Sweet video, confirming this chain of adapters has been working without troubles on my PC under latest OS’s both to connect Firewire devices to my computer and to capture MiniDV tapes. Feel really lucky this knowledge has been transmitted among valiant youtubers through the years :)
@@yaellehaab7598 well, I am not aware of any direct, all-in-one-cable adapter from Firewire (of any type) to USB (of any type) that'd allow you to capture DV footage. I may not know all the existent options, but it is generally believed there isn't one like that. However, as long as the USB port you refer to in your question is USB-C (Thunderbolt 3), you can make a daisy chain of adapters that Mark shows in his video and that will allow you to capture DV footage (going from the camera to the camputer): 1. Unless your camera has a Firewire 800 port, you'll need an adapter from Firewire 400 (either Firewire 400 6-pin or Firewire 400 4-pin, depending on the type of the Firewire connector on your camera) to Firewire 800, 2. then one from Firewire 800 to Thunderbolt, 3. then one from Thunderbolt to Thunderbolt 3. Note that I, personnally, am using genuine Apple adapters for No. 2 and No. 3 and it lets me capture DV but I cannot tell you whether an adapter from a different manufacturer for No. 2 and No. 3 will or will not allow capturing DV. Hope this helps.
Thank you for making the best and easiest to follow video for converting miniDV to digital. Everyone else blabs and blabs and talks without saying anything.
Mark without this video I wouldn't have known where to begin or what to do - you've helped me convert tapes from over 20 years ago! I now have those memories in a modern day format :') THANK YOU!
I normally don’t post but I just converted my old mini dv tapes (home videos from when I was young) into HD videos with amazing sound to my MacBook. I took a chance, bought all the adapters and it worked!! My QuickTime player is a bit annoying and I had to break up my recordings but it’s incredibly worth it if you want to save your old tapes. Also it was SO much easier than I thought it was going to be. Thank you so much for sharing this video - actually a life changer. 🙌🏻
I'm out here trying to Google Firewire 400 capture cards. Didn't even think to just adapter all the way to USB-C. This is great info, glad to see this works!
Holy relevant. lol Been wanting to digitize my skate videos from an old Sony HandyCam and realized it somehow got thrown away, so I’m hoping to borrow my buddy’s PD-170. I’m more excited about the MiniDV camera than I am for my a7S III. lol
😂 imma big fan of doing this and have with my VHS and H8 but only recently figured out the best way for DV that didn’t involve adapters or some third party software bundle.
This is the TH-cam content we want and need. Thanks, just picked up an old XL1 for cheap to make music videos. Not knowing at all what to do, and diving in head first. This was the first step needed.
Is this the highest quality we can capture from the old mini DV Tapes? Or would it be better to capture with other software like final cut/premier. Lastly does the quality lower from using the adapters or would be better if I used my old computer with a firewire port?
I captured in Quicktime because Premiere pro cc refuses to do it. how do you deinterlace the footage in premiere? also, I noticed some huge sync problem with the sound on long captures... what would you recommend ? the video file is good with the sound but when I import it in premiere it goes out of sync .
Hi Mathieu. Hmmm, I didn't have a sync issue when I captured the 20 mins of on camera at all. It captured at 29.97 frames per second (NTSC model). How long are your clips before the sync slips? Are you editing in a timeline that matches the frame rate of the captured video? Start a new project, drag the file into the timeline and allow premiere to auto gen the timeline settings based on the captured DV clip. I'll see if I can't re-create this issue. I had the same issue with a previous capture device if my frame rate wasn't matched to the camera (59.97) (hi-8, not mini dv in this case) Premiere should have a de-interlace video filer, if that doesn't after effects does. I had some issues with the Premiere one again with my older device and hi-8. I would apply it and it wouldn't do anything. I actually didn't apply any de-interlacing to the footage captured with this, maybe there wasn't enough movement, but even on my not shown whip pan and crash zooms, interlacing didn't appear to be an issue. I'll see if I can again re-create some of this in the next little bit, I've got a project being shot on mini DV so will run some tests.
I'm digitizing almost 40 yrs of VHS, VHS-C, and Mini DV tapes using my M1 Pro MacBook Pro. VHS has been no problem. I had to order a new VHS-C adapter since my old one doesn't work, and when I tried capturing those, I realized my current VCR does not support SLP playback speed of some of my VHS-C tapes, so I'm in the process of borrowing a VHS-C camcorder. Then I also remembered that I have Mini DV tapes as well. Luckily, I still have the Mini DV camcorder. Also, my MBP is docked to a 27" Thunderbolt Display, so I lucked out too because that has FireWire 800, so I only need a FireWire 800 to FireWire 400 4 pin cable and I can capture that footage digitally.
Thanks for the excellent tutorial! I wonder why you choose to export the video from Quicktime instead of saving it. Saving produces a much bigger file. I wonder if the quality is better than the compressed export. Do you have an idea?
You might want to warn people if they have a lot of tapes to do not to mix different brands of tapes in the camera/player. Sony and Panasonic tapes had a different coating on them and sometimes reacted badly when you swapped between tapes. So it's safer to play all of one brand of tape, clean the heads and then play the next brand.
Weird, years of shooting mini dv and editing I never ever had that issue. This is the first I’ve heard of it. A head cleaner is always recommended just wear and tear for sure.
Yeah, my XL1 was picky and I had all sorts of problems until my tape reseller told me about this issue. Once I started shooting on ONLY higher end Sony tapes, I had very little digital dropout issues.
@@MarkHoltze We used to have major dropout issues. In the end when I was working for ITV in the UK there was a list of tape brands we were allowed to use in the cameras. They actually had a separate player just for any Panasonic type tapes that came in. Then we moved to all Panasonic and we were not allowed to put Sony or Maxwell tapes in our cameras.
Mark, great video. I'm trying this connection process on a Canon GL2. I'm able to get the video to record on my Mac, but no audio is being recorded. When I play back on my Mac, I'm getting none of the sound. What did I miss? Thanks!!!
With FireWire to Thunderbolt 2 cables no longer sold by Apple, would using a direct Firewise->USB-C cable do the trick? Otherwise, the only option is people selling the now discontinuity cables on eBay for $180.
My daughter wanted to use my old Panasonic camera for a retro look and we were at a dead end for how to digitize the footage. Until Now!! Thanks so much. The ~$80 we spent on the cable and adapters are well worth it. BTW, why a Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter should cost $49 from Apple is beyond me :)
Ya it’s bizarre. Let me know if it works for you. Been getting some comments saying it’s not been working with certain cameras. I can’t test them all unfortunately, but curious to know.
@@MarkHoltze It worked just as shown in the video, although I was also given the choice of 720p during export. BTW, my camera is a Panasonic PV-GS39. It is at least 15 years old but works great.
