[ajswirles]

hi guys,
i have just recently entered the 'black screen of death' with my canon MV6i MC after getting it out of the cupboard where it has been for the last 18 months or so.
I took the advice given and rang Plymcare and they have asked me to send it to them with a cover letter (the woman answering the phone knew instantly what my problem would be without me even saying it!).
i am gonna send it off pronto - thanks for the advice.

my other question though is this; and its probably me being a bit dumb; could anyone give me any advice as to how i transfer the tapes to my computer?
i was told i needed a certain connection on my p.c. or is just a question of getting the correct lead. the user manual says to use a DV cable with a IEEE1394 (DV) terminal. how would i get this terminal, and if i did, would i need editing software?

i know its a lot of questions at once but i would appreciate it if anyone help shed a little light on the matter, as i'm new to all this.

cheers
andy

[voyager7]

Originally Posted by ajswirles

hi guys,
i have just recently entered the 'black screen of death' with my canon MV6i MC after getting it out of the cupboard where it has been for the last 18 months or so.
I took the advice given and rang Plymcare and they have asked me to send it to them with a cover letter (the woman answering the phone knew instantly what my problem would be without me even saying it!).
i am gonna send it off pronto - thanks for the advice.

my other question though is this; and its probably me being a bit dumb; could anyone give me any advice as to how i transfer the tapes to my computer?
i was told i needed a certain connection on my p.c. or is just a question of getting the correct lead. the user manual says to use a DV cable with a IEEE1394 (DV) terminal. how would i get this terminal, and if i did, would i need editing software?

i know its a lot of questions at once but i would appreciate it if anyone help shed a little light on the matter, as i'm new to all this.

cheers
andy

What you need is a "firewire" connector on the computer (looks like a USB port with an arched end) If you don't have one built-in (usually on the back) then you need to buy a pci firewire (or ieee 1394 ) card to stick into one of the expansion slots in the computer. You will also need a firewire to mini firewire cable (around £5) as the one on almost all camcorders is smaller and different to the one on the computer. Then you need some video editing software. I never use my computer for editing as it is a hassle, I just plug my camcorder into the dv in of my panasonic dvd recorder and stick it on the hard drive then do all the editing and copy the final version over to a dvd.

[MarkE19]

Assuming you have a desktop PC rather than a laptop all you need is a PCI firewire card such as This. It will come with a 6 pin to 4 pin firewire cable that will let you connect the camcorder to the PC.
If running Windows XP or Vista Home Premium/Ultimate you have the basic (but good enough to get you started) Movie Maker already. This will let you capture and edit your video and the Vista version even lets you burn it to a DVD. For more details on this program have a look Here.

Mark.

[ajswirles]

cheers guys, for your help.
i did what you suggested and struck a problem with my computers ability to accept the firewire card (the white connector is already used up as it is attached to a large plotter that i use for work.)
this leaves 2 ports that dont seem to fit the firewire panel.
(excuse me if i'm terming them incorrectly).
is there any other way to connect via a adaptor from 1394 wire to USB?
short of buying another computer i am at a loss.

any further help is much appreciated.

thanks again fellas.

andy

[rich tee]

Are u using a firewire card?
It's kinda creepy I got this email today about this thread.
I haven't used my MV600i for 3 years.
I used it briefly yesterday when my former partner asked to have it.

I too had a problem connecting it to the pc.
It turned out to be a faulty connector linking the cc to the pc.
I was advised by the repair company listed on here to repair the faulty lens, to get a new cc as it wasn't a fault covered by them.

I did notice a S Video jack on the camcorder, could you use the S Video jack on your Graphics card to upload video to the pc from the camcorder?

[senu]

Originally Posted by ajswirles

cheers guys, for your help.
i did what you suggested and struck a problem with my computers ability to accept the firewire card (the white connector is already used up as it is attached to a large plotter that i use for work.)

That is a problem

this leaves 2 ports that dont seem to fit the firewire panel.
(excuse me if i'm terming them incorrectly).

You refer to PCi slots, surely you have more than one

is there any other way to connect via a adaptor from 1394 wire to USB?

Not really

[senu]

[QUOTE]

Originally Posted by voyager7

never use my computer for editing as it is a hassle,

How so? editing is a s simple or " a hassle" as you make it

I just plug my camcorder into the dv in of my panasonic dvd recorder and stick it on the hard drive then do all the editing and copy the final version over to a dvd.

I similarly have a DVD recorder with HDD whic allows simple editing.. Split combine and trim.. then burn to DVD
As the mpeg conversion to the DVD reocrders HDD s " on the fly " it is very versatile for quick DVD creation
However anything more creative,: titles, credits music , transitions and effects, Picture in picture.. ect The PC/Mac is that only way.
It is time consuming but this is like all creative processes and the end result often justifies the time put in., So I would not let this put me off. Sometimes its a simple as making a Powerpoint presentation
Not all footage needs editing: either because shooting was very tight.. or the footage is simple too poor to edit ( "you cant polish a turd")

[Richy1503]

I know you guys have been talking about the Black screen of Death ages ago, but have just decided to use my Cannon MV650i for the first time in about 2 years and you guessed it the Screen and view finder are black.

Does anyone know if i can still get a free repair after all ive had the camera for about 5 years now

[MarkE19]

You would need to contact the service centers listed in this thread (Plymcare IIRC) to see if they still offer the free repair. However first you need to make sure it is the known CCD fault and nothing else as that wont be covered. If you play a previously recorded tape does it show ok on the screen? If not then any repair will be chargable.

Mark.

ps, found their contact details - Their address is: Plymcare, Marshall Road, Devon, PL7 1YB. Tel:01752 303555