Help with Sony DCR-HC32
 

My wife got a Sony DCR-HC32 camera to use from work with no software. We have both tried to PnP it on our win xp sp3 machines with no luck. It simply says it can't find the drivers. According to the sony web site, it should just work like a charm. (yeah right) we're using a usb connection. Does anyone out there know where we can the correct usb drivers so that we can capture the video off this thing?

Thanks

DV video cameras can only transfer video footage by way of Firewire aka IEEE1394 connections. Sometimes Firewire is referred to as "iLink" or "DV input" on devices and computers.

USB uses some CPU and is a "burst" type datarate. This is unacceptable for DV transfer. A sustained datarate is required, and that's what Firewire/IEEE1394 provides. You'll notice USB2 is "up to" 480mbps while Firewire is exactly 400mbps.

The USB connections are there simply to confuse you. Okay, well not really, but that's the usual side effect. That connection is generally for photo transfer, if a DV camera can also take still images. This camera can take still images. Like most consumer still cameras, or video cameras with still abilities, you can either

• remove the memory card and insert it into a card reader inside or attached to a computer, OR
• connect to the memory card while it's still in the camera, effectively making the camera an expensive card reader

Of course, camera manufacturers never give you a free Firewire cable. :rolleyes:

Your laptop probably does not have Firewire, and there's no such thing as a USB2>Firewire converter, no. Even if it did, you'd have too many dropped frames, and possibly a full abort of the DV transfer.

I've attached the manual for this camera, a PDF. Connecting to a computer is covered around page 79 or so. Sony spends a lot of time whoring their own inferior Sony Direct-to-DVD device and Viao laptops/desktops, so just ignore all references to their products. You don't need Sony-branded products or computers to move the DV to your computer.

I suggest transferring the DV tape using the freeware tool WinDV. Once on your computer, edit in your favorite editor. From our past conversations, I believe you have Adobe Premiere CS3, so use that. Where you go from there, be it Youtube or DVD, is pretty easy. Flash or H.264 is a direct output from Premiere, for Youtube/website video. To make a DVD, export as MPEG-2 and then use basic authoring software.

You should also read the DV myth guide, as well as the article on avoiding dropped frames while transferring/capturing on a computer.

• http://www.digitalfaq.com/guides/video/capture-dropped-frames.htm
• http://www.digitalfaq.com/guides/video/capture-dv.htm

Enjoy the new camera. :)

.