How to copy footage from Mini DV Tapes to your MacBook
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.พ. 2025
- Camcorders are making a comeback and many of them run with Mini DV tapes - here's how to import them to your Mac!
Thanks to @AllThings80s for the video that helped me learn how to do this!
Watch his video here:
• HOW TO TRANSFER MINI D...
What I bought:
Apple Thunderbolt to USB-C (Thunderbolt 3)
Apple Firewire Thunderbolt to Firewire 800
Firewire 400 to 800 adapter
Intro music by @jay2dee.809
#camcorders #videography #trends
Thanks for making everything so clear! going to try it, as soon as I can get my hands on one of those firewire to thunderbolt adapters. I guess it'll be worth it in the long run.
@@easylovemusicvideos good luck! yes it’s good to have if you’re using this camera often
Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!! I had no clue about the firewire to firewire adapter I needed - that was the missing piece! All my old videos with my kids now going to be digitized!
@@melissareed2420 fabulous!! so glad this helped 💛
Thanks for this! You made this seem way less complicated than other videos!
I am so glad it helped! That is why I made it, because of the other unhelpful vids haha
I believe the FireWire 800 to Thunderbolt adapter is no longer offered by Apple, or anyone else. Used ones are available from eBay, but be prepared to spend at least $130 for one now!
@@Snibben that’s crazy! it wasn’t that much when I bought it :((
@@christinawatkinsyoutube True, I can't find any Firewire to Thunderbolt adaptors on Amazon or Apple.
@@pamthompson293 I just purchased a TB 3 to TB 2 adpater directly from Apple.
I just kept the old Mack's they have direct firewire 400 port, so just the one cable need it from the camera to PC. 😄📹
what a beautiful things and memories
This week I try import from my dv camera but I have old laptop with windows vista so I don’t need this expensive adaptors ;-)
After not believing that the only solution is this complicated. It was indeed the only solution I came to at the end. So thank you :)
@@milannech Same 😭
I just bought a mid-2010 macbook pro 13 and a 4 to 9 pin cable all for 85€ because i didnt want to spend over 100€ on apple adapters
If you set some time aside to really dive in to the settings on your recording program, im sure you can find a better way to deinterlace the video in a way that makes it 60 fps, and who doesn't like 60 fps
Thanks for the shoutout 👍🏻
very nice video!!. Very informative
Hi - thanks for the tutorial - I have a Sony Mini DV recorder - DCR-PC330E PAL and I've tried so many adaptors, cables software but the camera doesn't appear on my desktop or any editing software... do you have any advice at all why it may not be happening? thank you so much in advance.
can u import to premiere?
Would you be able to provide links for purchasing the connections??
Eu comprei hoje o meu primeiro macbook especialmente para editar muito material que tenho em mini DV e consegui tirar todas as dúvidas de importação com este vídeo!! Parabéns!!! 🙏🙏🙏
Onde você encontrou o adaptador Thunderbolt 2 para Thunderbolt 3 (usb-c)?
thank you
bought a 2012 mac mini Catalina for $100 last year of firewire plugged it in loaded life flix and everything worked perfectly no extra cables or work around
I've had so many problems with life flix. It is buggy and amazingly unstable. It is causing me more work that it is worth. I'm on Big Sur so maybe that makes a different. lifeflix keeps making all my videos orphaned when I have to quit and restart it. Not only orphaned but the recovered video are in random order even if the order in which they are saved tells you the correct order. You have not had any of these problems?
It will be good if you list or put a link to those Apple adapters
i cant find one at all. looks like they are sold out everywhere :(
@@gashtape I have listed everything in the description! I am in Germany, here there adapters available but i cant tell you how it is elsewhere :(
Would this work with a jvc700x camcorder and a MacBook Air? This would be amazing if it did!
@@christinawatkinsyoutube I'm also in germany and I don't think there are any anymore :(((((
Hey Great video, where did you buy the firewire adaptor from? I had a look online and people are selling them for crazy amounts of money. Seems to be a huge demand for them as apple has stoped making them. Also partly to the fact as dv cams are coming back in fashion.
thanks! I think I bought it on eBay, and yeah they are not cheap :( good luck!
@christinawatkinsyoutube I been looking and they like £140 I remember them being £25 🥲
I found some on Ali Express (not Apple branded)
I have this adapter-setup and my macbook air recognises my camcorder and imports the video... BUT with no sound!? 😱 Apparently this is a thing but I don't know how to solve it. Did yours import the sound okay?
oh that is so strange! mine imported sound totally fine!
It would be helpful if you showed us what the various connectors look like close up. What's a FIREWIRE CABLE? I have a lot of cables but do not know what they are called.
Google it?
@@johnking6308 if you search firewire you can see photos of exactly how the end of the cable looks!
Thanks for this video, this was super helpful! What version of MacOS was your computer using, and did you have to download any drivers or additional software to get your computer to notice your camera was plugged in?
