I have a Sony Video Camera Recorder, how do I transfer videos from it to the computer, I have the usb cord.?

Question

I have a Sony Video Camera Recorder, how do I transfer videos from it to the computer, I have the usb cord.?

Answer 1

Which Sony Camcorder? The used to make UMatic and Beta and hi8 and digital8. Now they make miniDV, flash memory, DVD, hard drive... I'll stay with the current stuff...

If you are using a:

** MiniDV or Digital8 tape based camcorder, you will connect it using firewire (not USB) to import the video. The DV port on the camera connects to the firewire (IEEE1394a, i.Link) port on your computer. If you don't have a firewire port on your computer, install one. USB is used only for transferring stills off the memory card or web-streaming (if the camera allows for that capability). The firewire did not come in the box - read the manual - the DV cable is optional.

** Hard drive or flash memory camcorder, you will use USB to copy the files... like copying files off any other USB mass storage device.

** DVD based camcorder, you can take the DVD out of the camcorder and put it in the DVD drive of your computer (if it is a DVD drive) and you will rip the video using something like HandBrake: http://handbrake.fr/

If you do not have a DVD drive in your computer, you will need to get an Analog/Digital bridge

If you only have USB: http://www.pinnaclesys.com/

If you have firewire: http://canopus.com/products/videoconvers...

** Hi8, UMatic or Beta or other analog camcorder, use the AV cable that came with the camcorder and the Analog/Digital bridges described above.

** Still camera that happens to take highly compressed MPEG2 video, take the memory card out of the camera and use a card reader to copy the video to your computer.