So happy to hear that! So must be some camera brands. Some just don’t get detected apparently. Glad it’s worked for you. Be worse to get those adapters and not have it work. ✊
@@Banlman That's weird, that must be the software converting it(or offering to), as normally it would just be directly copying the data from the tape(which is often preferable, as there's no quality loss). A variety of different software should work with it anyway though.
From what I looked up, even though Thunderbolt 3 is described in the specs as vaguely 'compatible' with Thunderbolt 2 it seems it's really not. From pictures of the circuit board & component info it seems these converters have both a Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 2 controller inside - one demuxes the signal back to PCIE and Displayport signals then the other controller re-muxes it in the other Thunderbolt standard. There's also some other more minor circuitry in there, so while they're still bound to be making a good profit, it's a lot more than just a cable adaptor. The few non-Apple converters are even more expensive, but might have more features? I guess it's possible there is some kind of backwards Thunderbolt compatibility without using this method, but if so it seems it can't be perfect or Apple(& others) wouldn't have bothered with the more expensive method. Certainly not like standard USB for backwards compatibility, albeit USB3 & 4 are a mess with 'optional' current features. I think the Thunderbolt 2 to firewire converter is almost certainly using a PCIE to firewire controller, as it would be the same as used on common firewire PCIE cards. Apple could surely make Thunderbolt 3 to firewire converters that wouldn't cost any more than the old ones, but I doubt they will. It's also rather more profitable to sell 2 devices rather than 1 I guess.. The Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 converters are also useful for other things, but there must be quite a few people buying both only to use firewire.
As I’m sure other people have mentioned, Apple cables can get really twitchy if you use a non-Apple adapter somewhere in the line. I’ve never been able to successfully use a non-Apple adapter to either Mac or pc. When it’s all Apple $, it’s all good and pretty seam-less. Though, it’s wonderful and utterly depressing at the same time to realize the phone I’m typing this on takes SO SO much better video than the equipment I spent dump-trucks of money on back in the day.
@@benallison7825 *If* your pc supports Thunderbolt, a USB-C socket is no guarantee of Thunderbolt support unfortunately. USB3 & 4 have become a mess, with multiple 'optional' features.
Some of my DV tapes transfer the audio and some don't recognize the audio (no audio track). The sound is coming out of the Canon ZR65MC when I play the tape, but no audio track on the recording? Why would this be different from one tape to the next? (Using Quicktime Player to record on Intel Macbook Pro)
What if my computer only holds about 30 minutes of a 45 minute mini DV? Is it necessary that we get a larger hard drive or is there a way around this? I have 50+ mini DVs to convert
Hey Mark thanks for the video. I have a JVC Gy-HD101E which of course has Mini DV so yes it's obsolete as far as the way it captures media and I have been searching online for a hard disk adapter for the camera because I know they made one but now, it's no where to be found so my next port of call was to try and find adapters for firewire to go into an iMac which has Thurnderbolt and thankfully your video popped up after a long time searching. You used 2 adapters but is that because you captured on a Macbook? I haven't really had a big look at my iMac desktop yet because I have almost given up but your video has inspired me back up again to try again.. One major question though...Since it's hard to find that hard disk pack to attach to my camera, would the connection allow it to stream live footage to the editing program much like I was able to do when I was using the camera connected to an older iMac that did have firewire output which I was able to stream it direct onto Final Cut Pro and thus record into the computer hard drive OR a external hard drive? .
HI Mark thank you for all this information. I have purchased the cables however the camera is not coming up as an option for input. Any suggestions at all please ?
Hey, loved the video but need some advice if you don't mind. I have a 2016 Mac with usb and usb c inputs and HDMI. I got a mini dv camcorder and purchased a firewireIEEE 1394 to usb E input. So the way I connected it was "boom" firewire into the camcorder, and then usb directly into my USB input. I tired quicktime and my camcorder doesn't show. I'm thinking I might need a usb to usb c converter? So it would be firewire to usb, to usb c. Any suggestions?
Hi, do you think this would work with a USB 2.0 Male to IEEE 1394 4Pin Male iLink Firewire DV Cable. So a DV to USB 2.0 cable instead of a DV to firewire to a bunch of adapters? thanks.
It might. The option wasn’t available when I made this video. I should try an update to see if it work; but if the option is available maybe go for it.
Assuming that cam recorded an interlaced file. Is there an option to deinterlace when capturing with quicktime or does it have to be done as a separate process?
I’m actually getting paid to use it this weekend. Shooting some 2002 era found footage stuff and shooting the real look vs mocking it up for the win lol.
A friend of mine from film school shoots a bunch of his experimental films on miniDV to get the right look he wants for them. It was art school, so we all regularly used "obsolete" tools to get the results desired. There can be a use for anything if it's relevant to the artist as pretentious as that sounds.
@@blake.crosby Ya, there's a lot about the look you have a hard time shooting with a modern camera. How the camera zooms, the highlights/the lowlights and everything in between. Needs to look authentic and no better way than the real thing. Plus it's fun as hell to shoot with ;)
@@emilianoo.1596 It's not pretentious I don't think. No point spending time trying to downgrade a modern look to look like the real thing. Mini DV has a look era associated with it, the same way 8mm film does and even VHS. I think it's more pretentious to think you need the most modern stuff to make art, it's less about the tools and more about the meaning behind it. I'd love to see some of their work tho that's for sure! Thanks Emiliano!
The Firewire 800 to Thunderbolt cable is sold out on Amazon. Is there another option? I don’t know what to look for, I’m horrible at this kind of stuff.
Hmmm I’m going to have to look into it as more options might be available now. Check if they have direct to USB-C. I hate that FireWire was dropped so hard
Hi Mark-I purchased the recommended cables and adaptors-I played 2 tapes to test-and everything seems to be working. How do I save the files because they seem to be large files-especially when the full 60 minutes are transferred. My iMac says “there is no space”. I’m not really tech savvy and I was just wondering the best way to save the files. Do I need an external drive? Only options I see is save to iCloud and hard drive. Is this correct? Thank you for your time!
If you can find FireWire to usb then cool, I couldn’t find any such adapter at the time of making this. So just kept it FireWire since those adapters existed and being able to test it.
so basically if I shot a video that was two hours long and I wanted to transfer it to my computer, I would have to let it record on my computer for two hours after filming?
faster would be to borrow an old macbook with firewire or buy one, connect directly via firewire cable, and record your videos on the old macbook. Take the recordings via external HDD to your editing machine. This is how I did it. Only cost me the firewire cable.
@@MarkHoltze i got an old macbook with firewire. Why 2? I got it working with just 1. Im sure at the moment, macbook late 2012 and such are lying around everywhere, because they stopped support for them. It was a little struggle to get imovie to work though. Needs a little terminal command to expand an update to install it. And it's not working that cleanly either.