Hi! Not sure exactly what iOS but this was filmed last summer and my Mac is updated regularly :)
I just used iMovie which was already on there, nothing extra. :)
Any reason why you would not just use the firewire -> USB cable?
it doesn't work with my mac as I only have USB-c
@@christinawatkinsyoutube Me too but I just use a regular USB -> USB C converter. Anyways, I tried the Firewire -> USB -> USB C and it doesn't work :( Maybe it has something to do with the Firewire 400/800 thing?
@@christinawatkinsyoutube USB cable cannot work because the USB interface uses variable data rates and cannot guarantee a steady flow of data, which the DV Tape player requires by nature. Although an adapter Firewire to Thunderbolt to USB-C works, it is not using the USB interface, rather the Thunderbolt 3 interface which is carrying the Firewire, USB-C merely being the type of connector (which is similar in form with the Thunderbolt 3 connector) and not the protocol of connection.
Can you link the firewire to dv cable and the apple adapter?
The Firewire 800 to Thunderbolt Adapter has been discontinued it seems, on Ebay they are currently sitting at 130€+
(Don't buy the Firewire to USB Cable, it won't work)
I will try the A/V-Videograbber Route, since most USB Ports in those camcorders are unreliable
@@copeharder777ty for the info! I tried the AVs on my camera (I have the same model as the video) and it doesn’t pick the audio even tho the capture card works properly and it does have sound when recording! The colors also come out very desaturated and it has more noise. That’s why I want to try this route! Ty again
Do you need to format the camera first to import the vids? I had a load of vids but my Mac didn't seem to think anything was on the camera ...
no, I didn't do that. hope you found a solution!
@@christinawatkinsyoutube no, im selling it as ive not been able to figure anything out
Im trying to do this with the canon ZR200 camcorder videocamera. I bought all the plugs but its still not showing up on my macbook pro 2020 with monterey or macbook pro 2014 with big sur any tips??
Why mine is not showing in imovie?
i came for info and found a beauty. and info. that too.
Hi, thanks for the video. I am about to do the same. Are you running an intel chip or the new M1 or M2 MacBook and also which macOS? Thanks so much!
hi! my Mac is MacBook Pro from 2017 with an Intel chip, and I am running on macOS Monterrey :)
Roughly how big is the file size for that 19 minutes? Hopefully it's over 2G's. Thanks
not very large, not exactly sure how much though!
Does anyone know what the exact model of that Samsung Mini DV Camcorder is? The EXACT name?
@@vob22 I will let you know!
hey, the camera is Samsung Digital Cam VP-D361-Pal with 33x digital optical zoom :)
@@christinawatkinsyoutube I appreciate you looking into this for me
Hello, I have all the wires and have been stuck for hours trying to get iMovie to find the camera when I go to import? Any idea?
hi there, I’m sorry I’m not sure why it’s not working :( maybe try apple support online
did you ever find out, I as well have all these cords but iMovie can't recognize my camera
Apple did an update and there isn't many camcorders it is now compatible with. Was told to go through the list on the apple website but none looked like a camcorder
what about if you only have a 2015 MacBook Pro?
i’m sure it’ll work! as long as you have imovie it’ll work. you might be better off because you still have USB, and depending on your model, potentially you may also have a thunderbolt connection!
can yoy not just buy a firewire dv to usb cord and a usb to usbc cord and upload it from there?
not trying to hate just asking if this would work also
I’m gonna try that soon
@@wiljerry3251 did it work?
@@85context123 did it work?
do you need a mac or can u use any computer with a usbc port?
I am pretty sure you can do this on any computer, but I am not sure how :)
If you’re running a Windows PC, you’ll need a Thunderbolt port, there should be a lightning bolt icon next to it. It is not the same as USB-C, even though Thunderbolt(4) uses the same connector. (And if you’re not confused yet, that Thunderbolt port supports USB-C.)
If you do have a Thunderbolt port, I believe there’s another matter with the processor you have, which I am not familiar with. Search “how to transfer mini dv” and see what’s been posted in the past year or two.
Will this work with hi8mm also . I got an intensity shuttle but heard it won’t work with Mac Pro with M3 .Thanks
not sure unfortunately! good luck
Hey Christina! I also have a very similar, if not the same samsung camcorder as you but I cannot get mine working... Do you have any tips? I used a FireWire 9-pin to 4-pin adapter to connect to my old 2012 macbook pro but it did not detect the camcorder :(
hey there, I'm sorry it's not working... perhaps your MacBook is too old? I'm not a Mac expert unfortunately, hopefully you find a solution in a forum somewhere :)
same here
Did you find a solution?
sadly they should make it easier with a cable going from mini firewire to usb-c rather than this cumbersome situation. In this day of tech we could find engineers to do this?
you’d think so, hey?!
Why couldn’t have you just got
- Mini DV to FireWire 400 cable
- FireWire 400 to usb C
Would this not work?
hey Joshua, I couldn't find a Firewire 400 to USB C cable, this is why I had to do it like I did. If you find this kind of cable, for sure, try it out!! :D
So, you think this is better than S-Video?
100% better. S-video is analog vs firewire is digital