Mac compatible camcorder suggestions?

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Level 1

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Mac compatible camcorder suggestions?

So my mini DV Sony Handycam pooped out on me a few days ago. I figured it was time to join the real world, so i went and bought a Sony Handycam HDR-CX240. I usually go with sony and it said "works with iMovie" on the side of the box, so i though all was good. Keep in mind i have never ever used iMovie or iDVD. So i do some test videos and tried my hand at getting the video onto a DVD, i found it daunting, but it was my first try at this. I finally, god knows how, got what i filmed onto DVD and the quality was terrible. All looked good on the camcorder screen, but once in iMovie it looked terrible, same when i burned it to DVD. Well i research the heck out of this and people saying this and that. Well i called Sony and much to my surprise i was able to talk to a human at length. The person i spoke with admitted that Sony does in fact have a compatibility issue with Mac. Really? You put "works with iMOVIE" on the box but tell me you have compatibility issues? Lame. The guy told me to download a Sony editing program, but i asked, "if i need that specific download, how will that help me if im on vacation and at a different computer without that Sony program?" He said it wouldn't help me. Obviously.

So, im seeking feedback from anyone who has a Mac and a camcorder that works well with it. I have iMovie 11------9.0.4

I really would love to get a camcorder that will work with my Mac. Anyone? Thanks, O

P.S. Is there an easier way to get video to DVD instead of going iMovie>iDVD>Burn disc? I dont need to edit or anything, i just want whats on the camera to go onto a disc! Nothing Fancy like in iDVD where you have to pick some design stuff. Thanks.

Posted on Jun 28, 2014 12:47 PM

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Answer 1

lllaass

Level 10

210,411 points

Jun 28, 2014 12:53 PM in response to zowenso

You might have better luck posting in the iMovie for Mac forum.

iMovie for Mac

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Answer 2

zowenso Author

Level 1

5 points

Jun 28, 2014 1:35 PM in response to lllaass

Thank you.

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Answer 3

tbirdvet

Level 6

13,605 points

Jun 28, 2014 4:37 PM in response to zowenso

I have used a Sony and now use Canon HD camcorder. I always record in highest (AVCHD-blu-ray) definition. If you want that quality and you do not want to do much editing then use a program like Toast and get the Blu-ray plugin. It will take your Video and burn directly to DVD. You can have HD (plays on any DVD player) or have it burn in AVCHD-Bluray) for Blu-ray players. I have found using iMovie that the output is degraded when burned to DVD even if using iDVD. You do not have to use Sony or Canon burning software.

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Answer 4

zowenso Author

Level 1

5 points

Jun 28, 2014 6:24 PM in response to tbirdvet

Thanks for the response tbirdvet. My other option was a Canon, I regret not getting it now. So I plan on returning the Handycam and getting a Canon. As far as recording quality goes, I don't have blue ray, so I wouldn't need that quality. I would probably just film in the standard mode, I'm just shooting basic family video. Now, since I wouldn't want or need to use super high quality recording settings, could I still use this toast program? I'd like to avoid iMovie if possible. I really found it confusing. Could you tell me a little about this toast program? Is it simple to use? Is it a download that you buy or is it free? Is it used in a similar way that iMovie was, where I would open it up, plug my camera into the Mac mini, turn it on and it would detect the camcorder? As you can tell, this is totally new stuff I'm doing. Your feedback is appreciated. Thanks

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Answer 5

tbirdvet

Level 6

13,605 points

Jul 4, 2014 4:15 AM in response to zowenso

Toast is easy to use. It is not free. When you openToast you can pick several different programs(copy disc, burn files, burn videos). It will recognize your camera and you can then import the video. It has some editing features like adding backgrounds, titles, etc.) Not as detailed as iMovie but nice for the novice user. The way Toast comes is without the Blu-ray burning feature which is an extra add on but it will make HD videos no problem as it is.

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Answer 6

zowenso Author

Level 1

5 points

Jul 4, 2014 6:53 AM in response to tbirdvet

Thanks again for your response. Ill look into toast. I find it a bit crazy that making home video has become so much work. All these quality options, storage options, editing software, it just makes it more work. I understand the times are changing and im trying to adjust, but i miss the ease of miniDV. I guess its no use looking back. What really bugs me is how, like you said, quality is degraded via imovie and idvd. It makes no sense to me.