Ya that’s true. I have a G5 tower wotb FireWire and Final Cut 7 still but just assumed that’s a bit of a thing for ppl. Found this was the easiest way, but lots of ways to do it
@@MarkHoltze I still think it's good you show this. My recordings work fine, but then I have to put them on a harddrive, on my own PC, use an older version of premiere (newer ones dont support .dv) and then finally edit and export. The imovie 9 that is the only supported imovie version for my macbook pro 2012, is a bit flaky, and the macbook too slow to properly export in a decent amount of time.
When I go to upload the footage it is much darker than usual, the preview is dark as well before saving or capturing. It looks great on the mini DV screen but it loses so much exposure that I think gives it that DV quality. Anyone know how toto fix this issue, not wanting to edit it post upload to match the DV quality.
Hi Mark, I have been transferring Mini DV tapes to digital using a camcorder through iMovie for a while without any issues and then after I upgraded to Monterey iMovie stopped recognizing the camera, have you run into this?
everything today is smartphone to cloud. What happened to video footage from BEFORE smartphones ?? Its all on VHS / VHS-C / MiniDV or Hi8 cassette that can ONLY be played back from those machines that they don't have anymore. My 1st camcorder was a Sony DCR-TRV11 which i still have today and still have about 10 or so MiniDV cassettes with footage on them, that stuff is NOT in the cloud. Most people throw that equipment away because its OLD and nobody uses them anymore and they also throw out the cassettes that have VIDEO and material on them .. I found one a cassette that had my wife's grandparents on the video and having a conversation with them and she about dropped into tears seeing them again.
@@MarkHoltze I’m gonna work on getting the right connections. I have a usb to lightning photo adapter, I wonder if there’s anyway I can utilize that in my connection.
It almost certainly won't work - USB, firewire, lightning, and thunderbolt all use different data signals, they require signal conversion. Though of course *some* usb-c sockets support thunderbolt 3. Thunderbolt 1 & 2 didn't support usb. The lightning to USB convertor doesn't support thunderbolt either it seems, and seems to only be intended for a very specific use. Apple love their incompatible connections and array of different plugs, though they seem to be finally mostly dropping that - along with 3.5mm sockets unfortunately. Thunderbolt can carry pcie signals, so the thunderbolt2 to firewire adaptor almost certainly uses a pcie to firewire converter(the same as would be on a pcie firewire card). There are some devices that can convert firewire(most likely *only* for DV from cameras) to USB, such as some old Pinnacle capture devices(I have one, it only requires USB2), but there seems to be very few other devices that do this. Cheap 'usb to firewire' cables are just wires and plugs, they don't do any conversion, and only work for non-standard devices that use a USB plug for firewire signals or vice versa. It probably would've been no more expensive for Apple to also make a Thunderbolt3 to firewire convertor, but I doubt they ever will. Of course Thunderbolt2 to Thunderbolt3 convertors also have other uses, and they couldn't sell 2 different devices if they made a Thunderbolt3 to firewire convertor...
Hi there, was very excited about this video. I have a mini dv SONY super steady shot handycam, and all necessary adapter cables mentioned. Only thing is QuickTime is not recognizing my camera. any troubleshooting advice here? not seeing any comments on this.
Wow I looked up the price of the FireWire 800 to Thunderbolt adapters, and they're about £150 😬 guess what, I had that adapter for YEARS, and after getting an M1 MacBook Pro I sold it in 2021 for just £24! Who'd have thought they'd become so rare. Luckily I still have all my FW400/FW800 cables, I think it'd be cheaper for me to just buy an old Mac with a FW800 port than to buy the adapters.
you're not wrong, I guess the price is up simply on availability. I don't think they're making them anymore. It's weird cause there is a demand, kind of hope some third party picks up on the trend and can support the growing demand. As we move farther away from the relevancy of this tech, the more people want look back on what they shot. It's like 8mm film projector scanners, options exist to watch 50-60 year old footage. Lots of options exist for analogue VHS/High 8 transfers, but the firewire train is hyper limited.
I bought a DV cable for 10$ and I bought an old laptop with firewire and windows xp for 35$ and i am able to trasfer all the videos. Not need all this shit thunderbolt and others..
Clutch! Trying to digitize some tapes for my grandma and this is exactly what I needed. Turns out it’s a pretty chill process once you figure out the adaptors and how to record in QuickTime. Thanks!
The main bit for me, was when it just showed me sitting at my desk on the FaceTime camera. Was the little extra bit of info about switching and then my video opened. Thought I was going to have to get one of the old Macs out of the cupboard. Now to fine tapes of the Grandson 18 years ago. Best Dave
sorry but i searched everywhere and bought everything. but my macbook pro won't find my camera. When I plug in all the cables and plug in, my computer still can't find it. can anyone help me.
It’s so weird this problem I guess happens with some cameras. I can’t replicate it unfortunately so I can’t seem to attempt to resolve the problem. I need to look into a more universal method. I have three mini dv cameras and they’re all detected. XL1, XHA1 and the DVX100A.
This video was super helpful but I have one question, I am using my Canon G2 Camera - The connection works and Quicktime recognizes that the Microphone is from the Camera also and I can see the audio levels bouncing when I am recording through quicktime but when I go to playback the video I just recorded theres no audio at all? Any help answer to fix this?
Any work around for the Apple Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter? looks to be discontuned everywhere. for reverence I have a macbook m1 max. Thanks for the video mark!!
Yes! It's impossible to find it, tried everywhere on the web, I even bought a straight Firewire 1394 to USB wishing it could magically work, but it didn't. Let me know if you ever find it again
Can I ask how the quality of the video & sound differs compared to having it done professionally? I had sent my tapes off to be converted about a year ago but they found they were unable to convert the sound properly so it is very choppy, and a couple have no sound at all. We still have the original video camera so I played back the tapes to check the sound and it’s perfect for every single one, so I’m unsure what happened. Because of this experience, I wanted to convert them myself, but I was wondering if the quality would be less good than if it were done professionally. Thank you so much!
If they're MiniDV, Digital8 or other digital tapes, it's a raw copy over firewire so there's no difference - it's identical data to what is on the tape. They may have been converting from analog tapes like VHS-C, Hi8 etc though. It definitely doesn't sound like the company you paid lived up to their 'professional' status though unfortunately.
Works great. One thing I discovered is that you may have to disable screen save on Mac. My tapes kept stopping after about 20 minutes and I did a search and found this work around. Thanks for sharing this.
Great video - if one has an Apple. Good video- if one has a Windows machine. This video shows how to use adapters for current ports since the IEEE 1394 is rarely (if ever?) included with current PC builds. Digitizing DV and HDV tapes isn't usually too much of an issue. IMHO, digitizing VHS, S-VHS, Hi8 tapes( or any vintage analog tapes) is much more of a challenge.
Yes there are other options for analog formats I’ve used and made videos on. Needed to complete the trilogy with this method as it’s the best I’ve come across in 11 years since IEEE went 🦤
Nice video, I considered it. As fun as daisy chaining apple adaptors is, I'd have to purchase them. I think I might have a old firewire computer around here somewher. A firewire 400 PCIe card is like 15$.
