Question regarding a Sony DCR-TRV280 Handycam.?

Question

I need help trying to upload some footage from my camera. Do you need a memory stick to put it on the computer? because all I have is a couple of tapes. It also came with a USB connector cord but when I plug it in to the computer and turn the camera on nothing happens. What do I do?

Answer 1

The Sony DCR-TRV280 is a Digital8 tape based camcorder. You can download your camcorder's manual here:

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/model-d...

You have two ways to transfer video:

1) Your computer needs a firewire400 port. You will transfer the video using a firewire (IEEE13094a, i.Link - all the same thing) cable connecting the DV port on the camcorder to the firewire port on your computer. This is the same for miniDV tape based camcorders. USB will not work.

Refer to page 72. The USB method requires a driver in the Windows environment that is not longer supported and not available. When you use firewire, the driver is not needed - what is needed is a working Firewire port. You do not need the CD and the software. Windows XP (SP2) included MovieMaker. With the camera connected (using firewire), and the camcorder in "Play/Edit" mode, launch MovieMaker - and "Capture" the video from the camcorder's tape.

2) Use the AV cable that came with the camcorder and transfer using the analog connection. You will need n analog/digital bridge like

http://www.pinnaclesys.com/PublicSite/us...

or http://canopus.com/products/videoconvers...

Because this is converted to analog, the video quality is not very good.