How do i get my video camera movies on to my pc?

Question

i got the sony handycam which has a pc suite but only compatable with windows xp and i have vista basic.

how does it work do i play the vid on the camera and the pc records it through usb?

never done it before so iv no idea...

Answer 1

"HandyCam" is a brand name.

You did not tell us which Sony digital camcorder you are using.

If it is miniDV or Digital8 the video import from the camcorder to the computer should be done digitally using firewire/IEEE1394a/DV/i.link (all the same thing). You may need to add a firewire port to your computer. Get the firewire port working and yuo do not need any other camera-specific drivers. USB will not work.

If it is a hard drive or flash memory digital camcorder, the video data file transfer will be over a USB cable. Sony.com's support area may have an updated driver for your camcorder. Check that site.

If it is a DVD based camcorder, it really does not matter how you transfer the video - You would either rip the video from the DVD using something like HandBrake (presuming your computer has a drawer-loading DVD optical drive) or you would need an analog/digital bridge from Pinnacle (USB) or Canopus (firewire) if your computer's optical drive is a slot loader or reads CDs only. Either way, the video quality will not be very good.