Need converter - analog to digital via firewire

Hi Rochelle:

Welcome to discussions!

In my opinion, the best way to convert Analog to DV is through firewire and a 'pass-thru' Digital Video Camera. That way you will have a camera and a converter for just a few more dollars.

Sue

From VHS to DVD
Give New Life to Old Movies
http://www.macworld.com/2004/05/features/fromvhstodvd/

Scroll down to "Digitizing Hardware"

I have the same camera as yours and if memory serves me, I have used it for pass-thru.

Sue

I have an Sony TVR-210, the same model you have but with a smaller display.
Years ago, using iMovie 4 analog pass-thru worked great. Since iMovie 5 it doesn´t.
The problem is the screens, both on the camcorder and in iMovie, turnes blue when connecting the firewire cable. iMovie says "Camera No Tape". Before attaching the cable to the camcorder the movie played on the connected VCR is seen on the camcorder display.
I can´t go the long way and record on a DV8-tape since I have lost the remote.

Help, anyone?

/Magnus

Years ago, using iMovie 4 analog pass-thru worked great. Since iMovie 5 it doesn´t.

Yes, sadly iMovie 5 and 6 broke that feature for some camcorders.

This is why I still have iMovie 4 for the occasional analog-to-DV passthrough sessions via my Sony TRV320E. Another alternative is to use BTV Pro for the import.

http://www.sjoki.uta.fi/~shmhav/iMovieHD_6_bugs.html#analogDV

Thanks,
BTV Pro solved one problem I didn´t know I had. I now can import live video which I can´t in iMovie 6.
But i still can´t import analog video via my camera.
The screen still gets blue when connecting the FireWire cable, after displaying the analog movie allright before connecting the cable.

Is it possible to install iMovie 4 on an Intel iMac with iSight?



iMac ICD 20" Mac OS X (10.4.8) iMovie 6.0.3, Sony DCR-TRV210 PAL

Hi,
You are correct with the extra time when going through a video camera of course. Two hours to get one hour of video into the computer. However, you can always go and do something else while the camera is recording so you're not locked to it.
Another solution that I use is the Canopus ADVC-100 ( http://dv411.com/advc100.html). It's list price is pretty expensive but you can probably pick one up on ebay cheap. You can do analogue-digital in and out. Works very well for me.

Dave

My Analog to DV passthrough settings memo:

1. Take the tape out of the camcorder

2. Connect the analog device's audio and video to the camcorder's minijack, use the S-Video jack for video if the output device supports S-Video

3. Put the camcorder into VTR-mode

4. Select A/V->DV out: ON, in VTR mode's menu choices

5. Disable the info display on the the camcorder by toggling its DISPLAY button

6. Put iMovie (or other DV application) to the Camera Mode

The analog image should now appear on the camcorder's screen as well as on the iMovie's screen.

Note that if you have a tape in the camcorder, you have to put the camcorder's VTR into REC mode (you may pause the tape) but this is not advisable because it produces wear to the tape.

* Note that the SCART which comes with the European nEUtered TRV320E camcorder is Out-only.

Is it possible to install iMovie 4 on an Intel iMac

I believe iMovie 4 works only on PPC Macs.

Nope,
that didn´t work! Probably because my camcorder doesn´t have the A/V->DV out in any menu.

I have now installed iMovie 4 on my PowerBook G4, but it still doesn´t work! The display on the camcorder still gets blue when I connect the computer to the camcorder with an firewire cable.

I give up! I´ll try to borrow an other camcorder or some kind of analog/digital-converter.

Thanks for Your help!


iMac ICD, PowerBook G4/1.67 15" Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Rather than fiddle about with outdated software, get a proper firewire analogue-to-digital converter like, for example, the one I use which has never given me the slightest problem whatsoever, at all (in any respect), without exception: the Canopus ADVC110. 🙂