How to transfer Sony Digital 8 Tapes to Computer (DCR-TRV730)

Walkthrough on how to transfer Hi8/Digital 8 video to a PC.
I used this cable: www.amazon.com...

[@sidbrun_]

That’s the exact same camera my dad has! I’ve never seen anyone else with one of these cameras apart from Kris Jenner in an Ariana Grande music video.

[@RegoTVs]

wow! which MV is it?

[@sidbrun_]

@@RegoTVs It's Ariana Grande - thank u, next, at about 1:27 and the end scene

[@RegoTVs]

@@sidbrun_ woah, it sure is. retro

[@RegoTVs]

the camera featured in this video is now for sale: www.ebay.com/itm/333833240396

[@deshpardeshkochautari8910]

wow ! most useful technical channel 👍️🙏watching

[@EM-qz8wj]

Great vid! Question: I have an old Sony Handycam DCR-TRV33 and I need to find the right firewire to transfer the old tapes to my computer (Windows 10). I checked my computer and I don't see a port that looks like the one on this video. I think the AV port on the handycam is a 4 pin. Do they make a firewire cable that goes from 4 pin to usb? If not, any suggestions on how I can transfer these old tapes? Thanks

[@JACKWACKSMACK]

I was wondering the same thing, I bought one of these cables online, so just waiting for that to come in. Did you have any luck?

[@EM-qz8wj]

@@JACKWACKSMACK Not yet. Since I posted this, I've read bad reviews for the types of cables that go from firewire to USB. I might have to buy a separate firewire port that needs to be installed on my PC. Good luck with your project.

[@SEGADORESDEVIDA]

Hi guys yes you need to install a firewire adapter card in order to work with this wire. I'm doing the same thing here.

[@EM-qz8wj]

@@SEGADORESDEVIDA Thanks!

[@SebiTheHunter]

@@JACKWACKSMACK So did the usb cable work for you? it's not working for me ad I don't know if it'as a hardware or driver/software issue

[@user-cb8lp2bd6g]

which firewire to thunderbolt adapter do you recommend on amazon?

[@unoyoshiblu700]

Any brand should do the job. Just dont pick the first one you see, read the rewiew and it should be fine.

[@mariortiz8944]

was it useful? I'm thinking about buying it becuase I don't have firewire port, but I'm not sure if it works or not

[@milikatarey1994]

From where can i download the software of sony dcr-hc21. I have lost most of the accessories found a wire that connects with usb slot but it does not detect on my laptop

[@RegoTVs]

there is not much software to download. for this to work, you'll need a video software such as apple iMovie or Adobe Premier. your computer must have the mentioned firewire port

[@milikatarey1994]

@@RegoTVs thanks for the quick response. But is it not possible without firewire? My handycam recognizes that usb is connected but laptop doesn't

[@RegoTVs]

@@milikatarey1994 USB does not support video export. only pictures

[@kerstinthiele5730]

I got a DCR TRV 355 and cannot get it connected to any PC I have. New Laptop has no Firewire, Win 7 PC didn't have one but bought a Firewirecard (with 4 PIN and 6 PIN slots) but it doesn't work. Borrowed a Mac (El Capitan) but no luck there either (bought the Firewire 4 PIN to 9 PIN as the Mac is from 2009). What am I missing? The Software and drivers on the CD that came with the Cam in 2003 cannot be installed anymore as it is not compatible with Win 7 or newer and Play Memories Home (from Sony) does not seem to be supporting my camera. What do I need to set on the camcorder? I must be making a mistake somewhere...

[@RegoTVs]

it should work natively with Mac. I tried it on a 2013 MBA and Quicktime was able to pull the video signal from the firewire cable. My main desktop upgraded to Win10, so can't say if it still works as before. When I made this video, I was still running Win7 on that computer. I found Sony Play Memories to be quite useless

[@kerstinthiele5730]

@@RegoTVs thank you for your reply. Play Memories Home does only support a few old Sony camcorders unfortunately. Mine is not supported. My old Sony Vaio Laptop had no Firewire but PCI Express card slot. I bought an adapter with USB 3.0 for this and could transfer some of my tapes before Win 10 came out. Once I upgraded to Windows 10 this option was gone:-( . I am trying to borrow an old Win XP Laptop at the moment which has Firewire. Hopefully it will let me install the drivers and software that came with the camcorder. I read that there were issues with Windows XP SP 2 or/and SP3???

[@FlyPhiGuy]

@@RegoTVs I agree. I plugged mine into an old macbook pro with the firewire cable and it worked fine in iMovie with no other effort.

[@ishqegohar1951]

From where can I get Sony DCR-TRV 730 Camcorder new and clean like yours .. thanks in advance

[@epicchris1985]

Just got to keep looking on eBay 👍

[@RegoTVs]

I'm going to sell mine :)

[@ddelac123]

@@RegoTVs Hey did you already have someone buy it up?

[@RegoTVs]

@@ddelac123 not yet, did not get a chance to list it. LMK if you're interested

[@RegoTVs]

selling this now: www.ebay.com/itm/333833240396

[@juanaluza]

Hi! i just connected my sony handycam digital 8 to my imac (2009, but updated with yosemite) and nothing shows up on the computer, like it doesn't detect the camera is connected. I tried every mode on the camera. what do you think i should do? thanks!

[@RegoTVs]

sorry I'm not too familiar with Macs. Are you sure the cable is good? maybe you can try a Windows PC to double check

[@diegoalvarezperez8139]

Hello, my camera has the same problem. Can someone tell me if the repair should be done to transfer the video to the pc with the FireWire cable or it does not matter?

[@RegoTVs]

hi Diego, what is the problem you're exhibiting?

[@steven3553]

Hello, sorry, but what camera do you record the video with?

