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Sony Handycam, Need Help ASAP!

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MANDER
Posts: 4017 - Karma: 2,038
Ok so i got a sony handycam for christmas a few years ago. Never used it until now. Me and my friend (Purple) are making a ski edit for a school project that we are filiming next week. The one problem is, cant get the video on my computer. Ive tried downloading all these programs on the disc it comes with and nothing is working. Im getting super frustrated and i dont want a big fat 0 on this assignment. If anyone can help i would love it. +++++K!
Mar 14 2009 10:27PM
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MANDER
Posts: 4017 - Karma: 2,038
bump!
Mar 14 2009 10:54PM
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sirskizalot
Posts: 4370 - Karma: 161

There could be a help desk phone number on the box that your camera came in and you could call them and ask.

Mar 14 2009 11:20PM
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MANDER
Posts: 4017 - Karma: 2,038
no clue where the box is. anyone else? whats this thing I hear about a "firewire"
Mar 14 2009 11:30PM
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UNREAL
Posts: 3989 - Karma: 23
bummpppp
Mar 14 2009 11:43PM
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dergblerp
Posts: 1303 - Karma: 77
I'm assuming it uses MiniDV tapes? You have to use a firewire cable to transfer the footage onto your computer. I'm assuming you have either windows movie maker or iMovie? Either one of those softwares will be just fine if you're new to editing. Your camera may have a USB port in it, but these are only for transferring still pictures and will not work with logging video.

Basically you need a firewire cable (probably a 4 to 6 pin) and you need a computer with a firewire port.
Mar 15 2009 12:45AM
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MANDER
Posts: 4017 - Karma: 2,038
ok thanks. whats a firewire port? also can i just buy one at radio shack or something?
Mar 15 2009 10:13AM
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Aaaron.
Posts: 11817 - Karma: 903
my handycam has a USB port.
you can use WIndows Movie Maker to import the video onto your computer.

Mar 15 2009 10:19AM
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MANDER
Posts: 4017 - Karma: 2,038
mine has a cord that attaches from my camera to the USB port in my computer. my computer isnt even recognizing that its in. when i go to WMM and click on import video, where do i find the camera?
Mar 15 2009 10:28AM
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shintastic48
Posts: 2909 - Karma: 46
click "my computer" then it should show up as a removable disk
Mar 15 2009 11:11AM
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east_toast
Posts: 479 - Karma: 16
I have had problems since the beginning with my Sony handy cam.  The program that came with it called picture package is useless and freezes often but the camera has its own format for the video witch is unread able to any thing else so you need to use this terrible program.  Make sure you have picture package and update it.  Plug it in turn on the camera and go the the view movies section and it should say connect to pc and some other options, press connect to pc, open picture package and select viewing and handling pictures.  Hope this was what you needed. 
Mar 15 2009 11:30AM
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A.R.
Posts: 1111 - Karma: 11
is the camera turned on?

sounds stupid but its happened to my friends.
Mar 15 2009 11:55AM
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50in07
Posts: 3070 - Karma: 1,471
What i do is when the little screen pops up asking what i want to do i say copy pictures to my computer and they save as a picture but work fine
Mar 15 2009 12:17PM
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chapz
Posts: 10182 - Karma: 66
^^ yeah no joke, plug the camera in, then turn it on. that was my problem once. also, make sure yours is a usb, and not a firewire, cause theyre somewhat similar and most cameras use firewire, or atleast they used to.
Mar 15 2009 2:38PM
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dergblerp
Posts: 1303 - Karma: 77
A firewire port is just another type of plug on your computer, like usb but different. obviously. With basically every minidv camera you have to import with firewire. your camera may have a usb plug, but it will not work to import footage unless you have an SD card/hard drive based camera, some of which use USB instead of firewire. google search "firewire port" see what they look like, then see if there's one on your computer.

In fact, google everything your asking us right now because this is about the most basic question you could possibly ask and there are detailed answers all over the internet.
Mar 15 2009 2:39PM
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JeremyClarkson
Posts: 1599 - Karma: 1,934

yeah i got the same camera too. its like the mpeg4 format and windows movie maker doesnt take it. sadly your going to have to try and find a new program. i have sony vegas which cost me like 50 bucks and now its works fine. also if you have windows vista with the new movie maker it sort of works but you need to keep clips short.

