Capture Video from a Sony Camcorder DCR-HC32

[Noruega]

Hello.

I am totally new at this. I have been trying to capture my video from my Sony Camcorder DCR-HC32 through a USB and unfortunately the result has been terrible. The quality of the captured image is jumpy and very blurry. I am certain I must be doing something terribly wrong, but cannot seem to find out what. Could you please help me.
Thank you and Regards

[Ken Berry]

Your camera is a mini-DV model. As such, you don't use USB to capture high quality video from it. The USB is usually only used to transfer still photos you may have taken with the camera or else low quality streaming video for the web.

Instead, look for what Sony calls the i-Link connection, which is more generally called IEEE-1394 or Firewire. It will be there, probably not far from the USB port. To transfer via that port, of course, you will need a Firewire port on your computer and a cable that fits both ends (normally a small 4 pin plug for the camera end and a bigger 6 pin plug for the computer end). If you don't have a Firewire connection in your computer, they are cheap these days and (relatively) easy to install.

The problem is that no camera manufacturer of which I am aware ever includes a Firewire cable with the camera, but they just about always include a USB cable, giving the owner the wrong idea that transfer is done via USB.

And in fact it is not really capturing when you use Firewire: it is merely transferring the video from the tape in the camera in exactly the same format and with exactly the same quality. It also happens in real time: one hour of tape will take one hour to transfer.

Once transferred, do all your editing in the same format, and only when it is finished, go to Share > Create Video File > DVD, to convert it into DVD-compatible mpeg-2 format.

[Noruega]

Thank you so much!!! I have the firewire cable but ofcourse no port in my computer! I am going to install the same and hopefully suceed ! Thank you again. Regards

[Glenn I am a beginner]

I had the same problem and am also new at this.

I did overcome it by downloading my movies from the camcorder to a DVD recorder, also with a firewire cable. The image is heaps better with this lead. I am having trouble editing these images though, as they are going into the editing mode with no sound.

Hope your problem has been resolved!

Cheers,

Glenn

[sjj1805]

Please view:
No Sound

[Glenn I am a beginner]

I have read the help you have posted and will give it a go! Fingers crossed again.

I found lots of the information you posted very helpful and useful. I like the way you try and explain things in plain english (not always easy to find when talking to computer experts)

Thanks so much for the time taken to explain and help us novices, we do appreciate your expertise!

Cheers...Glenn ':D'