best camcorder for imovie 08 image
MCA
I bought a macbook a year go and it was one without a firewire port. I'd like to buy a camcorder but most I've seen, need to have the firewire port on your mac to import the video. Are there any camcorders that I can buy and be able to edit the video on my mac without needing a firewire port? Thanks.
Answer
Pretty much any flash memory or hard disc drive camcorder has no firewire port and video files are copied over USB - then converted with a toll like MPEG StreamClip
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/video/mpegstreamclip.html
for standard definition video files in mgp or mod files...
Or, if high definition, using iMovie '08 or newer for dealing with AVCHD/MTS video file types. Older iMovie versions won't deal with AVCHD/MTS files.
MiniDV tape camcorders are the only ones currently available - I know of - that do DV/HDV from the camcorder to the computer using firewire...
Pretty much any flash memory or hard disc drive camcorder has no firewire port and video files are copied over USB - then converted with a toll like MPEG StreamClip
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/video/mpegstreamclip.html
for standard definition video files in mgp or mod files...
Or, if high definition, using iMovie '08 or newer for dealing with AVCHD/MTS video file types. Older iMovie versions won't deal with AVCHD/MTS files.
MiniDV tape camcorders are the only ones currently available - I know of - that do DV/HDV from the camcorder to the computer using firewire...
Can my camcorder videos be edited on iMovie?
Matt
I own a sony handycam HDR-PJ200. I see on the box that it is compatible with iMovie, but when I tried plugging it into my macbook via USB, none of the videos are accessable. I was just wondering if there is a way around this or if I need to get a PC just to edit the videos. I plan on doing videos on youtube using iMovie as my video editor. Now I'm not sure that I can. I would appreciate any advice.
Answer
Hi Matt:
What Charlie said is correct, about needing to open iMovie for it to be able to "see" your videos (iMovie menu: "File" -->"Import Movies"), but what you didn't tell us was which version of iMovie you have?
Your Sony Handycam shoots in H.264/AVCHD, and connects via USB. If you have iMovie '06 or earlier, they only work with DV & HDV cameras connected via FireWire. You need iMovie '08/'09/'11 for USB camcorders. Your Quicktime version also needs to be v7.5 or later, for the correct codecs. Some early versions of iMovie '08 require a free update to work with H.264 footage.
If you have one of the correct versions, here's an Apple KnowledgeBase article on troubleshooting steps: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1059#3 [And make sure your Sony's menu is set to "USB Connect" in the "Connections" settings sub-menu.]
If you haven't worked with digital flash-card media before, make sure you navigate to the correct "VIDEO" folder & subfolders until you see .MP4 files, when using your Mac.
Apple also cautions about shooting flash-card video at less-than-best quality settings. Those files will be more highly-compressed, and iMovie might not recognize them.
Another troubleshooting tip, is to check that your USB camera connection is not going through any USB hub (use a connection on the MacBook). Hubs can cause problems with camera connections.
You know how to use the "Additional Details" link to update us on which iMovie version (and which Macbook model & OSX version, too!) you are using. The more detailed your Question, the better we can Answer.
hope this helps,
--Dennis C.
Â
Hi Matt:
What Charlie said is correct, about needing to open iMovie for it to be able to "see" your videos (iMovie menu: "File" -->"Import Movies"), but what you didn't tell us was which version of iMovie you have?
Your Sony Handycam shoots in H.264/AVCHD, and connects via USB. If you have iMovie '06 or earlier, they only work with DV & HDV cameras connected via FireWire. You need iMovie '08/'09/'11 for USB camcorders. Your Quicktime version also needs to be v7.5 or later, for the correct codecs. Some early versions of iMovie '08 require a free update to work with H.264 footage.
If you have one of the correct versions, here's an Apple KnowledgeBase article on troubleshooting steps: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1059#3 [And make sure your Sony's menu is set to "USB Connect" in the "Connections" settings sub-menu.]
If you haven't worked with digital flash-card media before, make sure you navigate to the correct "VIDEO" folder & subfolders until you see .MP4 files, when using your Mac.
Apple also cautions about shooting flash-card video at less-than-best quality settings. Those files will be more highly-compressed, and iMovie might not recognize them.
Another troubleshooting tip, is to check that your USB camera connection is not going through any USB hub (use a connection on the MacBook). Hubs can cause problems with camera connections.
You know how to use the "Additional Details" link to update us on which iMovie version (and which Macbook model & OSX version, too!) you are using. The more detailed your Question, the better we can Answer.
hope this helps,
--Dennis C.
Â
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