Canon MiniDV Camcorder Help - Page 2

Skater Boi · 01-15-2005, 05:17 PM

thank you JCNiest5! yea i found one for like 15 bucks Canadian! but im not sure if its teh right one.
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...d=&newdeptid=2

Skater Boi · 01-15-2005, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PCBruiser

They are here, but frankly, if you are a beginner in this they will probably just confuse you completely anyway. If I were you, I would get a commercial package like the one I suggested (there are others as well) designed with wizards that make it simple for those just starting out with video encoding. It is a fairly complex subject and sometimes it is just easier to use one of these all in one products that make your life simple the first few times until you get familar with what goes into doing all this.

ok thanks again.

PCBruiser · 01-15-2005, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skater Boi

thank you JCNiest5! yea i found one for like 15 bucks Canadian! but im not sure if its teh right one.
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...d=&newdeptid=2

That's it. Just check your computer and vidcam (I have a Canon of similar design and that would be the correct cable for mine). The cam manual should tell you if it is a 4 pin connector (it should be) and the computer side is almost always of the 6 pin type. If the socket is about USB sized, but a bit wider, then it is 6 pin for sure.

Skater Boi · 01-15-2005, 05:26 PM

ok, thanks and i did check my manual (finally!) and it does say taht the camera is a 4-pin. so all i need now is to look for some transferring software! do u have any suggestions for any reasonable pricing software that transfers my MiniDV casettes to my PC? (no editing, just transferring)

Skater Boi · 01-15-2005, 05:58 PM

do u have an answer? please?

PCBruiser · 01-15-2005, 05:59 PM

Well, VirtualDub is free and it will do the transfer to your computer. But, from there you will need to encode the video and audio to reduce the size to something reasonable. You can play it in native digital format, but as I said, those files are hugh. VirtualDub will do encoding also, but it is more complex than the commercial softwareI suggested to. You will need to learn something about codecs and the formats you want to use for the final version of the video. Do a search on codec here for some more info on them.

Skater Boi · 01-15-2005, 06:01 PM

yea, but u said that it transfers really big and takes up a lot of room. but did u say that VirtualDub will compress the file or something and make it into VCD??

PCBruiser · 01-15-2005, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skater Boi

yea, but u said that it transfers really big and takes up a lot of room. but did u say that VirtualDub will compress the file or something and make it into VCD??

Yes, but it is hard to do if you don't really understand what codecs and compression is all about. That's why the commercial software is there. It has all the codecs you need, sets all the settings, and does it for you using a couple of wizard steps. There are some instructional sites out there that can help you learn about all this, but it will take some work and it is confusing. My suggestion, if this is important video to you is either just playback using your camcorder to a TV, or get one of the commercial packages out there that simplify/automate the encoding process for inexperienced encoders.

That's the choices really, either spend a lot of time to learn how to do it manually, or pay for software that does it for you.

Skater Boi · 01-15-2005, 06:38 PM

ok thanks

PCBruiser · 01-15-2005, 06:44 PM

Didn't your camcorder come with some software? Most of them do have at least limited trial packages of one of the commercial packages.

Skater Boi · 01-16-2005, 09:22 AM

Nope, my camcorder didn't come with other software... NOTHING!

ronbo 613 · 01-16-2005, 12:14 PM

Howdy-VirtualDub is OK for capturing analog video, but for digital video, try WinDV. To encode your DV AVI files to MPEG, try TMPGEnc (free version). Here's the TMPGEnc Home Page.

Skater Boi · 01-16-2005, 01:45 PM

thnak you very much ronbo!

Skater Boi · 01-16-2005, 02:20 PM

ok, now i can get the .avi files converted to mpeg, but i still dont understand how the DV cable hooks up. i kno that the small (4-pin) end goes into teh camer, but where does the the bigger (6-pin) end go. i know it goes somewhere in my computer, but i dont kno exactly where. liek if it goes in ur motherboard, at teh back of ur comp or at teh front! someone plz help!

