Importing DV tape Video from sony DCR-HC24E to Windows 10

[sib121]

Hi there, I hope you can help. I want to import my videos from the Sony DCR-HC24E camcorder to a Windws 10 computer using the ILink Firewire cable. I have a Firewire port on my PC.  I've tried using Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2019 which says 'Capture Device Offline', I also tried the PlayMemories software to no avail, it starts the software (both Adobe and PlayMemories) but won't go online.

I've been directed to this page which suggests for my make and model of camera I cannot use 'PlayMemories Home' software...

https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/support/articles/00022457

It then directs me to this page which seems to suggest I have to use video capture cable

https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/support/articles/00028223

https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/support/articles/00022459

Surely I do not need to use this method, I just succesfully transferred all my old video footage from an older Sony DCR-TRV120e camcorder using premiere pro cc 2018 with no problems at all using an iLink Firewire cable.

Can anyone help please ?

Thanks in Advance

[Stan Jones]

I always used Scenalyzer, and think I have done so on Win 10, but perhaps not. I will be again soon, but have not installed yet.

It always worked, even when I could not get PR to capture. But I gave up on PR since Scenalyzer worked so well. As you, I was golng from DV camera via firewire. I know there were driver issues, but they did not affect me.

It is not longer supported, but available free:

ScenalyzerLive Page

I'll see if I can do a test. There are one or two other threads right now with a similar issue.

[sib121]

Stan, thank you sooo much , that's very kind of you, I would love to know what you find out if you have the time,

Ann Bens on this thread also mentioned Scenalyzer so it it def I will try , sounds like the more modern the technology gets and the less mechanical and more software driven it is the less robust it is and the less it works with anything modern software or hardware wise (in regards to ports).

windows movie maker doesn't exist in windows 10, I spent 4-5 hours on this last night (or Picasa or the ability to just import your photos seeing your iPhone as a extra drive on your laptop/pc and delete them after from your phone, everything is sooo much harder)

Is there any possibility you can link to the other threads ? I will install that right now and try it

Thanks x

[sib121]

I've just received this from Sony

Dear Ms Malik

Thank you for contacting Sony support.

With reference to your enquiry regarding connecting your camera to your computer with Windows 10, we are sorry to inform you that your camera is only compatible with the below Operating System:

Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows XP Home Edition or Windows XP Professional Standard.

For registration purposes please reply to this email with the 7 digits serial number located on the back of your device.

Should you have any further questions, please feel free to reply to this email.

Thank you for you r enquiry.

Yours sincerely,

Jasmine

SONY SUPPORT TEAM

http://www.sony.co.uk/support/en

Sony United Kingdom and Ireland, a division of Sony Europe Limited

A company registered in England and Wales.

Registered Office: The Heights, Brooklands, Weybridge, Surrey, KT13 0XW

Registered company number: 2422874

[RjL190365]

Unfortunately, all support for those OSes outside of what has already been archived has already been ended by Microsoft. That means that your camcorder may no longer work properly when connected to a computer that's running an OS that's still supported. And then, this compatibility issue will not be fixed at all!

In other words, no video equipment is at all future-proof.

So, if that's the only miniDV device you have, then the only solution would be to pay a professional to transfer/convert your tapes to a tapeless file format that you can then ingest into Premiere.

[sib121]

hi  , sorry didn't quite understand this bit

'

Unfortunately, all support for those OSes outside of what has already been archived has already been ended by Microsoft. That means that your camcorder may no longer work properly when connected to a computer that's running an OS that's still supported. And then, this compatibility issue will not be fixed at all!'

?

[sib121]

ah Operating systems , sorry being thick, so I need to find a person or laptop or computer sitting around with one of those OS on, DAMN  just threw on one out

BUT I can do it via the AV connection then still and a proper capture device ?

[RjL190365]

OK, you could transfer it via analogue A/V and a capture card, but you will not get the same quality as your original footage. You see, SD DV PAL has a resolution of 720x576 – but analogue A/V through the composite video out has an effective horizontal resolution of only about 324 pixels per screen height. This results in an effective resolution of your resulting transfer of only 432x576 – a far cry from the 720x576 resolution that the original had.

[sib121]

Ah then using the A/V and capture card will not be an option for me, thanks for that, very useful.

Also useful to know re the Firmware and driver issues .  Its interesting or rather annoying that Adobe state they can 'capture' from DV camera or at least I thought I saw that stated somewhere. Also interesting that I manages to successfully capture using Adobe Premiere Pro CC the footage from my even older camera, the Sony DCR-TRV120e camcorder just a few days ago on same PC and software and with the same firewire cable, why would this work and not a later camcorder model ?  As Adobe stated in their response to me earlier in this thread they don't support the later Sony DCR-HC24E camcorder on Windows 10 but they do the older one, I find that confusing as doesn't the older one also need older drivers and firmware etc that must be supported.

