Camcoder is not recognized!!!?

Question

im currently using vista laptop, and it has ieee1394 in it.

I have recorded some stuff for my project, and since my camcoder uses tapes, i had to capture the video using my laptop.

I've researched about it, but i've never done this before..

i went to the shop and bought ieee1394 cable and it is 4pin-4pin since my laptop has that kind.

i have Sony Vegas, and ready for everything... but the problem is that the camcoder is not recognized at all.

Nothing happens when i put the cable and connect the camcoder and the laptop....

i even bought another cable but it is the same...

also i tried on my dad's laptop which is Xp, but still does not work...

what should i do???

Please help me!!!!

Answer 1

Every camcorder behaves just a little differently with respect to activiating its Firewire port. Some require you to go into PLAY mode before the camcoder will even turn on its Firewire port at all. I had an old JVC from around 1985 or so that had a special "PC Link" mode you had to switch to. Some won't connect unless they're running from an AC adptor.

And you may even have to set up the Firewire mode in a menu somewhere.. try moving around the PLAY mode menus to see if there's any mention of Firewire. And beware... since Apple was evil enough to trademark Firewire, most camcorder companies call it something else... IEEE1394 if you're lucky, but other names too. Sony, for example, calls it "i.Link"... I don't recall if JVC has a special name for it or not.

Best bet would be to read the manual. If you don't have the manual, try Googling for <camera name> + manual... you'd be surprised how many people put this kind of stuff up online, and some companies even maintain their old user manuals (and new) for free download.

Answer 2

an older camcorder, you may have to go to cnet.com to download the drivers to your computer for your camcorder, and try your menu set up. hope this helps.

Answer 3

On my Sony camcorder, you have to go through menu options to turn on the proper output type. I don't have it here with me so can't give exact answer.

Look on the camera for firewire/1394 output instead of possible USB or something.