I have an old G5 tower that does it while running fcp so I can even log it. Didn’t think that was a circumstance easily duplicated. I think they have some usbc to FireWire direct cables now. I should look into it.
Hello Mark , i have a Panasonic NV GS 400 Mini dv camcoder back from 2005. As the video capture resolution is 720 × 576 SD, can we upscale it to 720 or 1080 P HD after capturing?
He transferred Mini DV which is 720p and the saved file was in 480p. If there’s a way to do it lossless it’s preferable. I’d like to know if this is the only option?
This is my understanding too but not mentioned in the video. I have anamorphic shot video but at least that was converted ok but the quality is debatable. However I need to investigate the Maximum setting Mark mentions. May be that makes a difference? One things for sure I don’t want a squashed widescreen anamorphic picture! Ideally I want the same capture as that which I could achieve with Premiere Pro until Adobe/Apple broke it.
Hi. Not sure if anyone has tried this on the MacBook M1s yet but I'm having trouble getting Final Cut Pro X or iMovie or Quicktime to recognize my MiniDV camera (Sony Handycam HDR-HC3). I have a Belkin DV/iLink to Firewire 800 cable running into the Apple Firewire 800 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter and then into the Apple Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 adapter into the USB-C port on the MacBook but the computer doesn't see the camera. (It used to on my old iMac 2014.) I also have tried another DV to FW800 to make sure it wasn't a bad Belkin cable. Wondering if you might have any thoughts?
Please help! I was so excited I'd be able to do this but my camera is nnot showing up as an option in the Quicktime menu as shown in the video! Why is this happening?
Hello! I bought all the cables you suggested and it was working fine for a little while! Now my camera won’t pop up on QuickTime player when I plug everything in, is this something to do with the cables?
Hi Mark, thanks a lot for your sharing. By using this way, what is the color sample rate of the capture video. Is it the max quality we can get from a miniDV? how is compare with using capture card?
Assuming the software on the computer isn't messing with it, it should be entirely identical with no loss of quality. The firewire signal itself carries a raw copy of what's on the tape, the computer receives an exact copy - so for MiniDV & other native digital formats, it will definitely be better than using an analog capture card. If converting an analog Video8/Hi8 tape in a compatible Digital8 camera(which internally converts the analog tape signal to digital out over firewire), *theoretically* you might be able to get better quality with an analog capture card - but it would require a good capture device and probably more messing around to get it right.
👏🏻 Thank you *so* much for the great video. I am trying to do a transfer using an older Mac (all FireWire 1 to FW2) and having problems. I am going to try using my newer Mac with all the adapters you shower so hoping it solve things. Thanks again!
With how much you spent on the different adaptors, you could've bought a cheap 2nd hand pc and a firewire pci card 🎉🤭🤭 Or you have an old laptop, a firewire pcmcia card 👍
Nah, need to edit after I capture so makes it easier. Plus I can use the adapters with my old hard drives so it’s multi purpose. You can definitely get a second hand laptop or use an older computer but.
This process should work for PC as well. I don't have a PC and can't test it first hand, but it should work. Enjoy reliving the past!
Sweet video, confirming this chain of adapters has been working without troubles on my PC under latest OS’s both to connect Firewire devices to my computer and to capture MiniDV tapes.
Feel really lucky this knowledge has been transmitted among valiant youtubers through the years :)
Glad to hear it works, I figured it absolutely should since we’re all on the usb-c/thunderbolt comparability. 🙌
Is it possible to capture the footage if I transfer it from firewire to usb?
@@yaellehaab7598 well, I am not aware of any direct, all-in-one-cable adapter from Firewire (of any type) to USB (of any type) that'd allow you to capture DV footage. I may not know all the existent options, but it is generally believed there isn't one like that.
However, as long as the USB port you refer to in your question is USB-C (Thunderbolt 3), you can make a daisy chain of adapters that Mark shows in his video and that will allow you to capture DV footage (going from the camera to the camputer):
1. Unless your camera has a Firewire 800 port, you'll need an adapter from Firewire 400 (either Firewire 400 6-pin or Firewire 400 4-pin, depending on the type of the Firewire connector on your camera) to Firewire 800,
2. then one from Firewire 800 to Thunderbolt,
3. then one from Thunderbolt to Thunderbolt 3.
Note that I, personnally, am using genuine Apple adapters for No. 2 and No. 3 and it lets me capture DV but I cannot tell you whether an adapter from a different manufacturer for No. 2 and No. 3 will or will not allow capturing DV.
Hope this helps.
You need a PC.. Go get one and show us how. LOL
Thank you for making the best and easiest to follow video for converting miniDV to digital. Everyone else blabs and blabs and talks without saying anything.
Mark without this video I wouldn't have known where to begin or what to do - you've helped me convert tapes from over 20 years ago! I now have those memories in a modern day format :') THANK YOU!
Hope it worked out for you!!! ✊
I normally don’t post but I just converted my old mini dv tapes (home videos from when I was young) into HD videos with amazing sound to my MacBook. I took a chance, bought all the adapters and it worked!! My QuickTime player is a bit annoying and I had to break up my recordings but it’s incredibly worth it if you want to save your old tapes. Also it was SO much easier than I thought it was going to be. Thank you so much for sharing this video - actually a life changer. 🙌🏻
I'm out here trying to Google Firewire 400 capture cards. Didn't even think to just adapter all the way to USB-C. This is great info, glad to see this works!
Legend has it, Mark is still adding adapters to his cable chain.
Adapt or die 😂 hopefully there are more direct routes now
@@MarkHoltze Even you laugh in the overdubs at 1:58 😹 Thanks for the video, helpful nonetheless and glad I stumbled on it! ✌
@ModernEraPirate nice catch! ✊ hope you have a great weekend mate!
Holy relevant. lol Been wanting to digitize my skate videos from an old Sony HandyCam and realized it somehow got thrown away, so I’m hoping to borrow my buddy’s PD-170. I’m more excited about the MiniDV camera than I am for my a7S III. lol
😂 imma big fan of doing this and have with my VHS and H8 but only recently figured out the best way for DV that didn’t involve adapters or some third party software bundle.
Please reply me also sir@@MarkHoltze
This is the TH-cam content we want and need. Thanks, just picked up an old XL1 for cheap to make music videos. Not knowing at all what to do, and diving in head first.
This was the first step needed.
Is this the highest quality we can capture from the old mini DV Tapes? Or would it be better to capture with other software like final cut/premier. Lastly does the quality lower from using the adapters or would be better if I used my old computer with a firewire port?
I captured in Quicktime because Premiere pro cc refuses to do it. how do you deinterlace the footage in premiere?
also, I noticed some huge sync problem with the sound on long captures... what would you recommend ? the video file is good with the sound but when I import it in premiere it goes out of sync .
