Connecting an old Sony mini dv camcorder to Pro X2

[Steve Stacey]

Hi All

Have used Prox X2 (and VS8 before that) for muchos anos to capture , render my home video projects. A few weeks ago, I decided to back up many old DVDs to external hard drive, but found that many were scratched etc. (Understandable as 10-15 years old) I ripped what I could, but then realised I still had the original mini dv tapes. What I didn't have was a mini dv camcorder, as had progressed to more recent sort with sd cards. I borrowed my bother's old Sony DCR-HC20 with all relevant cables. Problems is I'm unable to get my Win 7 pc to recognise the Sony and download drivers. I connect via usb cable connected, but nothing happens. If I go into Pro X2 capture screen, it is also unable to recognise camcorder.

Is there something obvious I've missed?

Thanks for your time.

Steve

[Ken Berry]

That camera is supposed to have a mini iLink plug which is Sony's way of saying Firewire. Does your friend have a Firewire cable and do you have access to a computer with a Firewire port? That is the way you capture your mini DV tapes.

[Steve Stacey]

Hi

Really weird. The camera has usb, dv and a/v out connectors. I received the dv cable in addition to usb one. I also tried former, but the dv cable still uses usb to connect to pc. (rather than 1394 firewire socket on pc (I have firewire connector on pc) Is the cable which goes from dv to usb the mini ilink plug? I've tried to connect that way, but now have message saying "usb devices attached to this pc has malfunctioned etc)

V frustrating.

Thanks

[Ken Berry]

I am assuming what you call the "dv... connector" and the "dv cable" are in fact the iLink/Firewire/IEEE1394 jack and (possibly not) a Firewire cable. But a proper Firewire cable should have a 4 pin plug at the camera end and a 6 pin Firewire plug at the PC end. It should NOT be a USB plug at the computer end. Ask your friend if he has a 4 to 6 pin Firewire cable, or else check out a decent computer shop to see if they still stock such a Firewire cable. They were not expensive.

The USB connection at the camera end and connected via a USB cable to the computer end, is only useful for low quality streaming video in any case...

[Ken Berry]

Just to help out (hopefully), the type of Firewire cable you are looking for should look like this:

The small end goes into the camera iLink jack, and the big end into the computer.

While there are firewire-to-USB cables (and I think you may have one), they don't work properly as they don't carry sufficient power to carry the audio signal as well as the video.

If you do get a proper cable and still have trouble with VS, it may be the latest Firewire drivers required by VS. But an alternative is a free capture program many of use used which is still available. It's called WinDV and can be found at www://windv.mourek.cz It's very easy to use and allows you to set the name of the captured files while capturing. VS does not allow that.

[Steve Stacey]

Thanks for v comprehensive response. I would attach images if I knew how, but it seems that the illnk cable provided is indeed one of the “halfway houses” with proper FireWire connector at camcorder end, but usb at pc. I wonder why Sony would design like that if inadequate for audio and video transfer from mini DVDs tapes? Although my friend never had a proper FireWire, I “did”. Got rid a few years ago, as newer camcorder used sd media. I’ll search for a cable. Are you saying the alternative programme advised would also only transfer with FireWire cable?

Many thanks again.

[Ken Berry]

No I'm not saying that at all. WinDV is just a simple way of capturing DV with your own names applied. You then open the captured videos in VS for editing.

VS itself should still be able to capture mini DV. It's just that since the advent of Win 10, and possibly also later iterations of Win 7, some of the capture drivers have changed for VS. It's still possible to use VS to capture mini DV, but if you have trouble, you will have to update the drivers. We can show you how to do that if you want so you can then capture, then edit in VS alone. But just be aware that VS uses its own naming system for incoming DV/AVI files, and the names may look a little confusing. That's the main reason I suggested WinDV since you can start off with a file name you recognize without trouble. That new name applies until you change the name in WinDV.

