Camcorder to computer

[subwannabe]

I'm asking this question for a friend (REALLY). I know someone who used a mini dv camcorder to record something (don't ask what) and is trying to transfer it onto a computer to watch and edit. They just assumed you could record it on the mini dvd and put it in the DVD drive of the computer. The computer claimed there was no data on the mini dvd. This person was eventually able to download the information onto the computer's hard drive but now the programs which would play the thing don't recognize the file type and won't play it. Any information or help would be appreciated but since this really isn't me I can't answer any comeback questions you might have.

 

[SubNebGuy]

friend needs to consult the manufacturer's documentation for the camcorder. it sounds like they're doing something funny with the writing to the mini dvd.
that or your friend assumed its' recording in a simple .avi format, which usually is not the case. it should be raw video, which means he'll have to decode it from miniDVD to harddrive.

I have a miniDV camera and have no issues using Windows movie maker to pull the video/audio off my tape. I then use Adobe Premiere for all my editing.

 

[Weird Harold]

Computer DVD drives don't work well with mini-DVDs because they expect to find disk identification information out on the edges of a standard sized disk and the disk adapter ring doesn't have anythingto read.

I'm guessing he used a USB or firewire cable to download the files directly from the camera but didn't use the editing/interface software provided with the camera for the download. The software for my daughter's camera converts the cmaera's proprietary format into a standard video format when it downloads via the cable. The Camera is accesible as a removeable drive but the information format is wrong for a drag and drop copy process.