VCR tape to DVD+R to Mac/iMovie? So I've got an old VCR tape of some home movies. If I buy this DVDirect and burn these onto a DVD+R, can I then load that DVD+R into my computer (a Mac running OSX) and edit them using iMovie? VCR tape to DVD+R to Mac/iMovie? So I've got an old VCR tape of some home movies. If I buy this DVDirect and burn these onto a DVD+R, can I then load that DVD+R into my computer (a Mac running... » Read More VCR tape to DVD+R to Mac/iMovie? So I've got an old VCR tape of some home movies. If I buy this DVDirect and burn these onto a DVD+R, can I then load that DVD+R into my computer (a Mac running OSX) and edit them using iMovie? « Show Less
1945706
Your Mac won't recognize a +R disc. I have a Magnavox that takes a DVD-R disc and records a vhs tape to the DVD-R disc as DVD+vr and my Mac doesn't even recognize the disc. Big mistake on my part.
1625456
I can't see why not... It would be a video just like any other DVD you would add/edit in iMovie. Now if you're asking if you can edit it on the same DISK? That's probably a no... You would need another disk to burn it back to.
1945707
You can import the info into your computer but it requires a special program. It also loses quality because DVDs are compressed data. My recommendation is to burn to DVD with chaptering for general viewing but save your tapes to mini DV or a dedicated hard drive for future editing.
1296443
Hi there, DVD-R stands for Recordable. DVD+R stands for Rewritable. +R = you can use again but they cost more. I'm sorry but I have not tried that feature on these.
194418
Hi Jean. I had my daughter expert help me. If you can play your VHS tapes on your computer, good job. If not, you transfer them to the machine on a SD or Sim card you buy, then the card goes into the computer. You have to have editing program if you want to slice, splice, and edit all your videos. My daughter has a Mac computer and she got it on the computer, but does not have the editing program you need. I agree with the other reviews in that sound is very distorted and slower than lips moving. My tapes are 20 years old though. Good Luck. It's a painstaking process, just like watching the video yourself, because it does not transfer at warp speed. Hope this helps. Hi Jean. I had my daughter expert help me. If you can play your VHS tapes on your computer, good job. If not, you transfer them to the machine on a SD or Sim card you buy, then the card goes into the computer. You have to have editing program if you want to slice, splice, and edit all your videos. My daughter has a Mac computer and she got it on the computer, but does not have the editing program you need. I agree with the other reviews in that sound is very distorted and slower than lips moving. My tapes are 20 years old though. Good Luck. It's a painstaking process, just like watching the... » Read More Hi Jean. I had my daughter expert help me. If you can play your VHS tapes on your computer, good job. If not, you transfer them to the machine on a SD or Sim card you buy, then the card goes into the computer. You have to have editing program if you want to slice, splice, and edit all your videos. My daughter has a Mac computer and she got it on the computer, but does not have the editing program you need. I agree with the other reviews in that sound is very distorted and slower than lips moving. My tapes are 20 years old though. Good Luck. It's a painstaking process, just like watching the video yourself, because it does not transfer at warp speed. Hope this helps. « Show Less
1540091
Hi Matthew, Could you tell me which program you bought to convert so my Mac can recognize the hi res video? Thanks!
323924
I purchased the HDRPJ260 a while back and have a Mac laptop. The movies do download directly into iMovie. We love the camera as well, works great. The quality is good enough for most home movies I feel.
1402731
Yes, I burned videos with the drive in my iMac. Keep in mind that format and size (MB's) are factors.
1978550
I just bought this camera, plugged it in today to my Macbook Pro, used the dv/firewire cable. It works fine with iMovie with no tweaking. But downloading is in actual time, so slow. just rewind your tape, put the little wheel on view and hit import.
1674527
Comcast apparently doesn't provide any way to extract saved videos from my Comcast DVR. You may be able to use a Video-to-USB cable to do this by connecting the DVR to your MacPro and then playing the stored video. I'm not sure what video file format you'd wind up with on the MacPro, but you might then be able to use iMovie, Final Cut Pro X, or iDVD to burn the movie onto a DVD.You could also try contacting Comcast support, but I would be very surprised if they provide you a way to offload stored videos from their DVR. (If they do, please let us know the technique.)
1215299
This apparatus will not allow you to transfer VHS to DVD. However, that is some of the work that I do. I use a Super VHS player (noticeably higher resolution than a standard VHS player) and capture the signal with my computer using Elgato brand video capture, then I put the movie onto DVD. If you're doing this yourself, I recommend the same workflow. I hope this information helps.