Hi Mathieu. Hmmm, I didn't have a sync issue when I captured the 20 mins of on camera at all. It captured at 29.97 frames per second (NTSC model). How long are your clips before the sync slips? Are you editing in a timeline that matches the frame rate of the captured video? Start a new project, drag the file into the timeline and allow premiere to auto gen the timeline settings based on the captured DV clip.
I'll see if I can't re-create this issue. I had the same issue with a previous capture device if my frame rate wasn't matched to the camera (59.97) (hi-8, not mini dv in this case)
Premiere should have a de-interlace video filer, if that doesn't after effects does. I had some issues with the Premiere one again with my older device and hi-8. I would apply it and it wouldn't do anything. I actually didn't apply any de-interlacing to the footage captured with this, maybe there wasn't enough movement, but even on my not shown whip pan and crash zooms, interlacing didn't appear to be an issue.
I'll see if I can again re-create some of this in the next little bit, I've got a project being shot on mini DV so will run some tests.
I'm digitizing almost 40 yrs of VHS, VHS-C, and Mini DV tapes using my M1 Pro MacBook Pro. VHS has been no problem. I had to order a new VHS-C adapter since my old one doesn't work, and when I tried capturing those, I realized my current VCR does not support SLP playback speed of some of my VHS-C tapes, so I'm in the process of borrowing a VHS-C camcorder. Then I also remembered that I have Mini DV tapes as well. Luckily, I still have the Mini DV camcorder. Also, my MBP is docked to a 27" Thunderbolt Display, so I lucked out too because that has FireWire 800, so I only need a FireWire 800 to FireWire 400 4 pin cable and I can capture that footage digitally.
Thanks Mark! I couldn't figure out in latest version of Premiere how to capture DV Tapes....been a while 😆
can you update this for any other options for the firewire to thunderbolt adapter? the only ones available now are $200+ on eBay...
hey did you manage to find one for cheaper than the current ebay rates?
You just saved me a tone of money. I can do this all myself. Love it!
Good luck! ✊
Great video…. I’m able to get everything on Amazon except for the Apple Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter 😢 does anyone know where I can get one?
Thanks for this info. Wondering if I can simply use a DV to USB cable? From my Canon mini DV camera to my mac desktop. Thanks for your help!
Nope... I just tried that today and it does not work. My laptop would not recognize the device. I am on a PC though
Thanks for the excellent tutorial! I wonder why you choose to export the video from Quicktime instead of saving it. Saving produces a much bigger file. I wonder if the quality is better than the compressed export. Do you have an idea?
Hmmm I’ll try the save option and see what it does.
You might want to warn people if they have a lot of tapes to do not to mix different brands of tapes in the camera/player. Sony and Panasonic tapes had a different coating on them and sometimes reacted badly when you swapped between tapes. So it's safer to play all of one brand of tape, clean the heads and then play the next brand.
Weird, years of shooting mini dv and editing I never ever had that issue. This is the first I’ve heard of it. A head cleaner is always recommended just wear and tear for sure.
Yeah, my XL1 was picky and I had all sorts of problems until my tape reseller told me about this issue. Once I started shooting on ONLY higher end Sony tapes, I had very little digital dropout issues.
@@MarkHoltze We used to have major dropout issues. In the end when I was working for ITV in the UK there was a list of tape brands we were allowed to use in the cameras. They actually had a separate player just for any Panasonic type tapes that came in. Then we moved to all Panasonic and we were not allowed to put Sony or Maxwell tapes in our cameras.
Well that’s fascinating. Will def keep that in mind. Thanks Stephen! ✊
@@MarkHoltze No worries... I love the work you do here so thanks :)
does it have to be the apple thunderbolt adapters? or would it work with any Usbc to firewire?
Could you please make a video of how to record over tapes and re use them.
Oh man! Been searching for this for years! Have an Canon XH-A1 camera I would love to be able to capture from. Thanks for sharing this.
I wish I never sold my XHA1….
Mark, great video. I'm trying this connection process on a Canon GL2. I'm able to get the video to record on my Mac, but no audio is being recorded. When I play back on my Mac, I'm getting none of the sound. What did I miss? Thanks!!!
Hmmm you should be able to go to the audio input settings and select the camera as well.
This was so hugely helpful, thank you!
✊
With FireWire to Thunderbolt 2 cables no longer sold by Apple, would using a direct Firewise->USB-C cable do the trick?
Otherwise, the only option is people selling the now discontinuity cables on eBay for $180.
My daughter wanted to use my old Panasonic camera for a retro look and we were at a dead end for how to digitize the footage. Until Now!! Thanks so much. The ~$80 we spent on the cable and adapters are well worth it. BTW, why a Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter should cost $49 from Apple is beyond me :)
Ya it’s bizarre. Let me know if it works for you. Been getting some comments saying it’s not been working with certain cameras. I can’t test them all unfortunately, but curious to know.
@@MarkHoltze It worked just as shown in the video, although I was also given the choice of 720p during export. BTW, my camera is a Panasonic PV-GS39. It is at least 15 years old but works great.
So happy to hear that! So must be some camera brands. Some just don’t get detected apparently. Glad it’s worked for you. Be worse to get those adapters and not have it work. ✊
@@Banlman That's weird, that must be the software converting it(or offering to), as normally it would just be directly copying the data from the tape(which is often preferable, as there's no quality loss).
A variety of different software should work with it anyway though.
From what I looked up, even though Thunderbolt 3 is described in the specs as vaguely 'compatible' with Thunderbolt 2 it seems it's really not.
From pictures of the circuit board & component info it seems these converters have both a Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 2 controller inside - one demuxes the signal back to PCIE and Displayport signals then the other controller re-muxes it in the other Thunderbolt standard. There's also some other more minor circuitry in there, so while they're still bound to be making a good profit, it's a lot more than just a cable adaptor. The few non-Apple converters are even more expensive, but might have more features?
I guess it's possible there is some kind of backwards Thunderbolt compatibility without using this method, but if so it seems it can't be perfect or Apple(& others) wouldn't have bothered with the more expensive method. Certainly not like standard USB for backwards compatibility, albeit USB3 & 4 are a mess with 'optional' current features.
I think the Thunderbolt 2 to firewire converter is almost certainly using a PCIE to firewire controller, as it would be the same as used on common firewire PCIE cards.
Apple could surely make Thunderbolt 3 to firewire converters that wouldn't cost any more than the old ones, but I doubt they will. It's also rather more profitable to sell 2 devices rather than 1 I guess..
The Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 converters are also useful for other things, but there must be quite a few people buying both only to use firewire.
As I’m sure other people have mentioned, Apple cables can get really twitchy if you use a non-Apple adapter somewhere in the line. I’ve never been able to successfully use a non-Apple adapter to either Mac or pc. When it’s all Apple $, it’s all good and pretty seam-less. Though, it’s wonderful and utterly depressing at the same time to realize the phone I’m typing this on takes SO SO much better video than the equipment I spent dump-trucks of money on back in the day.
Will all the apple adapters work on PC? Sound like it...?
