Can't get Canon ZR65MC to dnload DV to PC on USB port.

[SVCDummy]

Dang!

Just got this DV camcorder yesterday and I can't find any instructions in the manual on how to get the DV to play through the USB port for capture on the PC. The only reference to it is for memory cards only. I find it hard to believe that you can record with a DV camcorder but can't get the DV out of the dang thing to the PC.

Am I missing something here?!?

BTW, this is the first time I've ever tried to get ANY video off a camera to the PC (laptop) and I am terribly lost. The instruction manual is in 3 languages and none of them seem to make sense of this issue.

[SVCDummy]

Hmm.... Guess it would help to say that my little 5 min test recording is on DV tape. The memory card that came with the camcorder was only 8meg and can only hold a few seconds of data, so I used a DV tape.

Help!

[vandakeg]

The only way to get the DV video from you camera to your PC is via firewire (IEEE 1394). The only thing your USB output from your camcorder is for is transferring from the memory card to the PC.
Unless your laptop has a firewire port, you're gonna have to buy a firewire pcmcia card, and a firewire cable (look on ebay, they're not horribly expensive).

[bokkasrealm]

The USB port is also for using your camcorder as a webcam.

[SVCDummy]

Crap!

I can't find any reference in the manual to a "firewire" connection and there is no reference to using it as a web-cam either.

I tried to get it to work as a web cam all night last night, thinking that I could at least use sometning to capture the stream.

It appears that the only outputs are, S-Video, DV-out, and Composite video out (with stereo audio jacks as well)

There is a USB port on the camera but it evidently is only good for transfering still pics from the memory card or the 10-12 seconds of video you could fit on the card.

I can't find anything on their website either about dnloading from miniDV tape to PC, nor is there any indication on the website about how to make it a web-cam.

The camera is a great tool but it just seems nearly impossible to get the DV out of it into a laptop.

Does anyone know of a capture tool that works from USB ports?

Thanks

[mustang581]

I have a zr70mc wich I believe is very similar to yours, the Firewire connection is on the front of the cam. towards the bottom behind a small gray panel.

[vandakeg]

The DV out port IS the firewire port.

[SVCDummy]

WOW! Thanks everyone!

I feel so retarded. Once I found out the DV port was in fact the "firewire" connection everything else made sense.

Thanks a bunch. Now I can venture into the world of mini-DV a bit and get some documentary work done. My job sucks bad as it is, but at least now I get to play with the DV stuff for a short while.