272113
I tried just copying the files to my mac and was disappointed I couldn't watch the videos.HOWEVER! I opened iMove (while the SDHC card reader was still plugged in with the card from my FS100 in it) and what to my wonderous eyes should appear!? All of the movies! I could see thumbnails and play them.I just clicked "Import All" and it started importing them. My camera did not need to be plugged in at all :)
2199954
I'm sure you can. is, records into basic formats; mp4 and AVCHD. so if your Mac will work with you either of these formats you're good to go.
1752239
I'm looking for the same answer. I did notice that the very early reviews of this product did mention that a screen popped up that said the material was copyrighted and, therefore, stopped. Unless someone can tell us otherwise, I suspect the answer is no. I have two old VHS movies that have never been released in DVD format and would like to preserve them for my own personal use only. Has ANYONE been able to copy commercial VHS movies to DVD with this program??? Thanks.
856139
Yes, but it takes some effort. I am still investigating other approaches. Using QuicktimePro ($30) with additional "QuickTime MPEG-2 Playback" ($20) and "MPEG Streamclip" (free but requires the Quicktime MPEG2 extension to read MPEG2 files), I can use iMovie/iDVD. Last night I copied 5.6 GB of video ( ~90 minutes of best quality recording on the camera) in 139 files to the Mac (~8 minutes to copy), then used MPEG_Streamclip in batch mode to export them all to .DV format. This just takes a 5-10 minutes to initiate but the actual conversion took a little under 3 hours on 1.5 Ghz G4 Powerbook. I used the "No Interlace" and "split for iMovie" settings. This resulted in 139 .DV files using ~17 GB. I created a iMovie project then quit iMovie. I then dragged all the DV files into the Media directory within the project. I then start iMovie and it tells me it found 139 files and asks me if I want to move them to the Clips. I say Yes and from then on it's the no different than if I had imported the video using more conventional means. I am still using iMovie5 so the procedure may be different with later versions. iMovie08 has direct support for this camera, though I haven't tried it and there are some complaints about iMovie08. It's reportedly easier to use but with less capabilities than iMovie06. It also won't run on G4 processors. Is it worth the hassle? It's a little early to tell, but this camera is replacing a Digital8 for which media is harder to find, and I liked the capability to record more than 60 minutes. PS - Using just QT Pro and the MPEG2 extension, it is possible to play the video files directly on the Mac. The conversion to DV format is necessary only if you want to edit them using iMovie. You can play them directly off the camera if the camera is mounted as an external HD.
1602664
You should be able to. I only had this for a short time. See the review below. I bought this used DVD/VCR on line through Amazon. When I received it and tried it out, I found that when I played a VCR tape back the picture bounced around and sometimes the horizontal went out of sync. I returned the DVD/VCR for a prompt full refund. I only had this device for a short time. See a copy of my review below. Review of used Zenith XBV613 DVD/VCR I bought this used DVD/VCR on line through Amazon. When I received it and tried it out, I found that when I played a VCR tape back the picture bounced around and sometimes the horizontal went out of sync. I returned the DVD/VCR for a prompt full refund. You should be able to. I only had this for a short time. See the review below. I bought this used DVD/VCR on line through Amazon. When I received it and tried it out, I found that when I played a VCR tape back the picture bounced around and sometimes the horizontal went out of sync. I returned the DVD/VCR for a prompt full refund. I only had this device for a short time. See a copy of my review below. Review of used Zenith XBV613 DVD/VCR I bought this used DVD/VCR on line through Amazon. When I received it and tried it out, I found that when I played a... » Read More You should be able to. I only had this for a short time. See the review below. I bought this used DVD/VCR on line through Amazon. When I received it and tried it out, I found that when I played a VCR tape back the picture bounced around and sometimes the horizontal went out of sync. I returned the DVD/VCR for a prompt full refund. I only had this device for a short time. See a copy of my review below. Review of used Zenith XBV613 DVD/VCR I bought this used DVD/VCR on line through Amazon. When I received it and tried it out, I found that when I played a VCR tape back the picture bounced around and sometimes the horizontal went out of sync. I returned the DVD/VCR for a prompt full refund. « Show Less
1739506
My intention is to just that and Elgato's device has helped a lot. I used the device to copy the whole tape into a QuickTime file. Next I use my Mac to cut up into different clips. Then I'll combine the clips, based on topic (example: highchair moments) onto a DVD I can send to relatives.
1782970
I'm sorry Sam, I think i misread your initial question. The cable i was referring to was for output not in. my bad. I don't think you can do what your wanting with this camcorder. However there are other options besides a third party to convert your old VHS tapes. Simply search for a vhs to dvd converter. There are many options to choose from. Again sorry for misreading your question.
1557386
Thanks ! well, first I placed a new DVD + R and it shows that it is loading...... then I get an error on the tv about error reading dvd. If place the vhs and play it. I will hit record on the remote control but nothing happened. initially I had input from control to select L1 and EP from the control but still ..... I am able to watch on the tv what I have on the vhs , >>>> thanks