Can't get video to play on my computer

[Kestu]

Hey guys – I’m an ultra newbie. I just bought a DVD burner and am trying to transfer some of the mini-dv recordings we recently made. I’ve read through a lot of the posts on the newbie section and I didn’t see an answer that would help me. Or, I’m not understanding the answer that is right in front of me.

Either way, I have a Canon Elura 80 camcorder and am using Windows XP Pro SP2. After reading a couple posts on here, I downloaded WinDV in order to get the video to play on my computer but didn’t have any luck. I followed the instructions for the WinDV software, but am getting a message saying that there is no camera recognized. On my camera, I have selected ‘Play VCR’ and the screen says ‘networked to computer’ so I think the camera is set up, but the connection might not be correct. I’ve read about having to buy a PCI card for the computer, but how do I find out if I need to do that? I have my camera connected via the USB port and that works if I want to download still photos.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[edDV]

I have my camera connected via the USB port and that works if I want to download still photos.

You need to use the IEEE-1394 cable and port to get DV video.

[Kestu]

Ok - thanks.

How do I know if I have this 'port'? I don't think it is on my computer, as I only see USB and printer ports. Does this mean that I need a PCI card as well?

[edDV]

Ok - thanks.

How do I know if I have this 'port'? I don't think it is on my computer, as I only see USB and printer ports. Does this mean that I need a PCI card as well?

yes
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?DEPA=0&type=&description=Ieee-1394+pci&S...&Go.x=0&Go.y=0

[Kestu]

Thanks - it looks like this isn't an option for laptops unless I'm willing to spend a few thousand dollars. All PCI cards are internal, correct?

[kschang]

There's this then...

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=details&kw=IOCBFW6P3PQ&is=REG&Q=&O=p...ist&sku=338663

[redwudz]

I use the same card kschang posted and it works fine in my PCMCIA slot on my laptop. Use WinDV to get the file on your hard drive as Type 2 DV. DV takes about 13GB an hour, so make sure you have some room. I use VirtualDub Mod to edit and filter, if needed, after adding the Panasonic DV Codec.

Then you can encode to MPEG-2 and author it to a DVD and burn it. If you want an easier method for beginners, DivxToDVD will do the conversion for you. A freeware version is available from that link. Not the quality of individual tools, but it's a good way to start.

[Kestu]

Great - thanks for the help guys. So, I will go out and get an IEEE-1394 cable and get this card. I'm starting to wonder if just getting a new computer with a DVD burner built in would have been cheaper....

Hopefully that works. I appreciate the quick responses.

[bowmah]

Be sure to pick up the right cable. There are:

6pin to 6 pin
4pin to 4pin
4pin to 6 pin

In your case, it will depends on your card port and your camera port.

Hope you get it working. I love firewire transfers!

[Kestu]

Ok thanks - it looks like there are quite a few options out there to choose from. Is there an obvious difference with a cheaper version? I saw one on www.compunettech.com that was about half the price.

Also - what is the difference between the IEEE-1394 and firewire cables?

[edDV]

IEEE-1394 is the standard. Apple uses the tradename "firewire" and Sony calls it "ILink".

All the same thing.

Cables are standard. Cheapest cables, like all others, risk having to buy another if the first won't work.

Fair price IMO for a 6 ft IEEE-1394 cable is $7-15.
That said, I have found them as low a $4.

[Kestu]

Thanks man - that's helpful. What about the cardbus - I wasn't real clear in my previous message, but are all the cardbus's the same as well?

[edDV]

Essentially, but the chipsets differ. It needs to meet OHCI standard to work with XP. I'd avoid the cheapest but that http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16839196001
Cables to Go looks like a good price.

I'd look for some user reviews before buying.