[Stan Jones]

sib121  wrote

your camera is only compatible with the below Operating System:

While that may be true, I would not stop at that. Isn't the issue what firewire drivers are available? I'll try to pull one of my old camera's out and test this. Have a similar task ahead of me...

[RjL190365]

It may also be a firmware issue. This happens a lot with firmware for any given model that was last updated by the manufacturer during the Windows XP era, and has not been updated at all (no further updates available) since that time.

And starting with Windows 8.1, I believe that support for legacy interfaces began to become depreciated - and I believe FireWire 400 is among them.

[Stan Jones]

Good points. I'll try to get around to testing my options. If anyone is doing these captures via firewire on Win 10, can you tell us what equipment you are using?

[sib121]

Hi Stan, you prob saw the post I just in reply to RjL190365 Post 13 stating I successfully captured using the Sony DCR-TRV120e camcorder model with firewire and windows 10 and premiere pro cc 2018 just a few days ago.

Also may be useful to know that I installed 'Scenalyzer ' as suggested and it didn't work. I thought perhaps the problem in part may be that Premiere Pro was installed as soon as I switched the camera to play it was initiating adobe and that seemed to be conflicting with ''Scenalyzer ' as I had messages to that effect that another user was in a similar process (or something to that effect) so I uninstalled premiere and tried it again and nothing happens at all it still does not see the camera. Also tried again with PlayMemories with Adobe uninstalled and same thing. I can try again if you need to know what message if any it gave ?

(BTW, can anyone tell me how to stop Adobe automatically starting when I switch the camera to 'play' mode as this was extremely annoying when I was testing and could not see how to stop it, uninstalling was a drastic step)

[Averdahl]

Test the camera on another computer and/or test another cable.

It seems that your cameras FW port may have been fried. That explains why no application can "see" it. Does your cable look like this:

[Ann Bens]

Also never plug your camera into the computer while camera is set to ON.

[sib121]

I'll try both, I need to buy a firewire external card or something though as my laptop doesn't have a firewire port

The cable seems fine as its the same cable I used for transferring from other camcorder

(correction, I just tried the cable in th old camcorder and that is now also saying device offline so hopefully I have a cable problem here.

I do hope it’s that simple but I fear not as adobe have still said they don’t support windows 10 on my camcorder so suspect I have driver/firmware issues still I’ll xome back to you all though and wait for what stan Finds out when he tries to connect his camera

[sib121]

Hi yes the cable is that one

[Ann Bens]

For the fun I just tried my old dcr-trv210e (D8 camera, nearly 20 years old)) on windows 10 and Pr 2018.

It captures just fine.

PC is quite old with firewire from the mobo.

[Ann Bens]

Tested my old canon hv20 in hdv: captures, but no preview in the capture window just on the camera.

If one wants preview you have to use hdv-split.

[sib121]

Hi , that's interesting as that's the more modern camera like the one I'm having problems using the 'mini dv' tape

[Stan Jones]

> as soon as I switched the camera to play it was initiating adobe

I was prompted and picked "no action." Not sure how to change that default once set. Settings -> Autoplay?

I tested the 3 working DVish cameras I found that still work: PDX10, TRV22, TRV520. All worked with Scenalyzer.

Win 10 refused to install Scenalyer first time. I opened without installing. When I closed, I saw the option to use compatibility. Installed fine. It worked when running without installing also.

[sib121]

Hi Stan, that’s awesome thanks.

Couple of questions , when you say opened without installing what do you mean ? Does the software allow you to do that you mean ?

And where is the compatibility Option and what does it mean do you know . I’ll try this as soon as my cable arrives .

sounds like it should all work so god only knows why adobe says it won’t

I shall revert

thanks sooo much so far everyone

[Stan Jones]

When you run the sclive.exe, one of the options is something like "run without installing." You can add the license key in the installed or not installed mode.

Compatibility is usually done automatically by win 10. I just picked the only option Win 10 gave me to proceed once it said there was a problem.

I think you said Sony (not Adobe) said it wouldn't work. And it is true that it is not "supported." But then Win 10 runs a lot of programs that are not supported.

[sib121]

Ok cheers Stan you’ve been great

and yes I did say sony you’re right

[Stan Jones]

I also tested the earlier Hi8 tape in the TRV520, which converts to digital signal and plays back without timecode and pixel etc conversion. I used the Scenalyzer optical scene detection, and found that the "high sensitivity" gave the best results for this tape. ("Filtered" don't know what that means.)