Skater Boi · 01-16-2005, 02:53 PM

^^^^^^ please! sorri if im buggin u people, its just that i need this answer so i can go out and buy the cable! i have to get this video on teh comp so i can send it to my high school. its a culminating task!

01-15-2005, 05:17 PM	#16
Skater Boi Registered User Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Hamilton, Ontario Posts: 260	thank you JCNiest5! yea i found one for like 15 bucks Canadian! but im not sure if its teh right one. http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...d=&newdeptid=2 __________________ ~sKaTeR bOi~
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01-15-2005, 05:26 PM	#19
Skater Boi Registered User Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Hamilton, Ontario Posts: 260	ok, thanks and i did check my manual (finally!) and it does say taht the camera is a 4-pin. so all i need now is to look for some transferring software! do u have any suggestions for any reasonable pricing software that transfers my MiniDV casettes to my PC? (no editing, just transferring) __________________ ~sKaTeR bOi~ Last edited by Skater Boi; 01-15-2005 at 05:42 PM..
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01-15-2005, 05:58 PM	#20
Skater Boi Registered User Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Hamilton, Ontario Posts: 260	do u have an answer? please? __________________ ~sKaTeR bOi~
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01-15-2005, 05:59 PM	#21
PCBruiser Registered User Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 13,497	Well, VirtualDub is free and it will do the transfer to your computer. But, from there you will need to encode the video and audio to reduce the size to something reasonable. You can play it in native digital format, but as I said, those files are hugh. VirtualDub will do encoding also, but it is more complex than the commercial softwareI suggested to. You will need to learn something about codecs and the formats you want to use for the final version of the video. Do a search on codec here for some more info on them.
(Offline)

01-15-2005, 06:01 PM	#22
Skater Boi Registered User Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Hamilton, Ontario Posts: 260	yea, but u said that it transfers really big and takes up a lot of room. but did u say that VirtualDub will compress the file or something and make it into VCD?? __________________ ~sKaTeR bOi~
(Offline)

01-15-2005, 06:38 PM	#24
Skater Boi Registered User Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Hamilton, Ontario Posts: 260	ok thanks __________________ ~sKaTeR bOi~
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01-15-2005, 06:44 PM	#25
PCBruiser Registered User Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 13,497	Didn't your camcorder come with some software? Most of them do have at least limited trial packages of one of the commercial packages.
(Offline)

01-16-2005, 09:22 AM	#26
Skater Boi Registered User Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Hamilton, Ontario Posts: 260	Nope, my camcorder didn't come with other software... NOTHING! __________________ ~sKaTeR bOi~
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01-16-2005, 12:14 PM	#27
ronbo 613 Computer User Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 1,642	Howdy-VirtualDub is OK for capturing analog video, but for digital video, try WinDV. To encode your DV AVI files to MPEG, try TMPGEnc (free version). Here's the TMPGEnc Home Page.
(Offline)

01-16-2005, 01:45 PM	#28
Skater Boi Registered User Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Hamilton, Ontario Posts: 260	thnak you very much ronbo! __________________ ~sKaTeR bOi~
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01-16-2005, 02:20 PM	#29
Skater Boi Registered User Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Hamilton, Ontario Posts: 260	ok, now i can get the .avi files converted to mpeg, but i still dont understand how the DV cable hooks up. i kno that the small (4-pin) end goes into teh camer, but where does the the bigger (6-pin) end go. i know it goes somewhere in my computer, but i dont kno exactly where. liek if it goes in ur motherboard, at teh back of ur comp or at teh front! someone plz help! __________________ ~sKaTeR bOi~
(Offline)

01-16-2005, 02:53 PM	#30
Skater Boi Registered User Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Hamilton, Ontario Posts: 260	^^^^^^ please! sorri if im buggin u people, its just that i need this answer so i can go out and buy the cable! i have to get this video on teh comp so i can send it to my high school. its a culminating task! __________________ ~sKaTeR bOi~
(Offline)

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