Cable for New Sony HandyCam DCR-HC28

[HoosierGuy]

I bought a used Sony Handycam DRC-HC28. It did not come with a firewire cable to transfer from the cam to my laptop. My laptop has a 4pin firewire connection.

It looks like the firewire connection on the cam is small, I thought it was 4 pin too but it does look exactly like 4 pin. Anyway, Best Buy did not have the cable and said I would probably have to order it online. I never use Radio Shack but called and told them I have an used Handicam and was looking for a firewire. He said no one in town sells those cables and it's one reason people are getting rid of their Handycams.

So, I looked up the iLink Sony firewire on Amazon, they want $22 for a new cable. Does anyone know of any non Sony firewire cables I can use on this camcorder that is lower priced than $22.00?

Thanks!

[Bodyslide]

Look here...Great Company...

http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=103&cp_id=10301


Or maybe Ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Firewire-DV-Cable-For-Sony-DCR-HC32-DCR-HC27-US_W0QQitemZ19048...QQcmdZViewItem

[zoobie]

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-4-4-pin-IEEE-1394-iLink-4FT-FireWire-DV-Cable-/180446362625?pt...item2a0370fc01

[HoosierGuy]

Are those ilink cables the same on the both ends of the cable? It looks like ilink socket on my handycam looks different from the firewire socket on my Dell laptop. My Dell has a small 4pin opening. Will any 4pin Firewire 400 | 1394a cable do? I want to make sure I get the right cable that fits the handycam and my laptop.

[zoobie]

are you sure you're looking at the right port?
there may be a hidden one on your cam and you're looking at something else

some solutions include taking it to a camera shop
ordering the stock cable from sony

[HoosierGuy]

My mistake! The firewire socket on my laptop does look the same as the Sony firewire socket on the camcorder. So what I need is a 4pin to 4pin. I'm not going to buy the Sony cable for $20.00 when a $2.00 cable will do.

I was looking at another socket in the camcorder that you connect audio/video/s-video too. It's a socket that I'm not sure what the name is.

Any advice of how to put a used camcorder through some pases to make sure it's in good working order? It has a seven day return policy. So far it's recording, ejecting the
tape, fast forwards and rewinds, and the touch screen works. It came with a batter and it seems to be working. Also came with a battery cord/charger.

[zoobie]

download the manual if you don't have it and run thru it

[HoosierGuy]

I hope i will not have any trouble transferring video from the Handycam to my Dell. Do I just hook it up via firewire and hit play on the handycam? Or do I need to open software on my computer that will transfer from the cam to the computer?

[edDV]

I hope i will not have any trouble transferring video from the Handycam to my Dell. Do I just hook it up via firewire and hit play on the handycam? Or do I need to open software on my computer that will transfer from the cam to the computer?

Most DV camcorders have a 4 pin connector at the camera end. The computer may be 4 or 6 pin.

WinDV is a simple program for DV stream transfer to a DV-AVI file.

In manual mode you preroll the camera then manually start the capture.

http://www.windowsmoviemakers.net/PapaJohn/61/WinDV.aspx

[HoosierGuy]

I ordered the 4 pin to 4 pin firewire cable. Also downloaded WinDV so I'll have it when I get the cable. I read the brief introduction to using it. What is the recommended setting for my cam and Max AVI Size (Frames)?

I guess for the next week until the cable comes I shoot video and learn to use it.

[edDV]

I ordered the 4 pin to 4 pin firewire cable. Also downloaded WinDV so I'll have it when I get the cable. I read the brief introduction to using it. What is the recommended setting for my cam and Max AVI Size (Frames)?

I guess for the next week until the cable comes I shoot video and learn to use it.

A DV transfer over Firewire results in bit for bit identical tape or live video/audio data to the DV-AVI file. There are no options for file size. DV Video is 25 Mbps CBR. Audio is 16 bit PCM stereo or 12 bit depending on camcorder settings.

[HoosierGuy]

I ordered the 4 pin to 4 pin firewire cable. Also downloaded WinDV so I'll have it when I get the cable. I read the brief introduction to using it. What is the recommended setting for my cam and Max AVI Size (Frames)?

I guess for the next week until the cable comes I shoot video and learn to use it.

A DV transfer over Firewire results in bit for bit identical tape or live video/audio data to the DV-AVI file. There are no options for file size. DV Video is 25 Mbps CBR. Audio is 16 bit PCM stereo or 12 bit depending on camcorder settings.

Thanks for the info. I can learn physcal things (like using the cam) myself by using it and reading the manual. But I'm really bewildered by all these different formats and
codecs and the difference between VI, DivX, XVID, FLV, ASF, MPG, MOV, RM, MP4, MKV, MP4, OGM, WMV,AVCHD, HDV, DV, MJPEG, Huffyuv, MPEG2, MTS, M2TS, etc.

Is there an online primer that covers all this? Someone did post a book on movie production in the digital age that supposedly covers some of this. A basic online primer would be nice though.

