Using Firewire how do I transfer video from Sony DCR-HC52 to my computer?

Question

I have the firewire card installed in my desktop and the 1394a cable thats 4 to 6 pin but my computer is not responding to it , I tried it with the AC adapter plugged in but still nothing is happening. In the manual where it talks about what you can do with windows computer it has DCR-HC54 in parenthesis but I have seen videos on youtube that say they were shot with the DCR-HC52. I just want to edit and upload videos. I already know the firewire to USB does not work.

Answer 1

Put your camcorder in playback mode. Open your editing software and select capture and it should come up. Make sure your firewire port is enabled by going to start/settings/control panel/system/hardware/device manager/ make sure the firewire port is enabled.

Answer 2

The DCR-HC52 is a MiniDV camcorder, so firewire's the right way to go.  With the camcorder switched to play, you should be able to capture the video with Windows Movie Maker - File / Capture Video.  If the PC isn't seeing the camcorder, try rebooting it with camcorder connected and switched on.  If that doesn't work, try this:-

Go into Device Manager (Control Panel / System / Hardware)

Expand the IEEE1394 Bus host controllers, right click on your  device and uninstall it.  If it's not there to start with, you've got a problem!

Shut down your PC.

Connect the camcorder, switch it to play and reboot your PC.  You should see messages coming up as the card and then the camcorder are detected.

Answer 3

Your computer won't respond to it.  That is not the way Firewire works.  If your computer responds to a camcorder being plugged into Firewire, it is an indication that something is wrong.

Did you start your video editing program and try to capture the video?  You made no mention of that.

In Windows, you can use Windows Movie Maker.  On a Mac, you can use iMovie in iLife.  Both of these programs will be able to control your camcorder and capture the video from the DV tape.  The owners manual of your camcorder and the Help in Windows Movie Maker will explain this procedure in detail.