But the WinDV captures are the same format as you would get with VS, only with a little less hassle. But with both programs, you need a proper Firewire to Firewire cable...

[lata]

Hi Steve

Like Ken I would use WinDV, as mentioned it does need Firewire 4 to 6 pin
I have in the past successfully captured from my Pana DV camcorder using USB with no dropped frames.
I think the newer USB’s may be fast enough?

I recall the menu had a setting for DV Out, not all cameras had this, but allowed the camera to become a converter, feeding AV-in and DV-Out, aka throughput, if the DV-Out was set it did disable the normal function of tape transfer. You should check the camcorders menu settings.

I assume you do have the camera set to playback and not its recording mode when trying to transfer the video.

And once you connect the camera and turn on your Device Manager should refresh to show that connection, without that no program will see your camera.
DV-AVi is approx. 13 Gb per hour

[Steve Stacey]

Hi Both

More than happy to use WinDV, but just have to get FireWire. Also bit confused with Ken’s response as I’d only initially asked whether he was saying FireWire needed for WinDV. He initially said “no, I’m not saying that”, but then confirmed that to be the case at the end of his post?

Thanks

[Steve Stacey]

Sorry, other thing I’m unclear on is FireWire spec. It’s clearly four pin at camcorder end, but would it be 6 pin at pc? (Old DELL desktop 2007 (got down on hands and knees, but eyesight not great)

Thanks again.

[BJC]

The standard firewire cable is as per Kens image in his post above - with a small 4 pin connector on the camera end and a slightly larger 6 pin at the computer end

WinDv will only transfer using a firewire cable - but will not edit those videos - you then transfer them to Videostudio for editing

The USB connection on DV cameras was for use in transferring still images from the camera to the computer - not video

Your computer must have a "legacy" firewire driver in order for your computer to see the external camera - if it does not then it is relatively simple to download the driver from Microsoft and install it

The camcorder must be set to 'VCR' (or equivalent) mode - not the standard 'camera' mode

Information on how to add images to your posts can be found here :- viewtopic.php?f=63&t=57659

the six pin firewire ports look like this

[lata]

Hi Steve
In addition to the advice given here make sure your Device Manager does show that a Firewire card is installed as IEEE 1394 Controller view attached image

You may also have to roll back to the legacy driver, info by Ken on this post
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=63049&p=352262&hili ... er#p352262

click image for larger view

[Steve Stacey]

Thanks both. Yes, should have legacy FireWire firmware installed, as used for years with old mini DVDs camcorder, Have also ordered 4/6 pin FireWire on EBay,

Still a bit confused by Sony situation. Usb for pictures, but ilink with FireWire connector at camera end only? Guess this was somehow used to transfer movie dv in their case?

Thanks

Tony

[lata]

Hi Steve / Tony ??
After a bit of googling regarding the USB cable I don’t think Sony would have provided a USB to 4pin firewire – if you do have that then I think your brother may have purchased that?
Are you sure the USB does not have a smaller Mini USB terminal on one end and a normal USB on the other.
The smaller terminal does look similar to a 4pin firewire.

As standard DV camcorders came with USB cables, I do not know of any cameras that provided the 4/6 pin firewire cable, seems daft as that’s the cable we needed.
And I am still certain that I could capture DV via USB without dropped frames, Pana GS 400 Camcorder, I may have to dig the camera out from the bottom drawer.

Not to worry when you get the cable things should work.

[Steve Stacey]

Hi

I’ve tried a few times to upload photos, but they seem to be too big, despite attempts to reduce.In the absence of images, there’s definitely a four pin socket marked “DV”. It’s square in shape compared to the standard usb connector sitting next to it. I’ll check with the brother, but think he intimidated that all the cables came with the camcorder.

Another weird manifestation now, unrelated to FireWire issue. I’d been loading and playing the mini dvs in the camcorder to check their contents, but those very same tapes are not playing now. I wonder if Ive suddenly destroyed the heads?

Not doing very am I.

Thanks