Tips for new camcorder?

"Camcorder compatibility with Apple E-MAC's imovie"

• Can you find me some tips to permit my Sony Handycam DCR IP5 to download a movie into my brand new E-MAC which runs imovie software? I have the right firewire cable, but Apple does not list the DCR IP5 in its compatibility list for the new imovie software. When I plug in the camcorder to the E-MAC, the Apple says no camcorder is connected.

• Answer:

  Hi mike101, I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but unfortunately what you want to do seems to be impossible currently. iMovie is designed to edit DV25 (25Megabit Digitial Video) format only. The IP5 that you have uses a version of MPEG-2 that is unique to Sony. Due to the huge differences in the type of information that comprises each type of video, DV software (such as iMovie, Adobe Premiere and Avid FreeDV) is unable to capture from your camera. From what I have read it seems that the IP5 is not really functional with Macs, as the Sony-supplied application Movieshaker is Windows only. I did read one comment that seemed to suggest that Movieshaker was also available for Macs, but I have found no evidence to back that up. If you are able to download the video with some Sony-supplied software, you should be able to convert it, however you will need Quicktime Pro. This process is roughly explained in this forum post: http://pub173.ezboard.com/funofficialsonyfrm34.showMessage?topicID=18.topic However, even if you do convert it, and are able to edit it, you will probably not be able to put it back on the camera. Other editing applications that support MicroMV format are PinacleSystems Studio, and Ulead VideoStudio - both PC only. There is a petition to Sony to make MicroMV work on the Mac: http://www.petitiononline.com/osxmicmv/petition.html ...there are a few hundred others having the same problem as you. And as a epilogue, it seems Sony is dumping the MicroMV format: http://www.slashcam.com/news/single/news4304.html For more information have a look at these articles I found by searching for various combinations of the following terms: Sony MicroMV MMV Apple iMovie Movieshaker Vaio Village Forums: MicroMV Video Format http://pub173.ezboard.com/funofficialsonyfrm31.showNextMessage?topicID=580.topic TechTV | First Look: Sony's DCR-IP5 and DCR-IP7BT Camcorders http://www.techtv.com/freshgear/products/story/0,23008,3367391,00.html Video Buyers Guide: Sony MicroMV http://www.videobuyersguide.com/videocams/sony_micromv.html Manifest Technology: Sony MicroMV http://www.manifest-tech.com/media_pc/micromv.htm Comments about the MicroMV format at joi.ito.com http://joi.ito.com/archives/2003/09/29/armed_for_further_stealth_disco_with_a_dcrip7.html MicroMV discussion at ComputerVideo forums http://www.dvdoctor.net/cgi-bin/ubb/Forum8/HTML/001259.html Sorry I can't provide any better news, but hopefully these links at least clear up the issue for you, sadly without providing a solution. Regards, Sycophant-ga