I have windowsxp pro. I have a Sony 950 camcorder that I am trying to
connect to my Dell computer. I have a USB cable to connect with but I can't
get the movie maker software to recognize the camera. The camera comes with
a disk that included drivers, and image mixer program and a Directx install.
I followed the install instructions and I think it is recognizing the USB
connection. It does however mention checking the camera "mode". Any
suggestions would be appreciated.

FM

Movie Maker 2 works with firewire connections to camcorders like the Sony
TRV950.... not the USB connection.

The USB connection is meant for still pictures or compressed video clips....
that need to be converted using the software supplied by Sony.

If you want to capture video from the camcorder using MM2, you should use a
firewire card/cable.
--
PapaJohn

Movie Maker 2 - www.papajohn.org
Photo Story 2 - www.photostory.papajohn.org

..
"FM" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:%(E-Mail Removed)...
> I have windowsxp pro. I have a Sony 950 camcorder that I am trying to
> connect to my Dell computer. I have a USB cable to connect with but I
can't
> get the movie maker software to recognize the camera. The camera comes
with
> a disk that included drivers, and image mixer program and a Directx
install.
> I followed the install instructions and I think it is recognizing the USB
> connection. It does however mention checking the camera "mode". Any
> suggestions would be appreciated.
>
> FM
>
>

PapaJohn,
Thanks for the advise. I finally got the capture to work with the USB cable
using Sony's software. I also tried using othersoft ware. I didn't have time
yesterday to try MM2 or the PhotoStory. Sony's and Roxio's software would
only download 12 minute clips. I want to download a 60 minute tape. Are all
of the software programs limited to "Clips"? Sony's would record a Avi file
or a Mpeg2 file. Roxio's would only record a Mpeg file. The other problem
seems to be clarity and file size. The Avi is humungous. On the other hand
the Mpeg2 file has small verical hash marks on the screen and appears
distorted (simular to what you get when you try to enlarge a thumbnail pic).
What is involved in a "firewire" setup and if I do that will I still have
the clip and distortion problem?

Thanks,

FM
"PapaJohn (MVP)" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Movie Maker 2 works with firewire connections to camcorders like the Sony
> TRV950.... not the USB connection.
>
> The USB connection is meant for still pictures or compressed video
clips....
> that need to be converted using the software supplied by Sony.
>
> If you want to capture video from the camcorder using MM2, you should use
a
> firewire card/cable.
> --
> PapaJohn
>
> Movie Maker 2 - www.papajohn.org
> Photo Story 2 - www.photostory.papajohn.org
>
> .
> "FM" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:%(E-Mail Removed)...
> > I have windowsxp pro. I have a Sony 950 camcorder that I am trying to
> > connect to my Dell computer. I have a USB cable to connect with but I
> can't
> > get the movie maker software to recognize the camera. The camera comes
> with
> > a disk that included drivers, and image mixer program and a Directx
> install.
> > I followed the install instructions and I think it is recognizing the
USB
> > connection. It does however mention checking the camera "mode". Any
> > suggestions would be appreciated.
> >
> > FM
> >
> >
>
>

Hi FM,

'Firewire'" capture requires a special 'firewire' card in the computer. They
are inexpensive... maybe $20 to $30. But you also need a 'firewire' cable to
connect your camcorder to the installed card.

Firewire is fast enough to transfer the full video file info from the
camcorder to the computer, so the quality of the captured file is the same
as that on the camcorder's tape..... But you're right, the full DV-AVI files
are about 12 to 13 GB per hour and you need the hard drive space.

USB and other transfer devices are not as fast, so compromises made during
transfer result in files of less quality.

There's no time limit for MM2 capturing DV-AVI files... the camcorder tapes
are usually an hour. But, if you're not using the NTFS disk management
system, your computer might be limited to 2 or 4 GB files. You can set a
maximum time for capture in MM2, but can change the setting too.... I don't
know about any time limits for captured files when using Sony or Roxio
software.
--
PapaJohn

Movie Maker 2 - www.papajohn.org
Photo Story 2 - www.photostory.papajohn.org

..
"FM" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:%(E-Mail Removed)...
> PapaJohn,
> Thanks for the advise. I finally got the capture to work with the USB
cable
> using Sony's software. I also tried using othersoft ware. I didn't have
time
> yesterday to try MM2 or the PhotoStory. Sony's and Roxio's software would
> only download 12 minute clips. I want to download a 60 minute tape. Are
all
> of the software programs limited to "Clips"? Sony's would record a Avi
file
> or a Mpeg2 file. Roxio's would only record a Mpeg file. The other problem
> seems to be clarity and file size. The Avi is humungous. On the other hand
> the Mpeg2 file has small verical hash marks on the screen and appears
> distorted (simular to what you get when you try to enlarge a thumbnail
pic).
> What is involved in a "firewire" setup and if I do that will I still have
> the clip and distortion problem?
>
> Thanks,
>
> FM