@@benallison7825 *If* your pc supports Thunderbolt, a USB-C socket is no guarantee of Thunderbolt support unfortunately. USB3 & 4 have become a mess, with multiple 'optional' features.
Some of my DV tapes transfer the audio and some don't recognize the audio (no audio track). The sound is coming out of the Canon ZR65MC when I play the tape, but no audio track on the recording? Why would this be different from one tape to the next? (Using Quicktime Player to record on Intel Macbook Pro)
Thanks for so useful links!
What if my computer only holds about 30 minutes of a 45 minute mini DV? Is it necessary that we get a larger hard drive or is there a way around this? I have 50+ mini DVs to convert
Legendary, thank you
Adapter Centipede. 100% medically accurate.
😆 Dr approved?
hi I have a panasonic NV - gs200. For some reason I can't get the camera to change on quick time. Any tips? I am Using a fire to USBC.
Hey Mark thanks for the video. I have a JVC Gy-HD101E which of course has Mini DV so yes it's obsolete as far as the way it captures media and I have been searching online for a hard disk adapter for the camera because I know they made one but now, it's no where to be found so my next port of call was to try and find adapters for firewire to go into an iMac which has Thurnderbolt and thankfully your video popped up after a long time searching. You used 2 adapters but is that because you captured on a Macbook? I haven't really had a big look at my iMac desktop yet because I have almost given up but your video has inspired me back up again to try again..
One major question though...Since it's hard to find that hard disk pack to attach to my camera, would the connection allow it to stream live footage to the editing program much like I was able to do when I was using the camera connected to an older iMac that did have firewire output which I was able to stream it direct onto Final Cut Pro and thus record into the computer hard drive OR a external hard drive? .
idk if those adapters only exist in the US but here in Europe (Austria) I can't find the adapters on amazon or anywhere else
I followed all of your steps, but my Mac is not recognizing the camera as a source.. advice please?
Hmmm, not sure: I can’t reproduce the issue so it’s hard to solve. Really not sure why the camera isn’t being recognized. What camera is it?
it's a cannon. - probably 2001 @@MarkHoltze
HI Mark thank you for all this information. I have purchased the cables however the camera is not coming up as an option for input. Any suggestions at all please ?
Hmmm not sure why that is. I have three cameras and they all get detected. What camera are you using by chance?
Hey, loved the video but need some advice if you don't mind. I have a 2016 Mac with usb and usb c inputs and HDMI. I got a mini dv camcorder and purchased a firewireIEEE 1394 to usb E input. So the way I connected it was "boom" firewire into the camcorder, and then usb directly into my USB input. I tired quicktime and my camcorder doesn't show. I'm thinking I might need a usb to usb c converter? So it would be firewire to usb, to usb c. Any suggestions?
Hi, do you think this would work with a USB 2.0 Male to IEEE 1394 4Pin Male iLink Firewire DV Cable. So a DV to USB 2.0 cable instead of a DV to firewire to a bunch of adapters? thanks.
It might. The option wasn’t available when I made this video. I should try an update to see if it work; but if the option is available maybe go for it.
Assuming that cam recorded an interlaced file.
Is there an option to deinterlace when capturing with quicktime or does it have to be done as a separate process?
Hi Mark, will this chain of adapters and QT work with a minidv tape deck instead of camera?
I can’t find the firewire 800 to thunderbolt 2 adapter anywhere. Did they stop making them?
Yep... good luck. They are over $100 on eBay. My buddy claims he has one so I am waiting to hear back
I still have the exact same camera. Good times but utterly usleless in 2022
I’m actually getting paid to use it this weekend. Shooting some 2002 era found footage stuff and shooting the real look vs mocking it up for the win lol.
Who needs filters when you can shoot it using the real thing.
A friend of mine from film school shoots a bunch of his experimental films on miniDV to get the right look he wants for them. It was art school, so we all regularly used "obsolete" tools to get the results desired. There can be a use for anything if it's relevant to the artist as pretentious as that sounds.
@@blake.crosby Ya, there's a lot about the look you have a hard time shooting with a modern camera. How the camera zooms, the highlights/the lowlights and everything in between. Needs to look authentic and no better way than the real thing. Plus it's fun as hell to shoot with ;)
@@emilianoo.1596 It's not pretentious I don't think. No point spending time trying to downgrade a modern look to look like the real thing. Mini DV has a look era associated with it, the same way 8mm film does and even VHS. I think it's more pretentious to think you need the most modern stuff to make art, it's less about the tools and more about the meaning behind it. I'd love to see some of their work tho that's for sure! Thanks Emiliano!
The Firewire 800 to Thunderbolt cable is sold out on Amazon. Is there another option? I don’t know what to look for, I’m horrible at this kind of stuff.
Hmmm I’m going to have to look into it as more options might be available now. Check if they have direct to USB-C. I hate that FireWire was dropped so hard
Thank you
Hi Mark-I purchased the recommended cables and adaptors-I played 2 tapes to test-and everything seems to be working. How do I save the files because they seem to be large files-especially when the full 60 minutes are transferred. My iMac says “there is no space”. I’m not really tech savvy and I was just wondering the best way to save the files. Do I need an external drive? Only options I see is save to iCloud and hard drive. Is this correct? Thank you for your time!
so I found it to be cheaper getting a dv to usb cable directly without all the dongles and i have a windows machine, does it do the same job ?
thanks. but the problem now is its impossible to buy Firewire 800 to Thunderbolt . Apple has discontinued. Cant find it on amazon either. Now stuck
Hmmmm. Might have a USB option. Just don’t know. Need to look at alt options
Can this work with DV - USB - USB-c to mac ?
Does this change the color of the clip at all? I use a dvr and it makes my footage look slightly grey.
whay dony you just use less cables and converrt from firewire to usb and useb to usb c for new macs?
They didn’t have that option when I made this. I’ll have to look into it
Does it have to be an apple computer???
Any way to select an external drive as a scratch disk with QT?
I have a Panasonic camera but it doesn’t have vcr mode.
It will have to have some way to play back tapes. Google the model and look for a manual. It should help
I have a question. What makes using the FireWire method better or different than using a composite to usb recorder?
If you can find FireWire to usb then cool, I couldn’t find any such adapter at the time of making this. So just kept it FireWire since those adapters existed and being able to test it.
so basically if I shot a video that was two hours long and I wanted to transfer it to my computer, I would have to let it record on my computer for two hours after filming?
Yes
does this capture audio as well
IEEE FireWire cable does do both picture and audio with thr single cable so yes. It’s fantastic in this way.
I have bought every adapter/software known to man and still can’t get this damn thing to transfer
faster would be to borrow an old macbook with firewire or buy one, connect directly via firewire cable, and record your videos on the old macbook. Take the recordings via external HDD to your editing machine. This is how I did it. Only cost me the firewire cable.
