DV Camcorder Merge With iMovie

[JonnyAlpha]

Hi;

I have ripped a DVD and converted it to MP4 and imported it into iMovie to edit. What I now need to do is import some footage from a DV Camcorder (Panasonic NV-DS60 which uses a DV60 tapes) into iMovie and merge it with the footage already there.

Restrictions:

1. I cannot import the Camcorder footage into my Macbook Pro as I do not have a firewire cable.
2. I can import into Windows XP or Windows 7 using my HTPC.
3. The Camcorder connects to the PC using a bespoke cable that has a custom 3.5 jack plugged into the DV port on the camcorder and a Composite Video cable (yellow) and White and Red RCA L/R Audio.
4. The PC has a Haupagge HVR1300 TV Capture Card.

Any ideas?

[JonnyAlpha]

Sorry forgot to add what should I capture the DV in and does it need converting for importing/ editing in iMovie?

[edDV]

Get a $2 Firewire cable and import to MacBook
http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10301

[johns0]

Thread moved to the mac forum where you can get more help.

[JonnyAlpha]

OK I'm in a rush and need to do this pronto so can't buy cables!! I managed to hook the DV camera to my Hauppage HVR1300 like I said and after much messing around with Windows Movie Maker and Virtual Dub I couldn't get Audio from the Capture Card. I did however manage to capture video and audio using WinTV7 and clicked the auto convert to Mpeg2.

So now I have a 414MB Mpeg2 file.

What I need to do now is import this into iMovie and merge with the MP4 video - any ideas??

Ta

[rumplestiltskin]

You'll need the MPEG2 codec from Apple (about $20, IIRC). Get it at the Apple Store Online. That will let you transcode the already transcoded material into whatever format you want (presumably into MP4).

[JonnyAlpha]

All sorted thanks.

After trying to use Virtual Dub (never managed to capture using virtual dub with my Hauppauge HVR1300), Windows Movie Maker was OK but no audio but finally with a bit of fiddling to get the audio working I managed to Capture using WinTV7.

The capture automatically saves the file as a .TS file but as I had never heard of this I did some searching on Google and found a setting in WInTV7 to auto convert the capture to MPEG2.

I then copied the MPEG2 capture to my Macbook and then I think I imported it into MPEG Streamclip and converted it to MPEG 4 but then had to use Handbrake to convert it to a format acceptable to iMovie. Anyway I have now edited it and have an iMovie M4V which I can play in VLC.

Ta