if this fixes it.

3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Dec 11, 2023 12:09 AM in response to whodat123

You seem to have set everything correctly.


There were some recent changes involving how your mac deals with legacy video devices

I think that the missing piece may be in this support article:


If you can't use your camera or video output device after updating to macOS Sonoma 14.1 - Apple Support


Let us know if this fixes it.

miniDV Camcorder (Firewire) to M1 Sonoma help! Can't find device

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