Two cables is all you need with this, it’s still way cheap. Borrow sure but not everybody has that access. Two cables :)
@@MarkHoltze i got an old macbook with firewire. Why 2? I got it working with just 1. Im sure at the moment, macbook late 2012 and such are lying around everywhere, because they stopped support for them.
It was a little struggle to get imovie to work though. Needs a little terminal command to expand an update to install it. And it's not working that cleanly either.
Ya that’s true. I have a G5 tower wotb FireWire and Final Cut 7 still but just assumed that’s a bit of a thing for ppl. Found this was the easiest way, but lots of ways to do it
@@MarkHoltze I still think it's good you show this.
My recordings work fine, but then I have to put them on a harddrive, on my own PC, use an older version of premiere (newer ones dont support .dv) and then finally edit and export.
The imovie 9 that is the only supported imovie version for my macbook pro 2012, is a bit flaky, and the macbook too slow to properly export in a decent amount of time.
What would the work flow look like from a hi8 camera? I imagine it would be similar?
I have a few analog workflows. How to transfer VHS and Hi 8. Slightly similar.
When I go to upload the footage it is much darker than usual, the preview is dark as well before saving or capturing. It looks great on the mini DV screen but it loses so much exposure that I think gives it that DV quality. Anyone know how toto fix this issue, not wanting to edit it post upload to match the DV quality.
it's as if the exposure and saturation has been turned down. Colors are not as distinct.
What about Windows 11?
nice dvx1000
Hi Mark, I have been transferring Mini DV tapes to digital using a camcorder through iMovie for a while without any issues and then after I upgraded to Monterey iMovie stopped recognizing the camera, have you run into this?
A few people have. Stupid update. Support hopefully should return, I hate when their updates break perfectly functioning processes
@@MarkHoltze Any workarounds? I have this problem for the canon gl1
The amount of adapters NOW readily available is nucking futz compared to prob 15-20years ago 😆
Yup it’s getting more and more relevant as people want to watch their old home videos. It’s not just about watching, sharing is caring ;)
everything today is smartphone to cloud. What happened to video footage from BEFORE smartphones ?? Its all on VHS / VHS-C / MiniDV or Hi8 cassette that can ONLY be played back from those machines that they don't have anymore.
My 1st camcorder was a Sony DCR-TRV11 which i still have today and still have about 10 or so MiniDV cassettes with footage on them, that stuff is NOT in the cloud.
Most people throw that equipment away because its OLD and nobody uses them anymore and they also throw out the cassettes that have VIDEO and material on them ..
I found one a cassette that had my wife's grandparents on the video and having a conversation with them and she about dropped into tears seeing them again.
Do you believe this process work with a Sony MiniDV (DCR-H40) camcorder?
Can’t say a lot of ppl’s cameras aren’t working from the comments. I only have two, XL1 and DVX 100a and both are recognized by QuickTime
Would this work with a usb male to FireWire cord into a lightning camera adapter? Or is this the only way?
Might be worth a try; this was the only way I could mimic the old days, and it worked so had no need to experiment. Curiosity peaked though.
@@MarkHoltze I’m gonna work on getting the right connections. I have a usb to lightning photo adapter, I wonder if there’s anyway I can utilize that in my connection.
It almost certainly won't work - USB, firewire, lightning, and thunderbolt all use different data signals, they require signal conversion. Though of course *some* usb-c sockets support thunderbolt 3. Thunderbolt 1 & 2 didn't support usb. The lightning to USB convertor doesn't support thunderbolt either it seems, and seems to only be intended for a very specific use.
Apple love their incompatible connections and array of different plugs, though they seem to be finally mostly dropping that - along with 3.5mm sockets unfortunately.
Thunderbolt can carry pcie signals, so the thunderbolt2 to firewire adaptor almost certainly uses a pcie to firewire converter(the same as would be on a pcie firewire card).
There are some devices that can convert firewire(most likely *only* for DV from cameras) to USB, such as some old Pinnacle capture devices(I have one, it only requires USB2), but there seems to be very few other devices that do this.
Cheap 'usb to firewire' cables are just wires and plugs, they don't do any conversion, and only work for non-standard devices that use a USB plug for firewire signals or vice versa.
It probably would've been no more expensive for Apple to also make a Thunderbolt3 to firewire convertor, but I doubt they ever will. Of course Thunderbolt2 to Thunderbolt3 convertors also have other uses, and they couldn't sell 2 different devices if they made a Thunderbolt3 to firewire convertor...
Hi there, was very excited about this video. I have a mini dv SONY super steady shot handycam, and all necessary adapter cables mentioned. Only thing is QuickTime is not recognizing my camera. any troubleshooting advice here? not seeing any comments on this.
same
Wow I looked up the price of the FireWire 800 to Thunderbolt adapters, and they're about £150 😬 guess what, I had that adapter for YEARS, and after getting an M1 MacBook Pro I sold it in 2021 for just £24! Who'd have thought they'd become so rare. Luckily I still have all my FW400/FW800 cables, I think it'd be cheaper for me to just buy an old Mac with a FW800 port than to buy the adapters.
you're not wrong, I guess the price is up simply on availability. I don't think they're making them anymore. It's weird cause there is a demand, kind of hope some third party picks up on the trend and can support the growing demand. As we move farther away from the relevancy of this tech, the more people want look back on what they shot. It's like 8mm film projector scanners, options exist to watch 50-60 year old footage. Lots of options exist for analogue VHS/High 8 transfers, but the firewire train is hyper limited.
I bought a DV cable for 10$ and I bought an old laptop with firewire and windows xp for 35$ and i am able to trasfer all the videos. Not need all this shit thunderbolt and others..
Clutch! Trying to digitize some tapes for my grandma and this is exactly what I needed. Turns out it’s a pretty chill process once you figure out the adaptors and how to record in QuickTime. Thanks!
Best of luck mate!
The main bit for me, was when it just showed me sitting at my desk on the FaceTime camera. Was the little extra bit of info about switching and then my video opened. Thought I was going to have to get one of the old Macs out of the cupboard. Now to fine tapes of the Grandson 18 years ago. Best Dave
Dang, i got all the wires and adaptors but my quicktime isn't recognising my camera any tips? thanks for the video
That’s so weird honestly it still works for my camera. I wonder if it’s just the camera? Going to try a few things to see if there are alts
did you figured it out ? i have the same problem...
sorry but i searched everywhere and bought everything. but my macbook pro won't find my camera. When I plug in all the cables and plug in, my computer still can't find it. can anyone help me.
I’m having the same issue. let me know if u found a solution :(
Have any of you been able to figure out this issue since?
It’s so weird this problem I guess happens with some cameras. I can’t replicate it unfortunately so I can’t seem to attempt to resolve the problem. I need to look into a more universal method. I have three mini dv cameras and they’re all detected. XL1, XHA1 and the DVX100A.
@@MarkHoltze My iMac detects the camera right away but my MacBook Pro doesn't see it anywhere. Can't figure out why.
