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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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!
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.
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!
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. 🙌🏻
This is the RUclips 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.
Hell yeah! I just re-bought a DVX100 and had no idea how to digitize it. Somehow I still had my old FW400 to 800 and a series of adaptors from hard drives over the years...and got it all into my Mac Studio. Worked flawlessly. Thanks so much!
Sent all my dv tapes to a guy on ebay who uploaded them on Dropbox for very little. He even sent the tapes back. Great time saver and it cost less than all the adapters.
@@MarkHoltze yes it was around $45 for 35 tapes and shipping as media mail came to the rescue. My camera was acting up in replaying the tapes. The guy who did it was on disability and this was a way for him to supplement his income so it was a win win.
Ya that’s not a price offered anywhere round here that’s good, but might br very specific. Also some aren’t comfortable sending their tapes off for whatever reason. Still great you found that price. 👍
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 🦤
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
Gonna try this with a straight up USB version of this (I'm using an early 00s samsung mini dv cam) but thanks for showing me that modern mac OS can actually read old video hardware. Really handy guide!
@@rosen9847 just got one Firewire 1394 to USB and it didn't work on my Macbook :( And I can't seem to find any Firewire to Thunderbolt anywhere anymore!! Need help
Man this was a blast from the past. I remember when I’d plug my FireWire directly into my desktop and then Sony Vegas had that interface where you could play the tape or rewind it on the desktop. I wonder if there are old versions of that program floating around on the internet that you can download. Made the workflow for mini dv and DVC editing so much easier before digital video files took over.
Was that firewire to usb? I’m wondering if those cables work I’m thinking of buying one. I know most of the old cables didn’t go to USB but i’m just wondering :/
@@trevorhare3171 old computers used to have FireWire ports in them. Best alternative now is a FireWire to HDMI input or FireWire to Thunderbolt input. You can also convert FireWire footage to an SD card though third party devices that handle the conversion of the codec. A straight conversion cable won’t work though you NEED a conversion device between the computer and the footage that digitizes analog footagez
How do you not have 100k+ followers. Your channel's quality is so, so very good. Your lighting in all videos is also amazing! And following what you're saying is easy with what, and how you say things.
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..
👏🏻 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!
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?
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?
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.
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.
Very helpful video. thanks. One question though. Does this re-encode the video and audio, or is it a direct bit for bit transfer of the digital video that is stored on the mini DV tape?
It re-encodes it. Once you were able to capture digital video you always had the option to select the encoding type depending what you wanted to prioritize. Even early days of FCP pro capture you always got to select a codec.
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?
Hi Mark, your videos have been immensely helpful 🙏🏼 I am going to capture the next DV tape with your method, but wanted to ask if my Canon HV20 plays my old DV tapes with good audio but the file that is recorded from my AGPtek HD recorder has annoying audio “static” type of sounds what do you think could be causing that? I’ve tried using different HDMI cables, different jump drives, etc. I ordered another HD recorder to see if the recorder was the issue but not sure if it is possible for the DV camcorder to play the audio fine but what is output via HDMI to have the static noise? Will try with quick time but wanted to know if you ever encountered this issue
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?
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!!!
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.
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? .
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 a great video Mark! I followed your instructions to the letter and was getting really excited and the I got an error message saying 'Cannot record' What a drag
Oh man that’s sucks! Not sure why I can’t reproduce any errors, it just works. Wonder if it’s the camera itself. I have 3 and they’re all detected. XL1, DVX100a and my Sony Handycam
Yeah thanks for replying. Your vid was the best on the web! I tried iMovie, Premiere Pro and QuickTime for DV import but none work. I can get the video through iMovie but with no audio and when you export it says ‘Export failed’. Premiere Pro can’t find the path to the camera and as you know from my previous note QT imports the video but you can’t record. It’s very frustrating as I have about 30 hours of video that I can never concert
Hello Mark. I have 6 mini dv tapes I need to transfer to either my 10 year old Mac or Dell laptop or Lenovo laptop. I think I have 6 hours of footage. If I were to transfer to Dell or Lenovo with USB ports and one HDMI port, could you please tell me what type of cables I should? How much space do you think I will need? Thank you.
