I have a Sony Handycam that uses mini DV tapes, and iMovie says I have to have a firewire connection instead of USB, and all I have is a USB cable. Do I have to buy another cable, or can I even import the video at all? The only plug-ins on the camera are USB, A/V Out, LANC, and one that says DV. Thank you!
You can most certainly get this to work. 100% sure.
MiniDV camcorders have Firewire ports, and yours is no exception.
That DV port on your camcorder IS a Firewire port. They mean the same thing, it’s just different names. Other names are IEEE1394 and iLink (Sony camcorders use this term, it’s likely mentioned in your manual). DV, Firewire, IEEE1394, and iLink, there is NO difference whatsoever except for the name. So, when I say "Firewire," you can substitute whatever word you want.
Buy the Firewire cable, one that will fit your camcorder’s DV port (likely a 4-pin port) AND your iMac’s Firewire port (likely a 6-pin port). Typical Firewire cables come in 4-to-4, 4-to-6, and 6-to-6 varieties.
If you’re not sure which ports are the Firewire ports, run an image search for "Firewire port" to see some examples. 4-pin ports are rectangular with an indentation on one of the longer sides. 6-pin ports are longer, and have more of a pentagon shape.
The camera’s USB cable is most likely for interfacing with the camera’s memory card, used for still images.
July 16th, 2009 at 1:07 am
You can most certainly get this to work. 100% sure.
MiniDV camcorders have Firewire ports, and yours is no exception.
That DV port on your camcorder IS a Firewire port. They mean the same thing, it’s just different names. Other names are IEEE1394 and iLink (Sony camcorders use this term, it’s likely mentioned in your manual). DV, Firewire, IEEE1394, and iLink, there is NO difference whatsoever except for the name. So, when I say "Firewire," you can substitute whatever word you want.
Buy the Firewire cable, one that will fit your camcorder’s DV port (likely a 4-pin port) AND your iMac’s Firewire port (likely a 6-pin port). Typical Firewire cables come in 4-to-4, 4-to-6, and 6-to-6 varieties.
If you’re not sure which ports are the Firewire ports, run an image search for "Firewire port" to see some examples. 4-pin ports are rectangular with an indentation on one of the longer sides. 6-pin ports are longer, and have more of a pentagon shape.
The camera’s USB cable is most likely for interfacing with the camera’s memory card, used for still images.
References :
Frequent user of consumer/professional camcorders and video devices.