Tip: Get Old Videos from DV Camcorder onto your Mac
With the right cables and adapters, videos from DV cameras can be watched, recorded, and processed on your Mac.
Last Christmas, I wanted to play old video tapes recorded with the Sony DCR TRV22E camcorder for our family on my MacBook Pro (2021 model, M1 Pro chip), but it didn't work. Can you tell me what connection cables and software I need to watch the videos on the Mac via the camera?
Your camcorder works according to the DV standard and can output its data digitally via FireWire.
We tried connecting to a MacBook Pro with Apple Silicon using a similar video device, the Canon MV430i. First, you will need a FireWire to Thunderbolt adapter from Apple to connect to the Mac. Unfortunately, this is no longer available directly from Apple, so you will have to look on eBay and with smaller retailers.
Alternatively, you can also use a Thunderbolt dock with FireWire, such as the one from OWC. Unfortunately, you will have to search for this as well, but you can also find used ones.
Since both are Thunderbolt 2, you will need a Thunderbolt 2 to 3 adapter (55 euros) for your newer Mac. This is still available directly from Apple.
Finally, you will need a FireWire 9-to-4-pin cable (also known as iLINK-to-Firewire-800, e.g., on Amazon) to plug into the camera.
On the Mac side, you can then use the free QuickTime Player. Even if you only want to watch the videos, start with "New Movie Recording" from the File menu. If necessary, drag the volume slider all the way up, then click on the small downward arrow next to the red record button and select your DV camera as the source for video and audio. Now control playback with the buttons on the camcorder.
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If you want to import the recordings, click on the red button to start and stop recording. If it's missing – as happened frequently in our test without any apparent reason – restart the QuickTime Player. H.264 in 720p is a good export format.
Video Editing with Apple iMovie
For editing, you can download iMovie for free from the App Store. Instructions can be found on Apple's support pages. Start the program and create a new project. Then simply drag the QuickTime clips into the timeline at the bottom with your mouse. You can also import from iMovie. This has the advantage of being able to control the camera's playback from the Mac.
To achieve this, click on "Import Media" and a window will open. In the bar on the left, select the camera and press the Play button or "Import". In tests with two computers, the audio was repeatedly missing here as well. This is an error often reported in forums, which Apple will hopefully fix with a software update.
On the mentioned support page, there is also a list linked of which cameras are compatible with iMovie. Unfortunately, your camcorder is not listed, even though it has an output. If FireWire doesn't work, the only option left, as with other recorders, is to use the analog signal and a converter, such as the one from Elgato.
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