So weird. Both same operating systems and versions? I wonder if it’s a QuickTime version delta?
The firewire to thunderbolt is expensive now on ebay because it's discontinued. Great.
Hmmm they might have USB C to fire wire. I need to look into new options
This video was super helpful but I have one question, I am using my Canon G2 Camera - The connection works and Quicktime recognizes that the Microphone is from the Camera also and I can see the audio levels bouncing when I am recording through quicktime but when I go to playback the video I just recorded theres no audio at all? Any help answer to fix this?
Any work around for the Apple Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter? looks to be discontuned everywhere. for reverence I have a macbook m1 max. Thanks for the video mark!!
Yes! It's impossible to find it, tried everywhere on the web, I even bought a straight Firewire 1394 to USB wishing it could magically work, but it didn't.
Let me know if you ever find it again
Can I ask how the quality of the video & sound differs compared to having it done professionally? I had sent my tapes off to be converted about a year ago but they found they were unable to convert the sound properly so it is very choppy, and a couple have no sound at all. We still have the original video camera so I played back the tapes to check the sound and it’s perfect for every single one, so I’m unsure what happened. Because of this experience, I wanted to convert them myself, but I was wondering if the quality would be less good than if it were done professionally. Thank you so much!
This is my worry too!
@@destyniiskywalker there is no difference! I have a media business in the Cincinnati area and transfer tapes all of the time.
There is no difference! I do this for a living.
If they're MiniDV, Digital8 or other digital tapes, it's a raw copy over firewire so there's no difference - it's identical data to what is on the tape.
They may have been converting from analog tapes like VHS-C, Hi8 etc though. It definitely doesn't sound like the company you paid lived up to their 'professional' status though unfortunately.
The price for the thunderbolt to firewire cable is unbelievably high at the moment😢
Works great. One thing I discovered is that you may have to disable screen save on Mac. My tapes kept stopping after about 20 minutes and I did a search and found this work around. Thanks for sharing this.
Great tip!!! Thanks! I always capture one short bite and it’s got a 20 mins saver so…brilliant mate!
Great video - if one has an Apple. Good video- if one has a Windows machine. This video shows how to use adapters for current ports since the IEEE 1394 is rarely (if ever?) included with current PC builds. Digitizing DV and HDV tapes isn't usually too much of an issue. IMHO, digitizing VHS, S-VHS, Hi8 tapes( or any vintage analog tapes) is much more of a challenge.
Yes there are other options for analog formats I’ve used and made videos on. Needed to complete the trilogy with this method as it’s the best I’ve come across in 11 years since IEEE went 🦤
I cant find a thunderbolt to firewire 800 adapter ugh... any suggestions
why do you have to connect to the mac's thunderbolt port instead of its USB port?
Nice video, I considered it. As fun as daisy chaining apple adaptors is, I'd have to purchase them.
I think I might have a old firewire computer around here somewher. A firewire 400 PCIe card is like 15$.
I have an old G5 tower that does it while running fcp so I can even log it. Didn’t think that was a circumstance easily duplicated. I think they have some usbc to FireWire direct cables now. I should look into it.
Hello Mark , i have a Panasonic NV GS 400 Mini dv camcoder back from 2005. As the video capture resolution is 720 × 576 SD, can we upscale it to 720 or 1080 P HD after capturing?
He transferred Mini DV which is 720p and the saved file was in 480p. If there’s a way to do it lossless it’s preferable. I’d like to know if this is the only option?
i don't have a vcr button on my camera...how do I do it then?
Don’t understand why it can only be exported out in 480. Is that a limitation of QuickTime?
This is my understanding too but not mentioned in the video. I have anamorphic shot video but at least that was converted ok but the quality is debatable. However I need to investigate the Maximum setting Mark mentions. May be that makes a difference? One things for sure I don’t want a squashed widescreen anamorphic picture! Ideally I want the same capture as that which I could achieve with Premiere Pro until Adobe/Apple broke it.
Is not possible to capture the digital stream? The video is digital and better res than 480p.
Can anyone recommend somewhere to purchase a Apple Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter? I can't seem to find it anywhere
im lost in the sauce as well. been looking for it forever
Can you also connect with a DV to USB Typ A? I dont know if I have those other Things at my Computer
Update me if it works saw a guy doing it on yt!!
How do I do it on windows?
You left out the word Apple in your title.
Ur the only youtuber tech expert that actual explained things quickly & perfectly ! THANK YOU!!!!
Hi. Not sure if anyone has tried this on the MacBook M1s yet but I'm having trouble getting Final Cut Pro X or iMovie or Quicktime to recognize my MiniDV camera (Sony Handycam HDR-HC3). I have a Belkin DV/iLink to Firewire 800 cable running into the Apple Firewire 800 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter and then into the Apple Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 adapter into the USB-C port on the MacBook but the computer doesn't see the camera. (It used to on my old iMac 2014.) I also have tried another DV to FW800 to make sure it wasn't a bad Belkin cable. Wondering if you might have any thoughts?
What happens if you Macbook does not pick up your camera?
Hi I just bought all three cables and the camera is not popping up as an option. Do you have any trouble shooting options?
What camera? What OS? And version of QuickTime?
@@MarkHoltze Canon NTSC ZR80, MacOS Monterey 12.3, Quicktime version 10.5
Please help! I was so excited I'd be able to do this but my camera is nnot showing up as an option in the Quicktime menu as shown in the video! Why is this happening?
I have the same problem as well
same problem
Ew Mac. No thanks 😂
Hello! I bought all the cables you suggested and it was working fine for a little while! Now my camera won’t pop up on QuickTime player when I plug everything in, is this something to do with the cables?
Hi Mark, thanks a lot for your sharing. By using this way, what is the color sample rate of the capture video. Is it the max quality we can get from a miniDV? how is compare with using capture card?
Assuming the software on the computer isn't messing with it, it should be entirely identical with no loss of quality. The firewire signal itself carries a raw copy of what's on the tape, the computer receives an exact copy - so for MiniDV & other native digital formats, it will definitely be better than using an analog capture card.
If converting an analog Video8/Hi8 tape in a compatible Digital8 camera(which internally converts the analog tape signal to digital out over firewire), *theoretically* you might be able to get better quality with an analog capture card - but it would require a good capture device and probably more messing around to get it right.
Is there a windows way?
👏🏻 Thank you *so* much for the great video. I am trying to do a transfer using an older Mac (all FireWire 1 to FW2) and having problems. I am going to try using my newer Mac with all the adapters you shower so hoping it solve things. Thanks again!
With how much you spent on the different adaptors, you could've bought a cheap 2nd hand pc and a firewire pci card 🎉🤭🤭
Or you have an old laptop, a firewire pcmcia card 👍
Nah, need to edit after I capture so makes it easier. Plus I can use the adapters with my old hard drives so it’s multi purpose. You can definitely get a second hand laptop or use an older computer but.