Sony Handycam DCRHC 21 Help

hi i have a sony handycam and i need some help with it. i want to record shows off my vcr using the av cables but it wont let me and im not able to use a firewire so i dont know what to do. anyhelp??

 

I posted the same question, except for me it was VHS tapes to CD(or DVD)-R. I too received no replies. Maybe it can't be done. Somehow I think it can and further I think its probably very simple. The search goes on.

 

This model simply does not take analog input...

 

Thank you for the reply but that stomps me even more. I'm just asking how I can get what is saved on VHS tape onto a CD(or DVD). This, I would think, is independent of the camera.

Can I not PLAY the tape on a VHS player and output it to my computer Or must there be something between the two? or must there be software to do wahteve it needs to do?

Would appreciate some information on this subject. Thank you

 

You can do it with a lot of tv cards or even some graphics cards, or a camcorder with analog in/out not the sony model you have unfortunately, however my experiance with tv cards you can have trouble getting the sound to be in sync, When capturing from an external source, Their are also loads of little black boxes with audio and caputre, do a search on a company called ads they produce a few. Also averimedia and hauggpe

 

This article (including the links it contains) will show you everything you need to know: http://www.digitalvideoclub.com/basics/tapetodvd.php

 

Thanks, thats exactly what I needed. By the way can Nero do the same?

Now to determine if my Sony "Digital Video Camera Recorder" written on the body is indeed "digital". Its model DCR-TRV350

Again, thanks

 

That's a Digital8 camcorder, so yes, it's digital.
Nice thing about it is that you can play analog Hi8 tapes in it and when you connect it to your PC with Firewire, you can transfer the video in DV format.
It also accepts analog input (if it isn't a European version that has been nEUtered) and it does analog to digital pass-through as well.

 

It CAN'T be this simple. I found that square plug on my video camera marked "DV" and I located a Firewire cable with the square plug on one end and choices for other end. Can you recommend what other end I would use to my PC?

Now for the big question. I have Microsoft's Windows Movie Maker on my PC. AM I ALL SET or is there something else I would need?

 

Yes, it IS that simple.
Most PC's have a six pin Firwewire connection and Cmacorders a 4 pin, so you porbably need a 6 pin on one side and a 4 pin on the other side.
BTW: on the site that I gave you there is a thread in the editing and capturing section of the forum from joco who is going exactly through the same process as you are...

 

I'll bet there are alot more than just joko and I listening in and feeling alot better about saving their VHS content. Again thanks forom all of us.

I'll post my progress and hope others will do same.

Happy New Year

 

Did I mess up or am I blind??? I went to ebay and found a 6 - 4 Pin Firewire IEEE1394 iLink Cable 6 ft for a penny. In my haste I didn't look at the back of my PC to see if it took a 4 or 6 pin cable. The only open slots I saw was USBs, a 9-pin male and a mult pin for a monitor.

Someone tell me I'm not blind

 

Well, maybe you just don't have Firewire on your PC.
No worries, you can buy a Firewire PCI card for as little as $15.

 

How difficult is it to install?

Is there another way of determining if my PC has firewire. Maybe I overlooked it

 

Very easy. Open the PC, locate a free PCI slot, push the card in the slot, close the PC.

Open the device manager and look if there is a IEEE1394 Bus Host controler with a OHCI compliant IEEE1394 Host controler under it.

 

Visited the Device Manager and as expected I don't have IEEE...so what do I look for on Ebay or if they are as you say about $15 would they be available at RadioShack, CircutCity, etc.
In other words, what exactly is it called?

After I do the simple install where will my new IEEE port be and is there anything I have to do to turn it on or address it? I've just enterred into the world of the unknown.

 

Found two on Ebay for about $5... 2 port Firewire Cardbus PCMCIA card IEEE 1394 adapter Item #6834 7862 85...thats some kind of card that goes where on my PC? The other is FireWire Controller Card (NEC) IEEE-1394 3+1 Port NEW, item #5847 5186 97

Which is the one I want? Can you tell you are talking to a 2 year PC newbie <wink>

 

PCMCIA is a card for laptops. You will need a PCI card.
You will find many on ebay in the UK like this:
http://search.ebay.co.uk//search/search.dll?from=R40&satitle=Firewire+PCI+card

 

Thats interesting that they are all from UK. Whats is the story behind that? Curious why some aren't offerred from US Ebayers. Looking at the postage from UK and the time to receive goods makes one wonder if you should get from a UK merchant.

Have you dealt with any of these UK Ebayers? Is the product the same as if you bought one from US? I bought from a Hong Kong dealer for a digital camera bag and it arrived in 4 days.

Thanks for the tip. Looking forwrd to a reply

 

Sorry, you mentioned buying something for one penny earlier one so I figured you were from the UK....
Now I realzie you're from the US; if you do the same search on US ebay, you will find similar:
http://search.ebay.com//search/search.dll?from=R40&satitle=Firewire+PCI+card