Digital 8 to PC

[jacman747]

I have a Sony Digital 8 DCR-TRV340 and i'm trying to put the video on my computer but it comes out incredibly blurry sometime so much so that you can't even make out who someone is. however when I hook the camera directly up to the TV it's crystal clear fullscreen! so i'm wondering if i'm doing something wrong? btw. i'm transfering it via usb and I have a Nividia geforce 6600 GT card with 128 mb of memory. thanks

 

[vroom_skies]

What are you previewing the video with?
You might want to try some different software. You could give VLC a try.

 

[jacman747]

VLC is actually what i've been using and i've tried movie maker, debut, and a few other programs but I get the same result every time it's completely fuzzy is there another way I can get the video to the computer or something?d

 

[vroom_skies]

From a quick Google search, is the main storage medium a memory stick?
If so do you have a card reader on your pc that you could try, instead of transferring it via usb?

Also, it's always a good idea to test it on more then one computer, even though it sounds unlikely that it's just that pc.

 

[jacman747]

thnx for your reply. and no the main storage is a hi8 tape it only has an 8mb stick for still pics. Also i tried it on different computers and get the same result so I am completely confused I know it's not the camera because it's really clear on the tv.

 

[vroom_skies]

Looks like this is what you might be running into (read the last paragraph "Transferring 8 mm footage to a computer for editing"):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8_mm_video_format

Hope that helps

 

[jacman747]

thanks, that does sound just like my problem. however I don't have a firewire cable but I found another method, like I said it's perfectly clear on the TV so I hooked it up to the TV, recorded on a DVD and then put the DVD in the computer for editing, it's a bit of a pain but it comes out good that way.

 

[vroom_skies]

Glad you were able to find a method for getting it working.
Obviously a fire wire cable would be a good investment and they aren't that expensive.
You just need to make sure your computer has a FW port, if not you could always buy an expansion card and throw it in.
I'm not sure if a FW cable is all you would need, as that article states you would most likely need to 'digitize' it for a successful transfer. So in that case I'm guessing you would need a capture card.

Hope that helps
Bob

 

[jacman747]

actually a firewire cable is all I would need cause the camera outputs a digital signal not an analog one anyway thanks for help i appreciate it.

 

[vroom_skies]

Looks like your better off with out me then hehe.

NP, glad I could be of assistance.