Is there such a thing as...?

[marceggers]

I currently use my camcorder to download my MiniDv tapes into my PC, however that means my camcorder is unavailable for me to use until it has finished downloading. My question is: Is there a dedicated MiniDV "cassette player" out there that will download the digital info on my tapes into my PC so I can use my camcorder elsewhere? Thanks.

[thecoalman]

Yes but they cost as much or more than a cam.

My guess is that the industry didn't want people buying them up as recording devices instead of DVD recorders. Think about it.... DV is superior to MPEG in all ways except compression which you don't need because you can fit 14 gigs on one tape.

[redwudz]

There's a few, but it looks like they start at +$700US and go up.

Do a Froogle search for 'Mini DV players' for more info.

[greymalkin]

i went looking for the same thing when I got my miniDV camcorder. it was used and the firewire port was no good on it. I said "no problem, i'll just get a miniDV player and capture with that"...to my horror i found they are outrageously expensive.

Some people have suggested before that you can buy a cheap miniDV camera and use it as your player, but I tried playing a tape recorded from my miniDV camera (recorded in sp mode mind you) in my brother in law's canon and the playback was very garbled...although it played fine in mine. So I can't say with 100% certainty that that would work. I ended up having to capture via s-video, but that doesn't help your situation.

Just thought I'd add in my experiences with a similar issue.

[thecoalman]

but I tried playing a tape recorded from my miniDV camera (recorded in sp mode mind you) in my brother in law's canon and the playback was very garbled...although it played fine in mine.

Perhaps that answers my question, I had not thought of that. Maybe the tape players are more robust hence the higher price tag?

[turk690]

It's really illogical, come to think of it, why manufacturers would make miniDV VCRs scarce AND very expensive. I guess they all want us to wear down our miniDV camcorders. The closest--and cheapest--I came close to was having to buy a JVC miniDV/VHS combo VCR HS3. This may have been discontinued, though.

[takeshi]

There's very little demand except for those who are actually editing from footage on miniDV tape. Typically people in that position need/want a professional VTR.

For the casual home user (i.e 90% of the consumer market), the camera is more than sufficient as a deck and it's highly unlikely that they'll "wear it down" transferring home movies.

A cheap miniDV camera is your best solution. Your odds are better if you stick with the same brand.