minidv as a webcam

[akira276]

hi im wondering if there's any way to use my sony DCR PC9E pal mini dv camcorder as a webcam...i got it to work by installin a program called dvdriver 1.0 but its onli a demo and wondering if there's any other way....i dont have a firewire cable, but i do have a tv tuner card in which i plugged in an s-video cable between the card and mini dv camcorder and got it to work...but dvdriver is a trial...so im wonderin if there are any programs that can do the same thing and are free?

[gastorgrab]

Would really need to know what kind of capture card it is.

Ususally, anything you can find Video For Windows drivers for can be used with Yahoo, AIM, etc, etc. There are open source drivers available for certain chipsets, you just need to identify which one you have.

If your willing to go the FireWire route:

I wonder if you could install the driver from something like the ADS Pyro WebCam DV. Its a FireWire WebCam, and i think the camera itself is a Sony unit.

But doesn't it take the signal you want to use and put it into the form you want?

http://www.adstech.com/support/Downloads/Downloads.asp?productId=API-203&productName=Pyro 1394 WebCam

[akira276]

i have a GENESIS tv tuner/capture card but having a hard time tryin to find da website for this...any help?

[gastorgrab]

The chip on your capture card should have some info on it (Or it might have a big sticker over the info). The rather large chip on the card itself can be used to identify what driver you'll need.

example -
You might get lucky and be able to use something like:
http://btwincap.sourceforge.net/supportedcards.html

This is an open source project to support capture cards with the Bt848 / Bt849 / Bt878 & Bt879 chipsets.

[ofbarea]

Get a firewire card and try Orangemicro WebCamDV, DV Camcorder to Web Cam Converter. Tey have a trial version in their web site. Last version is 2.1. http://www.orangemicro.com/webcamdv.html

or in eBay, this store usually sells WebCamDV version 2.0 with a discount: http://stores.ebay.com/Bayside-Electronics

[troyvcd1]

connect the usb cable and put the camcorder on camera. Also you need to install the sony drivers that came with the camcorder.