Thank you for this! I've followed your instructions and everything works, EXCEPT the audio doesn't transfer. I can hear the audio with earphones plugged into the camera, so I know it's part of the footage. I'm doing it from a Canon XL1s. Could there be some setting on the camera or in Quicktime that I might be overlooking? Any suggestions would be most welcome.
Hmmmm, it’s weird it should just work if it’s FireWire because it’s both video and audio. It’s hard to trouble shoot when I can’t replicate the problem. Let me take a look when I get back home to see if I can see any other options.
Just got a dvx100b and was wondering if this is a better option for quality sake than purchasing a clearclick 2.0. Also, is it perfectly safe to play the tapes back on the camera as you’ve shown here or would it be wiser to get a tape deck?
Does the clearclick 2.0 do FireWire? I have the earlier version and it’s great just no FireWire. I should look it up. It’s safe ya, yoy might want to buy a tape head cleaner though
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.
Hey! Thanks for the video. Everything works, however recently my USC-C port stopped working. Do you think there is a possibility that converting the tape "blew-out" the port?
Do more videos about this specific camera, it doesn't get enough recognition on YT. But it did get a lot of recognition on TV since this specific camera was used to film many shows (And some found footage movies), and it's amazing
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 $180.
Thank you so much Mark. I’ve been debating whether to send my tapes away to someone I don’t know and wait two years for them to come back. But now I can try this. Do you think it will work on a Apple iPad?
THANK YOU!!! Dude, you're a genius. I've spent hours messing around trying to make things work with Sony's lousy software, trying different laptops. Your video is the only one that made sense, and it worked instantly. It was clear and to the point. Thank you!!!!
sorry but i searched everywhere and bought everything. but my macbook pro won't find my camera. When I plug in all the cables and plug in, my computer still can't find it. can anyone help me.
It’s so weird this problem I guess happens with some cameras. I can’t replicate it unfortunately so I can’t seem to attempt to resolve the problem. I need to look into a more universal method. I have three mini dv cameras and they’re all detected. XL1, XHA1 and the DVX100A.
Its almost exactly like it used to be with iMovieHD back on osx Leopard. I used to plug my camera straight into my MacBook with a firewire cable and record live straight into iMovieHD. I didnt even know that you could record on a camera in a different way.
thanks for this info video. I too have mini-dv tapes I need to digitize. I'm using the m1 max mini. Can I use a Canon mini dv camcorder to the same, as you have described?
Hello 2 questions: Do you know whether QT can be setup up to capture this in Pro Res?. Do you see any advantage to this for future editing access (since DV is gone) and or quality of capture?
Hi! Would you by any chance another affiliate code for the Firewire 800 to Thunderbolt product? The one above is no longer available and I can't find a substitute product nor the product itself on Apple Store. Thank you!
Nice video, I considered it. As fun as daisy chaining apple adaptors is, I'd have to purchase them. I think I might have a old firewire computer around here somewher. A firewire 400 PCIe card is like 15$.
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.
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 ?
Hi! One question, do you think that using analog to digital video conversion its kind of similar to actually recording on a cassette, I recently bought a Panasonic MX500DV (second hand) and SD mode looks really bad but i don't want to spend lots of money on dvs. Do you recomment buying an analog to digital conversion device like video capture ION Audio Video 2 SD conversor or something like that? Or actually spending the money on cassettes and recording them.
Hi Mark really great video thanks so much ...question ..how do I know if my apple molly and claire book pro has the software already installed ? its a 20201 MacBook will this be good to go ?