[edDV]

Typical work flow for DV format source is capture DV, edit DV, archive a DV edit master, then export or convert to a desired distribution format. DV format is high quality 720x480, 29.97i, lower field first and records in complete frames (two fields per frame). Many editors will cut edit DV format with no loss. That means the edit master is still equal in quality to the camera original.

The most common distribution format is DVD MPeg2. For best DVD quality, one would use a high bit rate (one hour mode) with the following settings: 720x480, 29.97i, lower field first, ~9000 Kbps video, 224 Kbps audio (AC3 or mp2 format).
See "What is DVD?" https://www.videohelp.com/dvd

For internet distribution one often needs a more compressed format. To achieve the greatest compression, deinterlace is usually required. Deinterlace is a lossy process but is usually a necessary evil for internet distribution. Common video formats for internet distribution are: divx/xvid, wmv, h.264 or flv (aka flash). Video and audio are multiplexed (combined) into a container for transport (distribution). Common container formats are avi (Windows), mov (Quicktime), MPeg2 (elementary or transport PS/TS streams) or MPeg4.

Google each of those terms for further information. Most likely you will only be using a few combinations of video, audio and container. One will be DV format in an avi container (your DV master). Another will be MPeg2 video, AC3 audio in an MPeg TS wrapper (aka DVD). Then most likely you will choose a format for upload to the web. Best to use formats and containers recommended by the upload site.

[HoosierGuy]

Thanks for the informative info. I'm reading a book on editing and there's a small paragraph on interlacing for TV and progressive scan, but it's not a very detailed explanation. So when you plan on something being watched on a computer screen it does not need to be interlaced? If I understand this right, our old TV's have
interlace video. New HD TV's have interlace or the better progressive scan (I assume progressive scan is better.)

When I shoot video on my Handycam, is it being recorded in interlace? Hope that makes sense. I can hook it up (if I had the cable) to a TV with AV cables/S-Video, so it must be in interlace to play on a standard non-HD TV, right? When I transfer this film to my computer (when I get the cable in the mail) will the original file be in interlace?

[edDV]

Most camcorders shoot interlace video including your MiniDV model. Recommend editing in DV interlace format to an interlace DV edit master file (your archive file). Export interlace DVD MPeg2 to DVD using specs above.

The interlace DV master file or DVD disc can be played on a computer using a deinterlacing player like WMP, MPC-HC, PowerDVD, VLC, etc.

The DVD disc or DVD file can also be played on DVD, Blu-Ray or Media players. These will output interlace to an interlace TV or will deinterlace in hardware for output to a progressive display. Any HDTV will take either interlace or progressive video.

For upload to internet or for portable device playback, one would deinterlace in software, then encode to the format required. Software like Handbrake can do this all in one step.

The above workflow will assure highest quality for each type of playback.

[HoosierGuy]

I received my 4 pin to 4 pin firewire cable in the mail today! I made my first transfer using WinDV and played some of the video on Windows Media Player. I did not find the video quality as good as it looks on the small LCD display on my Handycam. It just does not look sharp. Is this a result of the transfer process, Windows Media Player, or my laptop not being fast enough?

Thanks!

[aedipuss]

the captured video file is exactly what's on the tape, bit for bit. most likely it doesn't look as good on the laptop because it's being displayed at a larger size and it's interlaced. those little hdr handycam were not know for good video anyway. they use single tiny sensor and were kind of blurry especially when enlarged to tv size.

[HoosierGuy]

I ordered an S-Cable connection cable (has not come yet) for it so I can hook it up to the TV via S-cable and see how it looks. When I do hook it up to the TV it will it fill the whole screen?

Anyway, now that I have it transfered to my laptop. What's the next step in making it look more sharp? Or am I stuck with that quality? My first goal is to, after editing some video, put it on youtube. So I want it to look at least half way decent, it does not have to be super sharp, but half way decent.

[aedipuss]

picture size depends on how you shot it and the type of tv you have. normal miniDV is 4:3 so it will display with black bars on the left and right. the cam does have a dv widescreen mode, but hopefully you didn't use it as it make the quality of the video much worse, as it uses only part of the already tiny cam sensor.


the best thing to do with that video for display on a tv is to create dvds out of it and then let the player handle it.

the free program avstodvd might be a good place to start. or convertxtodvd if you own it.

[HoosierGuy]

Thanks. I'm transfer the video again using Windows Movie Maker. It gave me a couple of options - transfer in a format that is best for computer play or transfer in full AVI bit rate to be recorded back to tape. I'm trying the first option first. I don't care about how much hard drive space this takes, I just want a nice semi sharp decent picture to edit. Again, it does not have to be perfect.

My next purchase will be Sony Vegas Movie Suite. Hopefully I can use that to edit the videos I shoot.

