Panasonic GS120 video capture software

[CaptainAmazing]

Please Help!

I just bought the Panasonic GS120 camcorder and am looking to transfer the video from the camcorder to my PC. I can't seem to find a software application besides Microsoft Movie Maker to transfer the data. I tried using Pinnacle Studio but it keeps giving me capture errors.

What is a good video capturing software program I can use to capture my video onto my PC and still give me the ability to edit the captured video and make it nice before putting it onto a DVD? It has to be able to work with my Panasonic camcorder, so please tell me I'm not stuck using some crappy software like Microsoft Movie Maker.

Thanks!

[pijetro]

What is a good video capturing software program I can use to capture my video onto my PC and still give me the ability to edit the captured video and make it nice before putting it onto a DVD?

You've already listed two of them..
Capture with Movie Maker, and edit and export to DVD with Pinnacle...

Although it's odd to get a problem in Pinnacle, perhaps you should look in their forums for specific answers...

[pijetro]

Nice camcorder BTW...
I'm eyeing the PV-GS400.....

I'll probably take advantage of a strong Canadian dollar, and a tasty American market >__<.

[CaptainAmazing]

I would prefer not to use Windows Movie Maker if possible. Doesn't it create wmz files that are kind of incompatible with other software for editing, etc...? Plus, I'd rather capture the video in an uncompressed format if possible so that it is better quality when I do all the edits and the final compression.

I'm not real educated on this stuff, so if Windows Movie Maker is as good as any video capture program, let me know that as well. I'm just going off of what I've heard.

Thanks!

[pijetro]

I'm not real educated on this stuff

Basically, all the ones and zeros coming off your tape are already compressed with DV compression. When it goes into your computer, it's housed in an .AVI format, so that any basic editor should be able to work with it..
Consider it a transfer, and not a capture..This being said, the process is pretty standard and straightforward regardless of capture software..
There should be a setting to capture .AVI within Movie Maker..

As far as editing goes, that's a different ball of wax..
Prices, range from free to not free...
Since you've already got Studio, i figured that this should be good enough.
I would have a second look at why Studio isn't accepting your camera hookup..
It would be more convenient to capture, edit and export within the same software...