Hmmm, that’s a display setting on the camera I think. If you hook this all up and go to record mode it will give you all the overlays if you have it set in your settings I believe. I need to test this, but maybe I’m confusing that with the other analogue recorder I have that records to SD cards. Try your camera play back display settings and make sure they’re “on”. I could be wrong. Let me know if you see anything, I’ll see if I can test it when I’ve got a moment.
Hey great video! Here’s a bit of a specific question. I’m just wondering, since you didn’t explicitly mention it, Do the Firewire to USB cords work? I’ve seen a couple forums saying that these don’t work. I have a JVC GR-DVF31 and it’s supposed to come with a firewire cable but a Male USB wasn’t included with it. I’m just wondering if it’s possible to get the firewire to USB and skip all the adapters, If it were that easy thought I’m sure you wouldn’t have made this video. Thank you!
I have to try those, so I’m not 100% sure. I should just order it and test it out, they weren’t an option when I made this and it certainly would make things a lot easier. Will order this week and give it a try. ✊
I think that dv format (enhanced) must rebirth since we done one step back with "modern" formats, DV and MXF are the unique formats that can store date and time for each frame, then, when you have to do a multicam footage sync it is a piece of cake, also, in the long time, dv file date or name will no be needed in order to know the date and time of the film, it is inside the video. Today in day I use it because with film magnetic media you can get long term storage for preservation, you can't get it with hard disks,ssd or any silicon media.
Hi Mark, Thank you for the incredible video and insights. I have just purchased a Sony PD150 and need to adopt the same process. I was curious if I could just bypass the chord and adaptor you have and get a firewire 800 9/4 pin and attach to the same apple attachments or should I look into the same chord and adaptor you have? Any insights would be greatly appreciated.
hello mate, I have also got a Sony pd150 and I am trying to record the footage on a MacBook Pro right now but the MacBook is not recognising it, how did you end up transferring and do you have any tips?
@@NRLnrl-u4o Another Sony pd150 here :) I got a MAC mini 2012 luckily with a firewire port so a Firewire 400 to Firewire 800 cable is enough for my Sony pd150 to be recognised. However my issue is quick time player - anytime I recorded a 10 min clip it failed to save it whole but just first and last 1 min around.
Hi there, I've been researching how to convert mini DV tapes to a hard drive, but I have not had much luck. My issue is that I have nearly 150 tapes, each 63 minutes long, that I want to transfer. So, is there any easy and quickest way to do the same???
Thank you for creating this clip as I now can transfer MIniDV to my channel. Best tutorial and fun to watch! Do you think it is better to use iMovie to capture the clips as you can get them in mp4 file? Mov file did not work on iPhone with AirDrop sharing from Mac.
Use iMovie if you can I haven’t tried it myself. I always used fcp pro or premiere but those programs have removed the ability to do that in updates :(
Thanks for the great instructions Do you happen to know if this setup works using an iPad Pro 2021 model that has the same Thunderbolt 3 port. I also want to use iMovie to capture the video. Thanks
Is QuickTime the best software to capture the highest quality in both video and audio? Want to not spend more than I have to but these are ‘forever’ memories. Thanks!
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?
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 went back into the garage boxes and found the 100B. Can you share the settings for shooting on LED/white lights that are now so ubiquitous with shooting these days ?
hey Mark, would something similar be possible with transfering from a panasonic vz10 that has vhs-c tapes. Would quicktime recognize it if I used a scart to hdmi adapter? thanks for your help :)
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?
Hi! Im trying to digitize from my Canon GL2. I found the firewire cable that fits into my camera to a usb port and then used a usb to thunderbolt adapter into my MacBook but it wont recognize that the camera is plugged in. Do you know how i could fix this?
Hi Mark I had a question below ...if you wouldn't mind telling me how do I know my laptop has the right software ion the quicktime ...its a 2021 laptop
Thank you for the information. I bought the recommened cables but the Firewire High Speed Premium DV to Firewire Cable 800 seem to fit my camcorder. It's a Cannon ZR 45. I can't seem to find the right cord. It looks like it is a 5 pin. Any suggestions?
