Hello, this is my first post to this forum although I have been on it before looking for answers and this community seems really helpful. I own the Easy Media Creator 9 Suite.

I own a Sony Handycam DCR-HC30 and recently I have tried using MiniDV tapes (instead of the memorex digital cards I used to primarily use) to film our summer cruises. I have, however, hit a small snag. I cannot find a way to take what I have captured on my camera and translate it digitally to my computer so I can edit it in Video Wave (my ultimate plan is to make a DVD, but the footage needs heavy editing so I don't want to make a direct copy). All I really have for the camera in the connectivity area is a USB cable.

Thanks in advance for all your help, and I hope I have provided enough information!
-mwjscn

Connect your Sony, to your computer, via a firewire cable, and you will have no problems capturing the video to your computer.

Your Sony has a 4-pin connection, and your computer, if it has a firewire input, is probably a 6-pin cable, unless you have a laptop, in which case it is a 4-pin connection, just like the Sony.

Thank you for your help. I am sorry I originally posted in the wrong section.

Apology not needed. There are multitudes of folks, who have posted in the wrong forum, including me, when I first visited the forums, a number of years ago.

So, I looked at these firewire cables online. And I think I found the corresponding hook-up on my Sony labeled DV. Once I get this cable and hook it up, will the Roxio Import Software work to take what I have on MiniDV and put it on my computer?

Make sure that your computer has a firewire input. To find out, you can either look at the back of the computer, for the input jack, or look in Device Manager, under IEEE 1394 Bus Host Controllers. If IEEE 1394 Bus Host Controllers is a listing, then you have a firewire input, on your computer. You need to find out if it is a 4-pin or 6-pin connection.

Sony may call it ILink.

Well I looked through the device manager and I did not find anything like you listed, grandpabruce. If I currently do not have a firewire port on my computer, is there some way I can get a USB adapter or something? Or is it a completely lost cause (I don't know too much about computers)?

EDIT: Does anyone know?

It would be very unusual if your computer did not have an ILink /Firewire/IEEE 1394 jack. They have been around since about 1995. What computer do you have?

Look at the ports on your computer. USB ports are rectangular; Firewire ports are rectangular with a narrowing at one end. This is a Firewire port and connection. You may or may not have the wires but you can get them locally. Get a good cable.

If your computer is a desktop, and it has an open PCI slot, you can purchase a firewire card, which are relatively inexpensive, and install it in your computer.

In Device Manager, what do you see below IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers?

Here is a screen shot of mine:

Under the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers I have the following...

Intel® 82801DB Ultra ATA Storage Controllers - 24CB
Primary IDE Channel
Secondary IDE Channel

My computer is a Desktop, a Compaq Presario. The reason it might not be normal is because it may have been a custom computer. All though I do not know that for sure.

EDIT: I took some pictures

I meant, what is the listing below the IDE ATA....... Notice on mine, that IEEE 1394 Bus host controllers. Do you have that entry?

Also, I can't see well enough, in your photo, what the jack is, right below your monitor cable, on the back of your computer.

Below the blue cable is just 2 additionall USB 2.0 ports.

Below the IDE ATA I have Imaging Devices. I cannot find any IEEE Entry.


I have transferred MiniDV tapes to a CD-R before using the software they gave me, but there was no chance to edit it.

Then you don't have any firewire ports on your computer. You can get a firewire card, and put it in your computer. Looking at the back of your computer, it appears that you probably have empty slots available.

Alright, is a firewire card something that has to be installed or does it plug into something? I am not that computer proficient and could most likely not be able to install something that requires taking apart the computer.

EDIT: is there something that I can plug into a USB port that will convert from Firewire to USB so I don't need to install a card?

Find a friend, who can help you install the firewire card, inside of your computer. The first time that you go into the guts of a computer, it seems like a daunting project, but it really isn't.

After you do it once, you won't have a problem replacing/adding something in the future.

There may be converter plugs, but I don't see how they would work.

Okay thanks for all your help. Can you tell me what would be a good firewire card since there seems to be a lot out there. I would not like to make a mistake.

We wanted to go to a Best Buy to get the card in person, my Dad seems to know how to install the card in the computer. Best Buy doesn't seem to have a ton of firewire cards in stock, but I was wondering if this is a good buy because it seems to have mixed reviews.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?sk...d=1074787927900

I looked at that one, earlier. The one review says that it doesn't work with Vista, but if you are using XP, it should be good for you.

Before installing it, make sure that you shut the computer down, and unplug it.

While you are at Best Buy, get a decent 4-pin to 6-pin firewire cable. Don't get a cheap one. I got a Belkin cable, and it works great. I paid about $35 for mine, a little over 2 years ago, so hopefully, the prices came down on them.

Okay, the cables seem to be about the same price still ~$30.

That's still cheaper than what I had to pay.