I would like to transfer VHS tapes to digital video on my Windows PC. The VCR is connected to the camcorder with an A/V cable, and the camcorder to the PC with a firewire cable. The camcorder A/V -> DV option is set to 'ON'. It works, but *only* when I have a tape in the camcorder in either 'record' or 'record pause' mode.

Shouldn't I be able to do this without a tape in the camcorder in record or rec-pause? What am I doing wrong?

Thanks,
Burt

Try the "Play/Edit" mode.



Rich

Rich,

Sorry, I didn't describe things properly. The camcorder switch *is* in the 'Play/Edit' mode, but nothing appears on the PC unless there is a tape in the camcorder and I access the 'Rec Ctrl' page via the P-Menu and choose RecPause or RecStart.

Burt

You did not say what software you are trying to use for the transfer. I use WinDV or DVIO to transfer, both are free small utilities, some software will not work with "pass through":

http://windv.mourek.cz/
http://www.carr-engineering.com/dvio.htm

Rich

Rich,

Thanks for bearing with me.

I had been trying Windows MovieMaker and Roxio DVD maker. And now I've tried WinDV. I always get the same results: no video shows up on the PC unless I have a tape in the camcorder, the camcorder in Play/Edit, and I navigate to the REC CTRL screen and press either REC PAUSE or REC START.

Burt

Some versions of Windows MovieMaker do not support "Pass through" this is a previously documented problem. Other editors have also had a problem, I don't recall which ones. That is why I use WinDV.

Reboot your system and do not run any unnecessary programs.

You must have A/V -> DV set to on your Sony

Set camcorder to Play/Edit mode

Power your camcorder from the ac adapter, it may shut down automatically after a few minutes if powered by battery.

You should be able to press the "Capture" button on WinDV to start the process. It starts or pauses the "capture"

You will see the video in the WinDV preview window, but you will not hear audio from your PC.

It may take a few seconds for WinDV to start

I think I usually have the cassette removed, others have said they had to have a cassette in place, and yet others have said it had to be removed. I have two Sony's a TRV460 and HC40 and have used pass through on both, I just do not positively remember.


Rich

Rich,

I discovered the problem of passthrough without tape in the camcorder...

On the DISPLAY Screen (via the Edit/Play P-Menu), LCD PANEL must be selected. If V-OUT/PANEL is selected, video input stops. (I can't find this information in the manual where it ought to be -- pg. 87.)

By the way, of the 3 programs I tried, Windows MovieMaker and WinDV did not play the audio while capturing, but Roxio DVDMaker did.

Thanks again,
Burt

ps Just found I was writing this message while you were sending your last!

I was just going to say to make sure [DISPLAY] is set to [LCD PANEL] which is the default. (Really I was)

I found it in some notes, but was not sure which Sony it applied to.


Thanks for the feedback, I will try and not lose this thread.


Rich