Try hitting play on the camera, THEN loading up QUICKTIME. See if that makes a difference. The software may need the camera rolling sending signal to detect it. MIGHT not, but it's something.
Would the quality of transfer be any different if I used the cameras video out into a capture card instead? Is the firewire a one to one copy since the tape is digital?
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)
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
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
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.
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!
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
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!!! ✊
Ur the only youtuber tech expert that actual explained things quickly & perfectly ! THANK YOU!!!!
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
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!
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?
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!
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. 🙌🏻
This is the RUclips 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.
Hell yeah! I just re-bought a DVX100 and had no idea how to digitize it. Somehow I still had my old FW400 to 800 and a series of adaptors from hard drives over the years...and got it all into my Mac Studio.
Worked flawlessly. Thanks so much!
Awesome, so glad it’s working! Seems the process isn’t so smooth for everyone. Trying to find a more robust solution.
Sent all my dv tapes to a guy on ebay who uploaded them on Dropbox for very little. He even sent the tapes back. Great time saver and it cost less than all the adapters.
It cost you less than $70?!?! Wow!
@@MarkHoltze yes it was around $45 for 35 tapes and shipping as media mail came to the rescue. My camera was acting up in replaying the tapes. The guy who did it was on disability and this was a way for him to supplement his income so it was a win win.
Ya that’s not a price offered anywhere round here that’s good, but might br very specific. Also some aren’t comfortable sending their tapes off for whatever reason. Still great you found that price. 👍
@@barryobrien1890 so you paid a disbled guy $1.25 a tape ......wrong one way or the other
@@barryobrien1890 Do you have a contact number. thank you.
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?
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 🦤
content over quality always wins...thanks for explaining this to anyone who actually needed to hear 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
Gonna try this with a straight up USB version of this (I'm using an early 00s samsung mini dv cam) but thanks for showing me that modern mac OS can actually read old video hardware. Really handy guide!
How did it go for you with USB ?
yeah will it work with firewire to usb?
@@rosen9847 just got one Firewire 1394 to USB and it didn't work on my Macbook :(
And I can't seem to find any Firewire to Thunderbolt anywhere anymore!!
Need help
Did this work? I’m thinking of trying this, Firewire to USB, but I’ve heard that it doesn’t work. Any updates?
FireWire to usb does not exist it doesn’t work like that sadly all products like that are scams
Man this was a blast from the past. I remember when I’d plug my FireWire directly into my desktop and then Sony Vegas had that interface where you could play the tape or rewind it on the desktop. I wonder if there are old versions of that program floating around on the internet that you can download. Made the workflow for mini dv and DVC editing so much easier before digital video files took over.
Was that firewire to usb? I’m wondering if those cables work I’m thinking of buying one. I know most of the old cables didn’t go to USB but i’m just wondering :/
@@trevorhare3171 old computers used to have FireWire ports in them. Best alternative now is a FireWire to HDMI input or FireWire to Thunderbolt input.
You can also convert FireWire footage to an SD card though third party devices that handle the conversion of the codec. A straight conversion cable won’t work though you NEED a conversion device between the computer and the footage that digitizes analog footagez
How do you not have 100k+ followers. Your channel's quality is so, so very good. Your lighting in all videos is also amazing! And following what you're saying is easy with what, and how you say things.
Kind words, i guess the platform doesn’t like me or something 😆 that’s okay.
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..
👏🏻 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!
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?
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?
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.
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...
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 :)
Very helpful video. thanks. One question though. Does this re-encode the video and audio, or is it a direct bit for bit transfer of the digital video that is stored on the mini DV tape?
It re-encodes it. Once you were able to capture digital video you always had the option to select the encoding type depending what you wanted to prioritize. Even early days of FCP pro capture you always got to select a codec.
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?
Hmmm I’ll try the save option and see what it does.