Mar 15 2009 2:55PM
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MANDER
Posts: 4017 - Karma: 2,038
thanks for everyones help but its still not working. it used to not even detect my camera but then i found that it needs to be on USB mode. i did that and now it makes a beep when i put it in. also i went to my programs and under the picture package there was a thing called handycam tools. i clicked that and usb transfer came up. when i click it it says it cant find the camera!!!
Mar 15 2009 5:03PM
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Six.0.Tree-ski
Posts: 4059 - Karma: 67
what type of camera is it? Hard drive? SD? Mini DV? DVD?
Mar 15 2009 5:18PM
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MANDER
Posts: 4017 - Karma: 2,038
Mini Dv
Mar 15 2009 5:40PM
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MANDER
Posts: 4017 - Karma: 2,038
dinnertime bump
Mar 15 2009 6:30PM
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MANDER
Posts: 4017 - Karma: 2,038
hump de bump
Mar 15 2009 7:35PM
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MANDER
Posts: 4017 - Karma: 2,038
ok, so now when i put the camera in there is a pop up with a bunch of options. i think the only option that would work is "copy tape to video cd". is this what i should do and then put the video cd back in the computer?
Mar 15 2009 8:17PM
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nightscraper
Posts: 198 - Karma: 9
i do a lot of movie editting and i have a program called Sony Vegas. that just lets me upload straight from the camera to the program, but you can try opening windows moviemaker and uploading or imovie for mac
Mar 15 2009 9:07PM
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MANDER
Posts: 4017 - Karma: 2,038
ive got vegas too. how to you upload straight to it?
Mar 15 2009 9:12PM
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7-11_Slurpee
Posts: 1142 - Karma: 1,552
Hey, i had this problem too. I just needed to download the correct driver. Let me know the number on it (ex. DCR-TRV250) and i can get you a link to the driver.
Mar 15 2009 9:22PM
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7-11_Slurpee
Posts: 1142 - Karma: 1,552
oh, and that will make WMV recognize it.
Mar 15 2009 9:23PM
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nightscraper
Posts: 198 - Karma: 9
if you have a mini DV you put it in and go to File
Mar 15 2009 9:48PM
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nightscraper
Posts: 198 - Karma: 9
file import DVD camcorder disc...

and it should detect it
Mar 15 2009 9:49PM
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dergblerp
Posts: 1303 - Karma: 77
i've said this like 5 times already but apparently this hasn't gotten through... You need a firewire cable. basically ALL miniDV cameras use firewire. Your camera may have a USB port on it but that doesn't mean you can use it to import footage!
Mar 15 2009 10:26PM
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MANDER
Posts: 4017 - Karma: 2,038
oh sorry. thanks man
Mar 15 2009 10:44PM
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PurpleDino
Posts: 1513 - Karma: 483
okay well if your using a disk to record to, take out the disk, stick it into your dvd drive. then use the software that came with the camera to import into a folder on your computer.
Mar 16 2009 6:29AM
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defcutskier
Posts: 60 - Karma: 42
you are able to stream via usb with sony handycams, but the quality is gonna be shitty compared to firewire. you just have to download the usb streaming drivers from the sony homepage. what is the exact description of your camcorder?
Mar 16 2009 10:31AM
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MANDER
Posts: 4017 - Karma: 2,038
Sony Handycam
Mini-DV DCR-HC21
Mar 16 2009 6:59PM
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InNeon
Posts: 119 - Karma: 14
Sorry i didint read everything, and i guess the same answer i give allrdy has come. I have a sony handycam, model is not important, but atleast i didint get the usb port working and if im not wrong usb only works for photos taken with it, dont ask me why you can take pictures with a it, its just silly. You just need to use the fire wire and it will go smooth, dont use movie maker it just gives crappy quality and big fiels, use mac or download a good expensive program from a torrent. About the firewire, be sure you buy the right size of it, there are 4-pin and 6-pin versions, the end that goes in to the camera is 4-pin and the end that goes to your computer is usually 4-pin if its a notebook and 6-pin if you have a desktop, but as i said you should be sure what you buy. hope my advise helped you.
Mar 17 2009 11:15AM
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MANDER
Posts: 4017 - Karma: 2,038
ok thanks. can i buy a firewire at radio shack or something? and where does it go into my computer?
Mar 18 2009 10:46AM
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7-11_Slurpee
Posts: 1142 - Karma: 1,552

Click this link, select your operating system. Download it and see if that works. It worked for me.

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-list.pl?mdl=DCRHC21&LOC=3

Mar 27 2009 9:48AM
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zylstra
Posts: 3613 - Karma: 125
the firewire port. its like a vertical rectangle with six sides /--\
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lol
Mar 27 2009 12:09PM
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RICK_ROSS
Posts: 6983 - Karma: 3,343
im shure you said it at some point or another but i got tryrd of looking, MAC OR PC?
Mar 27 2009 1:44PM
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