<p>I have a Sony DCR-HC90, if that makes any difference. From reading the manual, I gather that the best way to transfer is by an iLink cable (not included). I guess I need to get one, but then how do I do it? I don’t seem to have the software CD that came with the videocam - do I need this?</p>
<p>I am not stupid. I have a Ph.D. in physics. But electronic gadgets defeat me. I can’t stand reading manuals and following directions.</p>
<p>Not sure about the specific model of camera, but I transfer video from a Sony mini-DV camera to my computer using Windows MovieMaker which should be on your computer already. It has pretty clear instructions for how to proceed and how to do basic editing (cutting, pasting, titles, etc.). You will need a cable.</p>
<p>I do have Movie Maker, although I’ve never used it, and when I tried to start it just now I got an error (twice). Is the iLink the cable that is needed? Where did you get it?</p>
<p>iLink is Sony’s proprietary name for a cable that meets the IEEE 1394 standard. It’s also known as a Firewire 400 cable. You can get them at Radio Shack, Best Buy, Circuit City. What you want is a cable that has a 4 pin mini connector at one end (that will plug into your camera) and the regular sized connector that will plug into your computer. Make sure that your computer has a Firewire 400 port to plug into. Most newer computers should.</p>
<p>Thank you, Michael! I’ve been doing some investigating and, although my laptop does not have the firewire port, my husband’s new one does (looks like 4-pin). So I guess I need a 4pin-to-4pin cable? Once the video is on my husband’s laptop, how do I get it onto my laptop without losing quality? If I copy it using a flashdrive, will the quality be degraded? According to everything I have read, using the (provided) USB cable to transfer video from the camera to the computer will result in poor-quality video. Does this mean that using a flashdrive will also degrade quality? </p>
<p>I was wondering whether I had to buy Sony’s cable, or if I could go to RadioShack. Does it matter where I get the cable?</p>
<p>It really doesn’t matter where you get the cable. I have an older Sony and I recently purchased the cable from Radio Shack and it works fine. When you get the cable, you only have to pay attention to the number of pins at the mini connector end. At the computer end, the shape of the connector (and number of pins) is standardized for either Firewire 400 or 800 and all that matters is that you know which one the port on your husbands computer is. A Firewire 400 port is kind of a modified rectangle with one end sort of in a peak. You’ll be able to tell just by looking at the port, if the shape is not perfectly symmetrical, it’s a 400. You may just want to check the manual for your husband’s.</p>
<p>I would use a flash drive to copy it to your computer. My camera does not have a regular usb cable connection but usb’s are much slower and can’t handle the bandwidth of a firewire. Another alternative is to just burn the video to a DVD unless you intend to edit it on your computer. Videos take up a lot of hard drive space!</p>
<p>Depending on the length of your videos, you may find it quite cumbersome to move the captured file from one computer to another. Most digital cameras provide files to the editing programs in avi format, which ends up being maybe about 13gb per hour of video. Unless your USB drive has a high capacity and your video files are under 1/2 hour or so, you’d be better off getting a firewire port card for your computer rather than capturing (meaning downloading from the camera) on one and then transferring to another. </p>
<p>OR,…If you had an external usb drive with high capacity, say one of those 250-750GB size, then that would allow you to attach it to your husbands computer, use the video editing/capture program and assign the usb external drive as the location, and then simply disconnect it when you’re done and move the usb external drive to your own computer.</p>
<p>Once you start working with editing video, it tends to happen that you have a lot of “original” unedited files that hang around on your computer wating for you to get back to them for editing, and they do takeup a lot of space. You’ll be surprised at the size of the drives this makes you desire.</p>
<p>Thank you, Michael and dadx, for the information!</p>
<p>dadx’s suggestions for moving or copying the file to your computer are on the mark. He’s right, the file size will probably be too big for a flashdrive. When you are transferring the video from the camera to the computer, make sure your software is set to automatically start and stop the tape so that you can just walk away and let it run. The transfer happens in real time. Have fun!</p>