Hi Mark, your videos have been immensely helpful 🙏🏼 I am going to capture the next DV tape with your method, but wanted to ask if my Canon HV20 plays my old DV tapes with good audio but the file that is recorded from my AGPtek HD recorder has annoying audio “static” type of sounds what do you think could be causing that? I’ve tried using different HDMI cables, different jump drives, etc. I ordered another HD recorder to see if the recorder was the issue but not sure if it is possible for the DV camcorder to play the audio fine but what is output via HDMI to have the static noise? Will try with quick time but wanted to know if you ever encountered this issue
I'm saving up to get an HDV (or HD MiniDV) camcorder soon. Would the same process apply to that format as it does with regular DV?
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?
does it have to be the apple thunderbolt adapters? or would it work with any Usbc to firewire?
The price for the thunderbolt to firewire cable is unbelievably high at the moment😢
Thanks Mark! I couldn't figure out in latest version of Premiere how to capture DV Tapes....been a while 😆
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.
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.
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? .
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?
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 is a great video Mark! I followed your instructions to the letter and was getting really excited and the I got an error message saying 'Cannot record' What a drag
Oh man that’s sucks! Not sure why I can’t reproduce any errors, it just works. Wonder if it’s the camera itself. I have 3 and they’re all detected. XL1, DVX100a and my Sony Handycam
Yeah thanks for replying. Your vid was the best on the web! I tried iMovie, Premiere Pro and QuickTime for DV import but none work. I can get the video through iMovie but with no audio and when you export it says ‘Export failed’. Premiere Pro can’t find the path to the camera and as you know from my previous note QT imports the video but you can’t record. It’s very frustrating as I have about 30 hours of video that I can never concert
By the way I am using a Canon X2 and running Mac OS High Sierra. I give up
@@guydwellyim in the same boat rn nd dont know what to do🤦🏽♂️
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
Hello Mark. I have 6 mini dv tapes I need to transfer to either my 10 year old Mac or Dell laptop or Lenovo laptop. I think I have 6 hours of footage. If I were to transfer to Dell or Lenovo with USB ports and one HDMI port, could you please tell me what type of cables I should? How much space do you think I will need? Thank you.
Thank you for this! I've followed your instructions and everything works, EXCEPT the audio doesn't transfer. I can hear the audio with earphones plugged into the camera, so I know it's part of the footage. I'm doing it from a Canon XL1s. Could there be some setting on the camera or in Quicktime that I might be overlooking? Any suggestions would be most welcome.
Hmmmm, it’s weird it should just work if it’s FireWire because it’s both video and audio. It’s hard to trouble shoot when I can’t replicate the problem. Let me take a look when I get back home to see if I can see any other options.
Just got a dvx100b and was wondering if this is a better option for quality sake than purchasing a clearclick 2.0. Also, is it perfectly safe to play the tapes back on the camera as you’ve shown here or would it be wiser to get a tape deck?
Does the clearclick 2.0 do FireWire? I have the earlier version and it’s great just no FireWire. I should look it up. It’s safe ya, yoy might want to buy a tape head cleaner though
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.
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!!
Hey! Thanks for the video. Everything works, however recently my USC-C port stopped working. Do you think there is a possibility that converting the tape "blew-out" the port?
Do more videos about this specific camera, it doesn't get enough recognition on YT. But it did get a lot of recognition on TV since this specific camera was used to film many shows (And some found footage movies), and it's amazing
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
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.
Thank you so much Mark. I’ve been debating whether to send my tapes away to someone I don’t know and wait two years for them to come back. But now I can try this. Do you think it will work on a Apple iPad?
why do you have to connect to the mac's thunderbolt port instead of its USB port?
THANK YOU!!! Dude, you're a genius. I've spent hours messing around trying to make things work with Sony's lousy software, trying different laptops. Your video is the only one that made sense, and it worked instantly. It was clear and to the point. Thank you!!!!
You're very welcome!
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?
