Need Help Please! Importing DVD-RAM from a camcorder to iMovie?

iMovie is by concept meant to work with firewire connected miniDV camcorders ONLY…

so, you need a workaround:
transfer the .vro file to your harddrive; get Apple mpeg2 plugin (20$) + Streamclip (free); unstall plug-in; launch SC; open .vro file; convert to DV… import that into iM……

happy converting 😉

I just read today in Macintosh iLife '06 book about how to extract video from a DVD into iMovie. I'm trying to get a clip off a DVD for my acting reel. It mentioned using Toast, but also some free options. I haven't looked into it yet, but maybe this will help:
"You can extract video from a DVD and convert it into DV format, but you will lose some quality in the process. If you have Toast Titanium, click its Video tab and drag your DVD's VIDEO_TS folder into the Toast window. Locate the clip you want to extract, select it, and choose Export Video from the Disc menu. You can also extract video using any of several free or cheap utilities. Video guru Matti Haveri has published a fine tutorial on his Web site; I've linked to it at www.macilife.com/iDVD."
--Jim Heid, The Macintosh iLife '06

ok, the full nine yards… 😉

a) in case, you don't want to import via camcorder/cable, but direct from disk, make sure, the disk is finalized - read your camcorder's manual…
b) then, your disk is as any DVD… tools for importing DVD content and converting it into a "processable" format are:

* DVDxDV (free trial, 25$, Pro: 90$) - recommended for beginners, VERY easy to use, e.g. when you want just parts…
* Apple mpeg2 plugin (20$) + Streamclip (free) - the Motion Picture Eperts Group wants to get paid for their codec… "playback" means here, "handable"/editable…
* Cinematize >60$ - we read reports, good results…
* Mpeg2Works >25$ + Apple plug-in - you see, that license/plug-in again 😉
* Toast6/7 allows converting to dv/insert dvd, hit apple-k - that is some "dirty" trick, but it works, I tried: owning a full version of Toast includes a dvd>dv decoder…
* connect a miniDV Camcorder with analogue input to a DVD-player and disk to tape/use as converter - that is the "hardware" solution…

here's Matti's site:
http://www.sjoki.uta.fi/~shmhav/SVCDon_a_Macintosh.html#edit_convertMPEG

I read in your O.P., …However, when my mac recognizes that I've connected the camcorder (via USB 2.0) and I open the icon, there are 3 files named VR_MANGR.BUP, VR_MANGR.IFO, and VR_MOVIE.VRO…

I read this as, "I can download the files via usb" - sorry, I'm not used to these kind of devices (I avoid the term "camera" 😉 )

sooo, as I wrote above: finalize the disk in camera (read its manual) and drop in that disk into your Mac…
besides: don't put miniDVDs into slot-ins! can get damaged - the drive, not the disk… probably, you need a 2nd, ext. firewire connected dvd-drive.....
(with a miniDV camcorder you don't have such huzzle…………………)

Plan B)
when you connect your… device (I know, me bad…) to TV, that device converts the footage to analogue - but we need it digital; there are socalled converters on the market (applestore), spend another 150$ and you go…

or, you use the analogue-in of a good & reliable miniDV camcorder and convert it… ahhh, "miniDV"… the bad word… ;-))) (we do have m-words here??)

sorry for being no real help, and I appreciate your humo(u)r… 🙂

I have had a similar problem. I have just acquired a new Canon DC20 camcorder that uses miniDVDs. Even though it says it is Mac compatible – it really isn’t. Which is kinda frustrating seeing as my last Canon camcorder worked perfectly with my Mac and iMovie.

I am at the moment trying to insert the DVDs into an external DVD drive (as my computers do not have slot-trays) to see if I can extract the footage to iMovie.

I will let you know if it works!

Fingers-crossed.

Ok. After finalising the DVD disks, I placed them into an external DVD-ROM drive and the DVD disk appears on screen. I have also downloaded a software called Handbrake 0.7.1

Go to: Handbrake.mOK.org

This software will convert the footage on the DVD to mpeg 4 files which can then be loaded to iMovie.

It’s worked for me and has so far been the only way I can access files/footage on a DVD.

Hope that helps.