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#1 2006-07-14 10:44 pm
- drjalgajer
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- Registered: 2006-07-14
- Posts: 5
Sony DCR-DVD505 Camcorder
PLEASE HELP:
Ok I bought an Sony DCR-DVD505 Camcorder about a month ago and MacBook about 2 weeks ago thinkng I was going to turn myself into a video editing wizard. I have come to find out that there is only a USB connection on the Sony and that iMovie will only connect via firewire (or iLink by Sony)...is there anyway that I can get the digital video that I recorded onto the minidiscs onto my Mac for editing wih either different software that can connect via USB or a fiewire cable that has a connection compatable with that on my Sony. I would hate to think I spent all that money on both products and they are incompatable. I am grateful for any advice and I thank in advance anyone who can help.
Jeff
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#2 2006-07-15 12:30 am
- AAPL Shareholder
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Re: Sony DCR-DVD505 Camcorder
I think you kind of put the cart before the horse when you purchased that camera.
I just did a quick google search and I haven't seen anything positive from Mac users. You might want to consider returning it or selling it.
Stick with a Firewire interface and Mini DV tapes or harddisks... you're life is going to be a -lot- easier. Everyone knows how to deal with those things.
With a USB interface and Mini DVD RW storage you're just looking for compatibility problems... regardless of the computing platform you'rr using.
Last edited by AAPL Shareholder (2006-07-15 12:31 am)
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#3 2006-07-15 12:02 pm
- drjalgajer
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Re: Sony DCR-DVD505 Camcorder
The more I read about this the more I think your right and I just shot myself in the foot. I thought I did the right kind of research before I bought the thing and the guy who sold it to me (I bought it at BestBuy...apparenty a $950 mistake) told me it would work. I have got a PC as well and the software that came with that to import the video won't even install right on the PC so I can't import and video there either......
Anybody know if there is a way get the digital video into imovie if I import it onto my PC first???
Thanks again!
Jeff
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#4 2006-07-15 2:55 pm
- AAPL Shareholder
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Re: Sony DCR-DVD505 Camcorder
Well, ya, you could get the .DV files on your PC
a) network your PC to your Mac, and download all the .DV over the network, or
b) burn all the .DV files to a DVD or CD and bring them to the Mac that way.
But that sounds miserable.
The whole point of iMovie and or Final Cut is to make video editing simple and accessible.
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#5 2006-07-15 8:16 pm
- Papa Romeo
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Re: Sony DCR-DVD505 Camcorder
I believe those DVD camcorders capture video in MPEG-2 format. It that's the case, both capturing the footage and editing will be a headache. If you can, I'd suggest returning the camcorder and getting a miniDV one, as AAPL said.
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#6 2006-07-17 1:28 am
- Digital Droo
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Re: Sony DCR-DVD505 Camcorder
AAPL Shareholder wrote:
Well, ya, you could get the .DV files on your PC
a) network your PC to your Mac, and download all the .DV over the network, or
b) burn all the .DV files to a DVD or CD and bring them to the Mac that way.
Problem is, the captured files aren't in DV format. However, from what I can see, the camera records to TV-viewable DVD+/-R/RW. You can use a program like DVDxDV to rip and capture the DVD video to DV, which you can use in iMovie.
A cheaper (free) solution is Handbrake, though the captured footage won't be DV. However, I'm almost sure you can import the video files into iMovie.
Better still, return and exchange it for a MiniDV camera if you can.
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#7 2006-07-17 7:01 am
- Greg Grant
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Re: Sony DCR-DVD505 Camcorder
And lastly yet another vote for returning the camera and buying a camera online using a price search engine like Pricegrabber.com. At $950 you could do a lot better like a Panasonic PV-GS250 (a 3CCD camera although I think they now have a newer one out).
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#8 2006-07-17 7:12 am
- drjalgajer
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Re: Sony DCR-DVD505 Camcorder
Again regreting that I bought anything at BestBuy, their return policy is 15 days for camcorders, so returning it is a no go. I really have trouble thinking that I could sell it for anything close to the new price but if I was to try and sell it does anybody have any suggestions besides ebay. Also as far as using a program like DVDxDV is there any drop in video quality from the capture?? Thanks again to everyone for your advice, it is truley appreciated!
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#9 2006-07-18 12:24 pm
- drjalgajer
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- Registered: 2006-07-14
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Re: Sony DCR-DVD505 Camcorder
Well I tired DVDxDV and it actually works pretty well. The files transfered perfectly into iMovie and the is hardly any quality difference noticable. It is a little bit of extra work but it is certainly worth it! Thanks to everyone for the help and advice.
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