iMac does not recognize a MiniDV camera connected through Firewire

I'm having the same problem with my JVC Everio G camcorder connected by USB

USB is a different issue. Unlike Firewire and DV, USB has no standard protocol for video transfer.

As far as I know, the Everio G is an MPEG2 hard disk recorder. This should appear as a USB storage device, not a camera, to OS/X. You uought to be able to mount it and copy the MPEG2 files of. You can't directly edit the MPEG2 streams, obviously, but you can convert them to an editable format. It also has the issue of being low-resolution, so it'll be a little quirky working with (640x480 in 4:3 versus 720x480 in 4:3 for DV and DVD).

There's a lot of peculiarities with Apple's Firewire drivers in Mac OS X, I've found out. I had posted an issue in the Final Cut forum regarding it and they all jumped on me for it being an issue with Canon cameras.

I had done some tests and debugging and found it's not the camera, but actually the Firewire drivers themselves that seem flaky. For example, you can run Linux on the same machine and transfer the video without issue. Further, the Fina Cut forum posters said Canon had problems with their protocol impltementation, but if you check on the data being sent, it's perfect with regard to spec (at least over the wire).

Anyway, like all good bugs, there's a work-around. First, never capture to an external disk. Capture to the local disk, and then move the files to the external disk. OS X seems to balk at handling raw1394 or dv1394 streams at the same time as handling FW storage. Second, never daisy-chain the camera off another FW device. Again, you run Linux on the hardware and all is well, OS X, and it completely failes to register the camera (more specifically, you can't plug the camera into a hub, be it a daisy chain or an actual 1394 hub).

I'll be willing to bet that you are running into one of those two issues.

Plug the camera directly into the back of the Mac, and capture to the internal HD.

I'd add that AppleInsider reports that the 10.4.10 update that recently got sent to developers includes updates to FireWire support. So, with any luck, these issues will be reolved shortly (I had filed bug reports on them a couple of months back).

I have the same problem with a Panasonic PV-GS200 camcorder.

I tried connecting the camcorder to the Firewire 400 port of my 24" iMac. iMovie only shows the built in iSight. The System Profiler doesn't show anything as being connected.

If I plug in an iSight, then the System Profiler shows the iSight. iChat comes up, so the Firewire 400 port is ok.

Neither the camcorder nor a Plextor external CDROM drive are recognized by the iMac. They work fine, however, with my G4 Mac Mini.

I also tried resetting NVRAM, and removing all cables, including power, and waiting 5 min. to no avail.

Sigh...

It also has the issue of being low-resolution, so it'll be a little quirky working with (640x480 in 4:3 versus 720x480 in 4:3 for DV and DVD).

This is mis-information. The resolution of the MPEG files in all recording modes for the Everio is 720 x 576 pixels (except Economy mode - 352 x 288 pixels).
So this is MORE pixels than "720x480 in 4:3 for DV and DVD".

720x576? Are you sure not 720x526@25 fps (DV PAL).

According to the Everio product page it was 640x480 -- that's why I had put that out there. 640x480 is the resolution used on AppleTV/iPod (for high res), BTW. If it's inaccurate, I apologize.

I am trying to connect my Panasonic AG-DVX100AP to my iMac 20 thru a firewire. Unfortunately, I am not able to do so. My iMac does not recognize the camera. Any solutions, I have to get a small project compeleted and am really concerned. Thanks

I have the same issue with a Sharp VL-PDU3 Camcorder and Mac OS X 10.4.10 on a new 20" iMac with a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor.

Interestingly enough, I don't have the problem with the same camera on a PowerBook 12" G4 running Mac OS X 10.4.10 or a 15" iMac G4 running Mac OS X 10.2.8.

I don't see how this is a camera issue.

I found a suggestion through another thread that appears to be getting me closer to a solution. I have an external LaCie FireWire DVD burner. I was able to connect the burner to my iMac and my camcorder to the DVD burner. The camcorder at least appears in the System Profiler now. iMovie can control the camcorder, but it can't view or capture the video.

Here's the thead if anyone finds it useful.

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1079267&tstart=30

Well, if it contains FireWire updates, they haven't fixed the problem for me.

I've found that I can successfully connect to and capture video from my camcorder (Sharp VL-PDU3) when I'm using a 15" iMac G4 (OS X 10.2.8) and a 12" PowerBook G4 (OS X 10.4.10).

But I have no luck when I connect the camcorder to my new 20" 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo iMac. The only way I can get the computer to recognize that a device is connected to it via FireWire is if I daisy chain the camcorder with a LaCie DVD Burner. Even then, I can control the camcorder from iMovie, but I can't capture video.

Has anyone figured out how to get the camera icon to appear on the screen?

Also, besides this issue, I am having an issue, of when I capture my movie from the Mini-DV, the IMac, at times, shows a jerking motion as the footage is being captured. It almost looks like an underrun in capture. Any suggestions on how to fix this.

Hi,

I also have the same problem. Just bought my new iMac couple of weeks ago. Been testing my new Panasonic NV-MD10000 with it. If i plug it it using short FW cable on the FW400 port, it works, but if i use long wire (20meters), the iMac does not detect the camera. I also used another camera (Sony) the same thing happened.

Worse happens if i plug the two cameras in the FW800 port, short or long cable, the camera is not detected.

Question: Is there a limit for cables that can be used from the iMac to another device?

I tested the same setup with my windows machine (long and short FW cable) it's working fine.

Regards,

Edward TH