[edDV]

Thanks. I'm transfer the video again using Windows Movie Maker. It gave me a couple of options - transfer in a format that is best for computer play or transfer in full AVI bit rate to be recorded back to tape. I'm trying the first option first. I don't care about how much hard drive space this takes, I just want a nice semi sharp decent picture to edit. Again, it does not have to be perfect.

My next purchase will be Sony Vegas Movie Suite. Hopefully I can use that to edit the videos I shoot.

Save to DV-AVI (under Other).

WMV is a big step down in quality and is not what you want for editing. Edit DV, save a DV master and only then convert to WMV for high compression distribution.

[HoosierGuy]

WMV saved it and when I play it the picture does look sharper but it's a small box. Hmm... I'm starting to think I'm going to have to experiment and find the right settings - make the picture large enough while maintaining a decent amount of sharpness. Anyway, time to play and learn about it more!

[edDV]

WMV saved it and when I play it the picture does look sharper but it's a small box. Hmm... I'm starting to think I'm going to have to experiment and find the right settings - make the picture large enough while maintaining a decent amount of sharpness. Anyway, time to play and learn about it more!

A DV capture over firewire will be bit identical to the digital recording on tape. If you capture with WinDV, the data goes straight to a file as DV 720x480i/29.97 fps with intact frames. If you capture with Windows Movie Maker and then save as DV-AVI, the result will be the same. If you use effects or filtering in Windows Movie Maker, the video is converted to 640x480 square pixel but can still be exported in DV 720x480 format using "save as". Export to WMV will be extremely lossy.

[HoosierGuy]

I ordered the 4 pin to 4 pin firewire cable. Also downloaded WinDV so I'll have it when I get the cable. I read the brief introduction to using it. What is the recommended setting for my cam and Max AVI Size (Frames)?

I guess for the next week until the cable comes I shoot video and learn to use it.

A DV transfer over Firewire results in bit for bit identical tape or live video/audio data to the DV-AVI file. There are no options for file size. DV Video is 25 Mbps CBR. Audio is 16 bit PCM stereo or 12 bit depending on camcorder settings.

OK, just to double check, when I transfer using WINDV it does not matter what number I put in for Max AVI Size (Frames)? I can put in 1 or 15000000?

I think I'm starting to understand compression and distribution after reading some posts on this site. The word Lossy was new to me but I think I understand it
now.

So when I transfer my video over it will be in AVI format. I can edit that with no quality loss. Then I can burn it to DVD or send it back to the tape in AVI and it will not lose any quality. But if I compress it for distribution on the net then it will lose quality and if I deinterlace that will lose more quality. Is this all correct?

I hope to order Sony Vegas Suite some time this week. I'm gong to start shotting some things for a video I want to make and put on youtube. I actually got a quick shot of the first subject today.

[edDV]

....
OK, just to double check, when I transfer using WINDV it does not matter what number I put in for Max AVI Size (Frames)? I can put in 1 or 15000000?

There are ~30 frames per second, ~1800 frames per minute.

If you want the capture to stop in an hour, enter 108000.

....
So when I transfer my video over it will be in AVI format. I can edit that with no quality loss. Then I can burn it to DVD or send it back to the tape in AVI and it will not lose any quality. But if I compress it for distribution on the net then it will lose quality and if I deinterlace that will lose more quality. Is this all correct?

The video will be in DV format, audio PCM both in an AVI wrapper.
http://www.adamwilt.com/DV-FAQ-tech.html

Cut editing will be lossless if you export back to DV-AVI. Save this as your edit master.

DVD will require encoding to MPeg2. Encode from the edit master.
https://www.videohelp.com/dvd

For uplink to the net, follow encoding directions at the host site. If you don't deinterlace, they probably will.

[HoosierGuy]

....

....
So when I transfer my video over it will be in AVI format. I can edit that with no quality loss. Then I can burn it to DVD or send it back to the tape in AVI and it will not lose any quality. But if I compress it for distribution on the net then it will lose quality and if I deinterlace that will lose more quality. Is this all correct?

The video will be in DV format, audio PCM both in an AVI wrapper.
http://www.adamwilt.com/DV-FAQ-tech.html
.

Thanks for the site. Heavy reading for a newbie. I did see a word that I think is what I see in my videos - Quilting. I see in some areas of a scene some of that quilting, or something like it. It looks like it's most noticeable when I'm moving the camera and it's appears on long lines at the corner of objects, at times. I assume this is a result of the camera and there is nothing I can do to get rid of this except upgrade to a better camcorder. If I would burn that image to DVD and play it on a DVD player to a TV, will I still see that quilting?

So I'm interested, what kind of camcorder would I have to buy to get an excellent image that does not have that quilting and is easy to work with in editing programs?

According to that site DV format is very good. That's cool. The site gives DV a 9 and VHS 3.5. Wow, that's a big jump from 3.5 to 9.

The more I look at my video the more I'm happy with with the quality. I'm not after perfection, not yet anyway.