I am trying to import a movie from a Sony DCR-TRV340 to my MacBook Pro, Is that possible? If so how. Working on a project for a non-profit and would like to help them out.
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First you need to determine, which version of MacBook Pro do you have? How old is it? This is important because the MacBook Pro connection ports changed a few years ago, and the port needed by your video camera was dropped.
The TRV340 is an old camera that relies on a FireWire 400 (aka DV) connection to engage video camera import software (iMovie etc) in a Mac or PC (the USB connection only works with still pictures on the memory stick: you usually can't transfer TRV340 videos over USB without problems). Older Macs had these FireWire 400 ports, which were upgraded to the faster FireWire 800 standard on later models until FireWire was eliminated altogether in favor of the dubious new "Thunderbolt" port on all recent MacBook Pros.
Unless your MacBook Pro is very old, you likely have either a FW800 port or Thunderbolt port. Connecting a video camera like the TRV340 will require an adapter in either case. If your Mac has a FW800 port, you'll need a FW800>FW400 adapter, which you connect to the computer end of your Sony DV cable. If your Mac has a Thunderbolt port, you'll also need the Apple Thunderbolt to Firewire 800 adapter: the Apple adapter plugs into your MacBook Pro, the FW800>FW400 adapter plugs into the Apple adapter, then the Sony 4-pin to 6-pin DV cable plugs into that. Once connected, your MacBook Pro should recognize the TR340 as a FireWire device and any video software you have should be able to work with it.
Just be mindful that your TR340 is ten years old, which in Apple years may as well be a century. Apple has an annoying habit of moving itself six or seven years into the future, abandoning standards everyone is still using today. There's a chance a new Thunderbolt MacBook Pro + adapters, combined with the latest obnoxious versions of OSX, may not recognize your camera. If that happens you might need an older MacBook (or Windows laptop) that has built-in FireWire instead of Thunderbolt.
Alternatively, if all the non-profit needs is this one tape converted to a file, you could just bring the tape to a service and have them do it for you. Once you have the file on a DVD or USB memory stick, your MacBook can access it just like any other file and open it in any video editor you prefer.Last edited by orsetto; 20th Feb 2014 at 01:32.
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Here's the version I have
Orsetto,
Thank you for your quick response. Appreciate it.
I have the following. Bought it a year ago January.
MacBook Pro
Processor 2.9 GHz Intel Core i7
Memory 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Software OS X 10.9.1
I have the SIIG 9PIN To 4PIN Firewire 800 Cable. I can see the tape move on my screen using iMovie but I can't seem to get it to record on the Mac. -
When I do an import media it creates the file but shows No Data from Device. Does the tape have to be one that was created on the TRV340?
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I think I did find out why it wasn't working. The tape I was trying to import was created on a much earlier Sony camcorder, maybe from 1990. I tried one of the tapes created on this camcorder and it did work. Is there a device or way that will allow me to transfer those old tapes to my Mac?
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