Canon HV30 importing help

Question

I just bought the hv30 today and i want to import my footage but i only have a USB port and can my video be imported with that because, when I connect it in the play mode nothing happens?

Answer 1

DV and HDV will transfer only using firewire. Install a firewire400 port on your computer if it does not already have one. Get a firewire cable - 4-pin for the camcorder DV port, could be 4 or 6-pin for the computer firewire port depending on what your computer has - or what you install.

If you plan to use MovieMaker to edit, be aware that MovieMaker does not do HDV (it does support DV)... Sony Vegas and Adobe Premiere float to the top for HDV.

Of course, this all assumes you have a Windows based computer...

If you are in the Macintosh environment, they have had a firewire 400 port for at least 10 years (the only recent exception is the MacBook Air). You do still need to get a 4-pin to 6-pin firewire cable. You will also need to do a custom install (from your MacOSX system disc) or the Apple Intermediate Codec. That QuickTime component will allow iMovieHD and FinalCut (Express and Pro) to recognize the HDV data stream from the camcorder.

THEN... connect the camcorder to the computer with the Firewire cable... the camcorder needs to be in "Play" or "VCR" mode. Launch the video editor that is HDV-capable. You will Import the video from the camcorder using the video editor's commands.