Have you ever tried the Sony editing software Playmemories? Id love to keep this cheap and Sony software is free. I really wish imovie didnt degrade quality. All i want to do is stitch video clips together to make one long video. Seems simple but apparently not. Even if i could make a seamless video and store it on a flash drive or external hard drive. Since i dont have a new TV or blue ray, DVD seems like the obvious choice for or viewing. Id store on something, but burn to DVD for current viewing and store for later viewing on a new TV when we get one.

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Answer 7

zowenso Author

Level 1

5 points

Jul 4, 2014 7:47 AM in response to tbirdvet

Also, is it safe to say that Toast won't degrade video quality from my camcorder and phone? Do you think it has a feature where I can stitch multiple video clips together and make one long video? Could you post a link to the Toast program you reccomend? Thanks again.

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Answer 8

zowenso Author

Level 1

5 points

Jul 7, 2014 5:09 PM in response to tbirdvet

Hello. So i just got Toast, look forward to trying it out. I just briefly went through it after watching the tutorial. I have a few questions....

1.) I have cell phone videos in my iphoto, can i access them through Toast? I only seem to see access to iMovie.

2.) When i open imovie, i have cell phone video in my events box at the bottom, but when i click on iMovie in Toast, none of the videos show up in the video box, any reason why?

3.) Do all videos i import to my computer have to go into iMovie in order to access them in Toast?

Thanks.

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Answer 9

tbirdvet

Level 6

13,605 points

Jul 8, 2014 10:45 AM in response to zowenso

The video format has to be correct for Toast to recognize them. This means AVCHD or .mov files I believe. I use the older Toast 10 so may be a little different from your version. I also have the blu-ray plugin with Toast. Not sure about importing video from your cell phone. Any movie you import into iMovie can be exported using the "share" menu and exporting to desktop. (However I recommend using iMovie version 9 and not 10 as version 10 does not export to the most usable format.). Then you can drag that file into Toast to burn. Toast will not degrade any video. I know you can see the various frames in Toast and do some editing like deleting, etc. I usually burn the entire video as is.

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Answer 10

zowenso Author

Level 1

5 points

Jul 9, 2014 7:04 PM in response to tbirdvet

Thanks, tbirdvet. You have been a great help. Hoping you can help me one more time. So ive been making some test video is Toast. Its very simple and exactly what i was looking for, very happy about that. So, i know that these DVDs im making shouldnt be the actual storage of the video, so i tried to drag the clips out of Toast and onto the desk top, so i could put them on a flash drive, but i couldnt drag them out of toast. So i popped the memory card out of the camcorder, put it in the adapter and put it into the back of my mac mini in hopes to be able to access the individual video clips, drag them onto the desk top and then put those on a flash drive . After i popped the memory card into my mac mini an untitled item popped up on the desk top, i clicked on it and went through the few folders until i came across some small thumb nails of my video clips. I could actually click on these mini thumbnails and then would play. So, i dragged those onto the desk top hoping these were what i would store on a flash long term. I noticed the file names were different, they said MP4. So for the heck of it, i dragged those files into toast and made a DVD with them and the quality was terrible again. Is this because they are MP4 files? Am i doing something wrong? Should i be looking for something else to drag onto the desk top so i can store on a flash drive? Any help would be great.

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Answer 11

tbirdvet

Level 6

13,605 points

Jul 10, 2014 4:47 AM in response to zowenso

It is the mp4 format that is no good. I also found these not to work after burning to DVD when I played them back on the DVD player. Once files are loaded in Toast they are converted to a format to burn to DVD. Check your camera format and see if you can change the setting to higher resolution. This is why I noted I use iMovie version 9 because clips sent out of that program are in .mov format which Toast can burn to DVD that is good. iMovie 10 makes mp4 format which is no good in my opinion for DVD burning/playback use (will play OK in Quicktime). I would also suggest you download the Toast users manual (pdf). I had to read mine several times to understand all the in's/out's of the system. I always record with my camera at highest resolution and have no issues importing into Toast.

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Answer 12

zowenso Author

Level 1

5 points

Jul 10, 2014 5:12 AM in response to tbirdvet

Thanks again. Yeah, my Mac already has imovie 11 installed, not sure I could even change that easily. Even if I could, can you drag clips out of iMovie 10 so that you could drag files into a flash? Shockingly I didn't have any issues importing into Toast....lol....everything else has been tough for me. The dvd came out great. Do you know if I can even pull a quality file off of the memory card if I put it directly into the Mac? Wondering if there is another file that I may be missing? and you think changing the resolution on my camera may improve the file quality if I pull it off the memory card?

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