Its almost exactly like it used to be with iMovieHD back on osx Leopard. I used to plug my camera straight into my MacBook with a firewire cable and record live straight into iMovieHD. I didnt even know that you could record on a camera in a different way.
thanks for this info video. I too have mini-dv tapes I need to digitize. I'm using the m1 max mini. Can I use a Canon mini dv camcorder to the same, as you have described?
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
Hello 2 questions: Do you know whether QT can be setup up to capture this in Pro Res?. Do you see any advantage to this for future editing access (since DV is gone) and or quality of capture?
Hi! Would you by any chance another affiliate code for the Firewire 800 to Thunderbolt product? The one above is no longer available and I can't find a substitute product nor the product itself on Apple Store. Thank you!
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.
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?
I cant find a thunderbolt to firewire 800 adapter ugh... any suggestions
Fantastic video, works exactly as you show. Only QuickTime stops every time after 2 minutes of recording, I tried everything but can't get it fixed.
Happened to me too. You need to turn screensave off (through apple menu>system preference>Desktop & screen save>never)
Hi! One question, do you think that using analog to digital video conversion its kind of similar to actually recording on a cassette, I recently bought a Panasonic MX500DV (second hand) and SD mode looks really bad but i don't want to spend lots of money on dvs. Do you recomment buying an analog to digital conversion device like video capture ION Audio Video 2 SD conversor or something like that? Or actually spending the money on cassettes and recording them.
Hi Mark really great video thanks so much ...question ..how do I know if my apple molly and claire book pro has the software already installed ? its a 20201 MacBook will this be good to go ?
It should be good! I don't see why not!
Thank you , this work perfectly. Do you know to record with the info data that overlays the screen when watching playback on the minidv camera?
Hmmm, that’s a display setting on the camera I think. If you hook this all up and go to record mode it will give you all the overlays if you have it set in your settings I believe. I need to test this, but maybe I’m confusing that with the other analogue recorder I have that records to SD cards. Try your camera play back display settings and make sure they’re “on”.
I could be wrong. Let me know if you see anything, I’ll see if I can test it when I’ve got a moment.
Hey great video! Here’s a bit of a specific question. I’m just wondering, since you didn’t explicitly mention it, Do the Firewire to USB cords work? I’ve seen a couple forums saying that these don’t work. I have a JVC GR-DVF31 and it’s supposed to come with a firewire cable but a Male USB wasn’t included with it. I’m just wondering if it’s possible to get the firewire to USB and skip all the adapters, If it were that easy thought I’m sure you wouldn’t have made this video.
Thank you!
I have to try those, so I’m not 100% sure. I should just order it and test it out, they weren’t an option when I made this and it certainly would make things a lot easier. Will order this week and give it a try. ✊
@@MarkHoltze That would be awesome! I hope it works for you. Thank you for your efforts for the analog community!
@@MarkHoltzedid the usb work to skip all adapters?
I think that dv format (enhanced) must rebirth since we done one step back with "modern" formats, DV and MXF are the unique formats that can store date and time for each frame, then, when you have to do a multicam footage sync it is a piece of cake, also, in the long time, dv file date or name will no be needed in order to know the date and time of the film, it is inside the video. Today in day I use it because with film magnetic media you can get long term storage for preservation, you can't get it with hard disks,ssd or any silicon media.
Hi Mark, Thank you for the incredible video and insights.
I have just purchased a Sony PD150 and need to adopt the same process.
I was curious if I could just bypass the chord and adaptor you have and get a firewire 800 9/4 pin and attach to the same apple attachments or should I look into the same chord and adaptor you have?
Any insights would be greatly appreciated.
hello mate, I have also got a Sony pd150 and I am trying to record the footage on a MacBook Pro right now but the MacBook is not recognising it, how did you end up transferring and do you have any tips?
@@NRLnrl-u4o Another Sony pd150 here :) I got a MAC mini 2012 luckily with a firewire port so a Firewire 400 to Firewire 800 cable is enough for my Sony pd150 to be recognised. However my issue is quick time player - anytime I recorded a 10 min clip it failed to save it whole but just first and last 1 min around.
