How To Add Camcorder To Computer And Transfer Videos

INTRODUCTION

Is your camcorder not recognized by the computer? or are you having issues like the camcorder not showing up on mac? This article is here to help you.

Here, I’ll explain everything step by step, from how you can connect your camcorder to the computer, to how you can transfer videos between the two. So, follow the steps carefully.

TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS FOR CONNECTIVITY ISSUES

Before getting into the topic on how to transfer videos from your camcorder to computer, let's see about how you can fix the connection issues.

BEFORE ALL, KEEP IN MIND

Some computer operating systems require administrator rights, be sure you’ve logged into your administrator account.
Some computer operating systems require administrator rights, be sure you’ve logged into your administrator account.
If your computer is connected to a network, temporarily disable the network connection.
Some camcorders like Mini DV or Digital8 have a few restrictions regarding content transferring via USB cable. Go through the manual guide for more information.
Use the built-in USB cable or the supplied USB cable of the camcorder.
If the built-in USB cable is too short to connect to the USB port of the computer, you can use a USB extension cable; that is bundled with the camera. Try to avoid third-party USB cables.
Some camcorders don’t support USB streaming and USB file transfer at once. So, keep the USB streaming feature disabled.

After you connect your camcorder to the computer using a USB cable, if the computer doesn’t recognize the USB connection, follow these steps and check for connectivity after each move.

Make sure there is no dirt or dust on the USB ports of the camcorder and computer.
Ensure you’ve securely attached the USB cable to the proper ports of both devices.
Connect the USB cable only to the computer's USB port; avoid using a USB extension hub.
If the issue still exists, try to establish the connection again using another USB cable.
In case the USB cable fails, turn off the camcorder for 30 seconds and restart again. At this moment, disconnect all other USB devices from the computer as well.
Once powered on, some camcorder models ask permission for enabling a USB connection. Choose USB CONNECT or COMPUTER on the LCD screen.

1. If USB connected, MTP connected, or Mass Storage connected will appear on the LCD screen; that means the computer has recognized the USB connection.

2. If the LCD screen will display, Check the connected device option; probably, the USB cable has lost connection or gets disconnected. Try to reconnect the USB cable.

Finally, some options like – INTERNAL MEMORY, INTERNAL HARD DISK, or MEMORY CARD appear on the LCD screen; choose the icon where you want to transfer the videos and files.

HOW TO TRANSFER images and videos FROM CAMCORDER TO COMPUTER?

I. TRANSFER VIDEOS WITH USB STREAMING

Step 1: Turn on the computer.

Step 2: Install the USB driver from the CD-ROM; that you received with the camcorder.

Step 3: Enable the VTR, VCR, or PLAYBACK mode; that you have on your camcorder.

Step 4: Next, enable the USB Streaming feature from the camcorder menu.

Step 5: Now, connect your video cam to the PC via USB cable.

Step 6: Cue the video; that you want to transfer to the beginning of the recorded footage.

Step 7: Finally, start playing the recorded video footage and importing it using the video capture application.

1. If you use any third-party CD-ROM, your camcorder will not work properly for USB streaming. If any camcorder-related software has been damaged or deleted, you can purchase another copy from the Parts and Accessories.

2. The computer should be compatible with the video capture software. Though many video editing software applications have capture functions. If the computer already has such video editing software, ignore installing a separate video capture application.

II. IMPORT VIDEOS FROM A CAMCORDER TO YOUR MAC PC

MAC provides video editing software - iMovie to make the video easy to import and edit. Once you import the video iMovie, it automatically divides the footage into individual clips for easy editing.

If your camcorder produces digital videos, it’s easy to transfer them to a MAC computer and import it into the application. You only need to connect the camcorder to the MAC and copy the footage into the iMovie from the camcorder; that’s it.

If your camcorder produces DVD movies, you have to convert it to MOV or MP4 codec video for editing on MAC. The process is a bit tricky; follow the step by step guide:

Step 1: Connect your camcorder to the Mac computer using a Wi-Fi connection or USB cable connection.

Step 2: Select the PC/Computer mode on your camcorder.

The iMovie will automatically detect your camcorder. If it will show an error message like - No Camera Attached; ensure the camcorder is turned on, plugged into the computer properly, and set to the VTR, VCR, or PLAYBACK mode.

Step 3: The import window will automatically open on the iMovie.

Step 4: If DVD Player automatically opens, leave DVD Player first.

Step 5: If you can’t view the entire video, select Import All. Before that, make sure you set the switch to Automatic. In the case of tape-based camcorders like DV or HDV, iMovie automatically revises the tapes and imports them all.

Step 6: You can import some other clips to iMovie by selecting Manual.

Step 7: After that, iMovie will automatically create the thumbnail video after completing the import process.

At this moment, MAC may ask you to choose any particular option from DV, DV Widescreen, HDV 1080i, and HDV 720i. Choose your device from where you want to transfer the file. Here, you’ll get options for iSight camera, MPEG-4 camera, and PDA or phones; choose accordingly.

CONCLUSION

With today's technology, it takes just a few seconds to transfer videos from camcorder to computer; share them through any chatting app or upload it on social media platforms.

When it comes to electronic devices, having connection problems or getting error messages for different technical issues is the most common thing. If you don’t have much technical expertise, still, you can fix most of them.

Aside from this connection problem, if you face other camcorder malfunctioning issues, you can check my previous troubleshooting guide.

Evangeline

Evangeline is one of our expert authors based out of Fort Collins, Colorado. she is recognized as one of the leading educators in the photography industry, conducting workshops and teaches many aspects of photography; hence she started to produce educational content about photography and frequently writes content for Filmosphere.

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