how to preserve mini DV movies from sony handycam?

I have a sony handycam DCR-HC28 and a new baby, so it’s important that my videos don’t stay on the little tape, therefore useless once the camera dies. I want to get them onto DVD. But I also want them on my computer. I conveniently lost all cables that came with it, ( i think it just came with an audio video cable though) AND the user manual. (don’t worry i’m more responsible with the baby than my tech gadgets). From what I can see, there is only one port on this video camera, and it says “DC in” and is where the charger connects, but is this the same port to be used for a firewire cable, (which I want to buy to transfer videos onto my computer) and an audio video cable so I can watch the home movies on my tv?
i have a compaq laptop that has a firewire port, but i do not have a dvd burner. however i do have access to an apple laptop that does. do i need two diff. firewire cables to be able to connect to both laptops? (I don’t have the apple here to look at)
as you can see- i don’t know a whole lot about what i’m doing and would love any help i could get.
thanks guys- i just found the other ports. i didn’t know they were there!! as you can see…i’m not one to read manuals. especially if i lose them

Answer by Yiyi
You could use a service that I used http://www.stashspace.com/ you use your firewire connection to upload the video to your computer then you store it to their servers and you can have them burn it to DVD.

I tried it and it worked great. check them out at http://www.stashspace.com/

Answer by iridflare
MiniDV is completely standard – you can play the tapes on any MiniDV camcorders and that’s the best place to keep the the video. Despite all the claims about optical disks lasting for decades they’re just not that reliable! Your best bet is to make DVDs for convenience, but keep the tapes as an archive.

You may be able to use the same firewire cable for your Compaq and Mac – firewire ports come in 4 pin and 6 pin varieties, so you’ll either need a 4 pin to 4 pin or a 4 pin to 6 pin cable.

As you hold the camcorder in your hand, the DV and AV sockets are under a cover on the right hand side.

Answer by TiddiVisual
a miniDV vcam must be DV~Firewire400**-connected to pc to upload video thru video capture or video editing* application while vcam is ON PLAYBACK. The various ports (DV-iLink (firewire), USB, composite, etc) are protected by a plastic cover upper right side of vcam.

entry-level Movie Maker* (free w/ Vista/wmm6 & XP/wmm2) is simple & easy to learn. Similarly, edit videos thru iMovie in ur Mac. Process is similar for video editing apps.

video editing process- Vista/wmm6
>>> open wmm- start/all programs/wmm->TASK pane
1. Import video stream** – editing software remotely controls vcam operations
2. Edit- drag/drop video files->timeline & enhance w/effects, transition, music & titles
3. Publish (render)- save Movie (OK for youTube), also, save Project.msmmw file
>>> Share=>auto-shifts to WindowsDvD authoring app->burn to DvD

For details, visit: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/moviemaker/default.mspx

What do you think? Answer below!

I own a Sony handycam ccd-trv 328 and I wish to connect it to my emachine PC model T2984 so I can record videos with my camcorder and copy them over to my computer to hopefully create viral videos for youtube and such. Any advice on how to connect them and get this to work? Maybe withe a cable bought at Best Buy or Circuit City? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Answer by toddos1
The CCD-TRV328 is an analog camera, and thus has no USB or Firewire (IEEE1394) output. Therefore, to import video into your computer from the camera you’ll need a video capture card that supports S-Video input (the camera may also provide composite output). The eMachines T2984 does not have a built-in capture card, so you’ll need to purchase something that will allow you to input the video and audio.

Since the T2984 does have several USB 2.0 (high speed) ports, there are a number of external capture solutions you can use rather than putting an internal card in the PC. I’d suggest you go to your local electronics store like Best Buy or Circuit City and browse the available products. Prices range from $ 40 or less to several hundred dollars, depending on the features you want.

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Sony Handycam ‘Memory’ TV spot 60sec
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