Hi there, I've been researching how to convert mini DV tapes to a hard drive, but I have not had much luck. My issue is that I have nearly 150 tapes, each 63 minutes long, that I want to transfer. So, is there any easy and quickest way to do the same???
Thank you for creating this clip as I now can transfer MIniDV to my channel. Best tutorial and fun to watch! Do you think it is better to use iMovie to capture the clips as you can get them in mp4 file? Mov file did not work on iPhone with AirDrop sharing from Mac.
Use iMovie if you can I haven’t tried it myself. I always used fcp pro or premiere but those programs have removed the ability to do that in updates :(
Is not possible to capture the digital stream? The video is digital and better res than 480p.
Thanks for the great instructions Do you happen to know if this setup works using an iPad Pro 2021 model that has the same Thunderbolt 3 port. I also want to use iMovie to capture the video. Thanks
Really not sure mate, wish I could help you.
Make sure you have the camera turned OFF before plugging anyway firewire cables in to prevent the port blowing or worse 😬 great video Mark!
✊
Is QuickTime the best software to capture the highest quality in both video and audio? Want to not spend more than I have to but these are ‘forever’ memories. Thanks!
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?
This was so hugely helpful, thank you!
✊
Could you please make a video of how to record over tapes and re use them.
Wow Mark, such an amazing video! Hope i get this quality level when i start recording my videos. Keep uppp.
Hi Mark, will this chain of adapters and QT work with a minidv tape deck instead of camera?
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 went back into the garage boxes and found the 100B. Can you share the settings for shooting on LED/white lights that are now so ubiquitous with shooting these days ?
hey Mark, would something similar be possible with transfering from a panasonic vz10 that has vhs-c tapes. Would quicktime recognize it if I used a scart to hdmi adapter?
thanks for your help :)
Hi for some reason my recording keeps stopping. Sometimes instantly, sometimes within a minute of recording. Do you have any solutions for this?
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?
Hi! Im trying to digitize from my Canon GL2. I found the firewire cable that fits into my camera to a usb port and then used a usb to thunderbolt adapter into my MacBook but it wont recognize that the camera is plugged in. Do you know how i could fix this?
worked for me with a canon ZR950 + MacBook Pro! thanks!
Hi Mark I had a question below ...if you wouldn't mind telling me how do I know my laptop has the right software ion the quicktime ...its a 2021 laptop
I have a Windows machine with a USB-C port - do you think it would recognise the adapters you've pointed out?
Great video too btw :)
Thank you for the information. I bought the recommened cables but the Firewire High Speed Premium DV to Firewire Cable 800 seem to fit my camcorder. It's a Cannon ZR 45. I can't seem to find the right cord. It looks like it is a 5 pin. Any suggestions?
Try hitting play on the camera, THEN loading up QUICKTIME. See if that makes a difference. The software may need the camera rolling sending signal to detect it. MIGHT not, but it's something.
Oh man your giving me flashback to my Canon XL1 and college. I actually have a pile of tapes i need to digitise. To PC. Wish me luck
Good luck Shane! I’m doing that as well. Piles! 😆
@@MarkHoltze i recorded my sisters wedding on mini dv 16 years ago. I've been promising them I'll do a nice edit ever since. Nows the time I guess 😂
Would the quality of transfer be any different if I used the cameras video out into a capture card instead? Is the firewire a one to one copy since the tape is digital?
The Firewire 800 to Thunderbolt adaptor is not available with the link above :( Is there anywhere else to buy it?
Bizlander Firewire listed above does not fit Canon DV camera (Optura 400 or NTSC ZR65). Do you have any alternative brand?
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 a lot for this video.., but what can i use if i’m using a windows pc? Usb C to Usb?
I THiNk so, I can’t test it to say for sure, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work in theory.