[@RegoTVs]

iPhone

[@neznauGde]

Can I get 4 pin to Usb? I dont have Firewire port. Please let me know

[@jonathonarnold102]

I had to buy a fire wire port for my pc, but it was cheap.

[@insertusernamehere7089]

No. You would need either a firewird PCIe card then.

[@sophiekay3773]

Will this same method work with a DCR-TRV320? Would I need a different cable? I'm having trouble finding specifics about the Camcorder I have.

[@RegoTVs]

look at the ports of your camcorder, if it has a firewire port then it would work the same

[@mohamedfarah5052]

Hi pal, I seem to be missing footage from one of my cassette tapes. Is this because of it being overwritten?

[@RegoTVs]

most likely, this happened in your camcorder. no footage should be missing if you use this method to transfer into your computer

[@julianserrano9394]

can i use this for my trv140?? any suggestions would help thanks

[@ratx1729]

I have the same one and still have not be able to get the video

[@meghankelly4658]

hello, i have a dcr-hc42 sony camcorder and i am trying to find the correct wires needed to convert my videos to my macbook. do you know the wires i would need? thank you!

[@RegoTVs]

hi, you'll need a firewire. however, I'm not too familiar with what sort of firewire ports your macbook might have. the newer ones don't even have any firewire-- they're all USB-C

[@hajsaf8157]

I have a digital 8 dcrtrv325e I am getting three grey lines coming across the screen on digital cam how do I get rid of them. Also how do I transfer to my laptop Acer I?

[@harbourwoodlandvisitor2445]

i know your message was written some time back but i too have experienced the lines on screen. its down to a dirty pickup head. i have owned a sony digital 8 handy cam for many years. ive noticed there is one thing they do not like. that is not being powered on and ran for very long periods of time. if i put my handy cam away in the draw for many months without use it plays up on me when i use it after not running it for a year or so. rewind the tape to the start. press play and allow the tape to run through to its end. during this process this make a small amount of heat which warms the heads on the chrome spinning drum inside. the lines in most cases will disappear and you should have a normal screen with no lines. failing that go onto ebay and buy a hi 8/digital 8 cleaning tape. insert it into the machine and press play for no more than 10 seconds. repeat again if needed but no more than twice as the tape is abrasive. that is how it removes the dirt from the heads but you shouldn't do that too many times. just to begin with. just play the tape and you should see that the video return to normal. ive done this many times with my very old digi 8 cam and it seems to work for me.

[@nandupalkar3619]

Wich software use in your laptop

[@werle2]

Ok, so i need also an usb adapter, right?

[@RegoTVs]

No, the firewire cable is all you need.

[@werle2]

But u sad 6 pin adapter... my dell g3 notebook doest have this port, right?

[@cajun5454]

@@RegoTVs If my PC has no firewire receptible, then there is no way to connect it without a usb adabpter. Am I missing something? Hopefully.

[@RegoTVs]

@@cajun5454 correct. or if you can find a firewire PCI card

[@cajun5454]

@@RegoTVs Thank you for the video and your reply. I am determined to get the digital content from all those tapes with this machine even though I don't have a firewire connection on my PC. There are several other outputs I will try! Who knows, one may work.

[@beny4300]

How is it working for you? I tried this with a Sony trv33, after installing a firewire card, and the camera does not show up

[@RegoTVs]

worked great, was able to transfer all the old videos I had

[@lomendrakulhary7517]

@@RegoTVs kya aap sony cassette ka video digitale krke de skte ho..jo price lagega aap mujhe bta dena

[@isabellarodrigues6636]

My windows doesn’t detect my handycam, what should I do???

[@RegoTVs]

be sure that you have all the right firewire drivers installed

[@ikysquarepants]

Can I transfer from my camcorder SONY CCD TRV418E with DV to USB Cables?

[@RegoTVs]

you cannot transfer DV media via USB, because its not enough bandwidth. must use the firewire cable

[@ikysquarepants]

what firewire cable type I need for my camcorder?@@RegoTVs

[@blatantlybrown]

why didnt you use the usb mini option?

[@RegoTVs]

that is only for photo transfer, it will not transfer any videos

[@mandeepsingh-to7mx]

it does but very bad video quality@@RegoTVs

[@RegoTVs]

@@mandeepsingh-to7mx that is correct, thanks for correcting me. the videos on the SD card are lower resolution than 480p. pretty much unusable

[@punishedvenomsnakebb]

does this capture the sound too

[@RegoTVs]

yes sir

[@mykolascycarevas8206]

can i plug it into a laptop?

[@RegoTVs]

your laptop must have a firewire port

[@MEGAMISTAKESratedR]

​@@RegoTVs hello we have sent you an email please can you read it....

[@tottenhamteacher]

Hello Rego, Just submitted an offer.

[@izan_27_]

how do I do it with HDMI cable and laptop (windows 10)?

[@RegoTVs]

this camcorder does not have an HDMI port

[@bluedoggum8373]

How can you transfer if computer does not have that input?

[@RegoTVs]

you cannot. must have that input, or try to transfer via analog way by purchasing a RCA to Digital converter

[@bluedoggum8373]

@@RegoTVs thank u. If I understand correctly if u are able to use a firewire input on computer with digital8 u are getting an actual digital signal from the source? And if u use the rca cables it would just be digitizing an analogue signal and you’d lose quality. Is that right? I wonder if I could buy an old laptop with a firewire port for download. Or is there a cheaper way?

[@RegoTVs]

@@bluedoggum8373 exactly. or buy an adapter for your desktop. Firewire to PCIE

[@xzin932]

I bont have pc how i can taren on in the tv

[@sus_0914]

lakta h sasta nasha kar ke aya