I have MiniDV tapes shot with my Canon ZR80 Digital Video Camcorder that I want to get into my computer and edit. So far I've learned I'll need a Firewire card (PCI) for my computer (WindowsXP) and a 4 pin to 6 pin cable to connect the Camcorder to the card. What's next? Is there a software program in XP that will detect the Camcorder and guide me through the process? Or do I need third party software for this task? What form is the file once it gets into the computer? MPEG, AVI or? What is the best software for simple editing tasks? I don't care about fancy titles or fades, dissolves or other effects. I just want to cut and paste segments into one viewable file.
WinDV is popular for the capture task: http://www.videohelp.com/tools/WinDV For just cut and paste, trim, etc, Virtualdub will probably do fine. For anything more elaborate, you may be able to use the built-in Windows Movie Maker.
