Strange thing to say... or so I think!

[diverdowndh]

This doesn't quite pertain to underwater videography per se, but a videography question... I "inherited" a JVC camcorder, IS digital, uses the little cassette tapes. I'm looking to download the videos and went to a local camera store to help find the software and cables to do this (they did not come with the 'corder). Anyway, they guy at the store told me that you do NOT get a cable to download video, that USB is too slow to download video, and suggested I go to JVC... which I did. Now, I ordered the software ($30) and the cable they sent me was only to view it on a TV ($42). I'm a little confused here. My Olympus camera can take short videos and a USB will download it just fine. I'm trying to find the correct cable, and there IS a USB cable available on the JVC website but I don't want to order it if I cannot download video with it, there isn't another cable available on the website. Anybody have any insight into this dilemma?

 

[pakman]

For downloading, I would suspect it would at least have a mini firewire plug and you could use a generic firewire cable - unless JVC uses some proprietary cables.

 

[timle]

Model number is almost always helpful in cases like this. Given that someone can probably tell you exactly the cable you need. Also knowing what you have available on your computer would help - USB, Firewire, etc.

 

[jeraldjcook]

I have a 4 year old JVC camcorder and the USB is only to get the photos off of the camcorder's internal memory or the SD card. It has a Firewire port that must be used to get the video off digitally, it's the only way. And mine didn't come with a Firewire cable either, I had to buy it separately.

 

[diverdowndh]

Ah, then there is my answer! Thank you jeraldcook (and everyone else). Did you buy your cable from JVC? I've never used firewire before, but my laptop has a firewire connection on it.... do you need special software or will the JVC software know where to pull it from? Does firewire use a driver like the USB or will that have to be installed?
Sorry if I made this too technical, but I know I'm close here....

 

[Empty V]

Most likely you'll need a 4 pin to 6 pin firewire cable or 4 to 4 pin firewire cable, depends on your computer. 4 pin goes into the camera and either 4 pin or 6 pin goes into the computer. Make sure your computer has a firewire port, if not you need to find one that does. Whatever editing software you use can most likely capture your video for you and I'm sure it will be relatively simple.

The reason why you can use the USB cable with your still camera and not your inherited video camera is because (1) your not streaming it from your still camera and capturing it in realtime on your computer and (2) the video from your still camera is most likely lower resolution and compressed, so the data is smaller in size and doesn't require as much bandwidth.

When capturing video off of a camera think of it like this. You're playing it on your camera and simultaneously recording it on your computer all live and in realtime. It's like dubbing a VHS tape from VCR to VCR but with digital data. The reason why it has to be firewire is because the amount on information transferred per second is too high a bitrate for USB, this is all digital data and now cable limitations play a factor.

Hope this helps!

Billy

 

[Empty V]

Ah, then there is my answer! Thank you jeraldcook (and everyone else). Did you buy your cable from JVC? I've never used firewire before, but my laptop has a firewire connection on it.... do you need special software or will the JVC software know where to pull it from? Does firewire use a driver like the USB or will that have to be installed?
Sorry if I made this too technical, but I know I'm close here....

You can get the firewire cable almost anywhere, I suggest Edgewise Media I've been using them for years now. If your laptop is a PC laptop you most likely need the 4-4 pin cable, if it's a MacBookPro or a Powerbook you need the 4-6 pin cable. Firewire does not require any kind of drivers to get it to work, you should be fine.

Billy

 

[jeraldjcook]

Ah, then there is my answer! Thank you jeraldcook (and everyone else). Did you buy your cable from JVC? I've never used firewire before, but my laptop has a firewire connection on it.... do you need special software or will the JVC software know where to pull it from? Does firewire use a driver like the USB or will that have to be installed?
Sorry if I made this too technical, but I know I'm close here....

My cable came as part of a package from Pinnacle. My desktop at the time didn't have Firewire so I ended up buying a PCI card, break-out box for A/V cables, software, and Firewire cable. Windows XP comes with "Windows Movie Maker" that should allow you to transfer everything once you buy the cable. As for the drivers, XP found everything for me but the JVC box did have a couple of DVD/CDs in the box with drivers and transfer software which I never installed.

 

[rakkis]

Before you go and spend more money, please heed timle's sensible advice and post your camera's model number.

 

[diverdowndh]

Sorry, had to find where I put the info for the model - it is a JVC GR-DVL320. My son has it right now and I had to look around for the email I finally got back from JVC...