ANALOGUE INPUT

[zoranb]

Is there anyone here with experience on how to input VHS video from VCR to a D8 SONY TVR 325Epal camcorder???
U can find the DCR TRV 325E PAL manual on this url:
http://www.sony-europe.com/view.x?downloads&type=2&loc=eu

plz help

[Tommyknocker]

Your link's broken. However, as I recall from a previous post, your camcorder only has A/V Out RCA connectors, which prevents you from doing pass through. However, if you wish to invest in a DAC-100, or a ADVC-100 or another analog to video converter, you will not need your camera to perform double duty as a converter.

[Richard_G]

As your camcorder is an E model, it will not have DV or analogue in enabled. Under European import regulations, the import duty on a video recorder is far greater than on a camcorder. Consequently, as most buyers have no need for video in, the European (E suffix) models do not have it enabled which keeps the price down.

However, if you go to www.datavision.co.uk, they will sell you an enabler to turn on the video in function. I use one with a DCR-TR8000e and it works perfectly, the camcorder has become a analogue video source (no matter what it comes from) recorder, DV archiver and analogue to digital converter as well as a camcorder. With miniDV cameras the DV in is enabled, with D8 cameras DV and analogue in is enabled. You simply connect your video and audio from your video player to the video and audio OUT cable (the mimi jack to 3 phono plug cable that came with your camera) and hit the record button that you currently don't have but will.

[Tommyknocker]

That's very interesting. I went to the web site to see if there were any pictures, but no luck. Can you post one?

[Richard_G]

Sure can. It is about 1.5 inches long by just over an inch wide and plugs into the LANC socket on the camcorder. You connect it to the camcorder, and turn the camcorder on, press the button on the unit and after about 30 seconds it has reprogrammed the code in the camera. After that, extra menu items for AV-DV passthrough and analogue in on/off appear on the camcorder menu screens. You can un-enable DV in if you need to send the camcorder back for any reason. If you want to record to D8 tape from an analogue source, the button on the unit becomes the record button and the led the record light.

[Richard_G]

Well, I thought I could post a picture but it doesn't seem to work.....

I've got the picture on my hard drive now, but using the img in square brackets filename /img string doesn't show my picture. What am I doing wrong?

[zoranb]

Tommyknocker and Richard_G thanx so mutch for the help, problem is im in Greece and i dunno how ill get that equipment nor do i know how hazzardous this enabling can be on my camcorder!
Ill surelly need more help on the subject so Richard_G can i ask for ur help later on if its ok with u???
Im a TRUE new newby!!!!!!!! hehe
thanx u guys

[Richard_G]

If you look at the datavision website, you'll see they do despatch to other countries. I notice that the only type available for your camcorder is a pc based enabler. What you get is a specially made cable to connect your camcorder to your pc and the software on disk. Connect the two together and run the software which re-programs the firmware in the camera. The only downside to this is that you need to have the camcorder connected to a computer if you want to record analogue video to D8 tape.

I have seen similar things advertised on ebay and such places but would worry about them. Datavision have been in business for a number of years and I've not heard any bad reports. I'm not far from them so visited and collected my enabler, taking the camcorder with me so I could be sure I got the correct one.

If you look on the chart, you'll see that some models of camcorder don't need an enabler. These are all the higher end ones where DV in is enabled as standard. Being nearer the top of the range means they cost more in the first place so the extra duty isn't really important.

[Tommyknocker]

I thought it was a very interesting site. So much so, I started looking for an enabler for my SonyTRV140. Alas, no luck.