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What HD camcorders are compatible with Mac?

Why PC's but not MAC'S???

  • Now I know there are a lot of fan boys .....and girls out there but why is a computer that is marketed so heavy on being a creative person's computer, not work with any camcorder except miniDV camcorders. Most HD consumer level cam's don't work with mac. so what's up?? Does anyone know which cam's work?

  • Answer:

    Who says only miniDV camcorders work with Apple Macintosh computers? A couple of clarifications: The computer is not a MAC. MAC is a computer acronym for Media Access Control. The nickname for Apple's Macintosh computer hardware and software line is "Mac". HD is a video acronym for High Definition. If you are referring to hard drive based camcorders, that would be "HDD" (translated as Hard Disc Drive). So... HDD (and flash memory) based camcorders record using a highly compressed MPEG2 format. Regardless of the operating system you use, copy the files from the camcorder to the computer. In the case of the Windows editing applications, *some* of them can deal with this directly; some can't. In the case of the Apple gear, you do need to download and install (free from Apple) a utility called StreamClip. Go to apple.com, click on Downloads, search using "streamclip"... download an install. Open the MPEG2 file using StreamClip and export as DV. That DV file will be usable by iMovie and FinalCut. IF you are referring to "HD" as "high definition", I can assure you that Macs can edit hidef video just fine. I edit DV and HDV regularly. My Sony HDR-HC1 is most definitely shooting in 1080i high definition when I select that option in the camcorder and transfer it into my Mac. If you are referring to AVCHD encoded HD, personally, I don't bother with it for capturing video - though I do know that iMovie and FinalCut can deal with that format... it is just too highly compressed. That translates into discarded data = reduced video quality. I may use it to save a completed video project for export onto a BluRay disc, but using AVCHD as the first step of video acquisition and compressing that much is just not a good idea - which is probably why the professionals don't do it.

John Charles at Yahoo! Answers Visit the source

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i've been working with HDV for the past 8 months and haven't had any problems. i would but a cam to suit the computer and not the other way around.

theoriginalimac

pssh. I've never had any problems editing consumer "HD" cam footage on my Mac. Just plug it in, select the proper settings in FCP and capture... Thats all I have to do.

Pon

You should contact the manufacture and ask them. You can't find any that work?

j05h

i really didnt know that. but i mean..... pc or mac???? mac if your a hard core music or video editor, but PC if your a gamer. hands down. i mean im a gamer.. so i say pc. but im sure that you could get any camera to work with a mac. just need the right emulator or driver.

JamesK

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