hello! I've had this mini dv camcorder for about 4 years now and never tried to capture the videos to my pc until lately and when I try using the standard usb cable that came with it it does nothing! I have learned that a firewire cable would give my videos better quality so I ordered a firewire cable for my camera and also ordered a firewire adapter card because my computer has no firewire port. Does anyone know what kind of software I will need to capture the videos to pc? I have a sony mini dv dcr hc20. I'm not sure if I need to get pinnacle or sony digital imaging video software! Thanks for any help!
WinDV is a free program that will capture your video. If you also want to edit the captured video, Roxio, N-e-r-o, Pinnacle, or some other editing software is what you will want to get.
hi and thank you so much! would you happen to know if the firewire adapter card is easy to install inside of my computer? it says I need an extra PCI slot and I don't know where to look for that! thanks again!
You have to open your computer to see if you have a slot open. The card is very easy to install. If you need help, have a friend, who knows computers, to help you. Watch what they are doing, and you won't need help again.