My Panasonic PV-DV400D only records to tape and I want to encode it onto my computer.?

Question

I opened windows media encoder and it doesn't recognize a DV camera is even connected. I have it connected to a 9 pin serial port on the back of a dell computer running XP.

Answer 1

I don't know how you've connected a MiniDV camcorder to a serial port, but the correct way is to use firewire.  If your PC doesn't already have a firewire card you'll need to install one - they're cheap, readily available and easy to install.

Answer 2

You need a firewire or USB connector on the camera.

Then Connect to Your computer via the appropriate cable and interface.

You may also need a proprietary driver for Your camera from the   vendor to be recognised in windows.

The driver may be included with some kind of moviemaker software sold or included from the manufacturer.

(Universal Serial Bus= USB)-serial (0.3-340Mbits/sec, true throughput)

Firewire= also Serial (0-380Mbits/sec, true throughput)

Standard (old) serial =RS232 / v24(60b-115600 bps nominal, This one traditionally named as serial)

Answer 3

The Panasonic PV-DV400D is just a miniDV camcorder - iridflare is correct - firewire is the way to go. The serial cable that came with the camcorder will not do what you want as that driver and support through Microsoft faded away many years ago (unless you are still running Windows 95 or 98).

Refer to your manual:

http://www2.panasonic.com/consumer-elect...

Page 63 has IEEE1394a (firewire, DV, i.Link - all the same thing) connectivity instructions.

Please note that the instructions on page 64 refer specifically to copying stills from the tape to the computer - the instructions on page 63 is for video transfer.