It’s 2008, and this is what I have to do to get video files off of my Sony DCR-SR82 HDD Handycam, and into an iMovie-digestible format:
- Download video from the camcorder using the Sony-provided HDD Handycam Utility (crap) within a Windows VM.
- Move videos from the offload directory to ~/Movies/Sony Handycam/Originals on the host system.
- Send the offloaded .mpg files to VisualHub (MP4, highest quality, H.264 encoded), saving to ~/Movies/Sony Handycam/Exports.
- Open iMovie and import Exports/* as new iMovie event, allowing iMovie to move files from Exports to ~/Movies/iMovie Events.
Sony: Please stop sucking ass, and produce some useful software for the creative world’s most popular operating system.
Apple: Please stop sucking ass, and build MPEG-2 handling and playback capability into iMovie and Quicktime, respectively.
UPDATE1: About the MPEG-2 component included with iMovie ‘08
UPDATE2: After raising a stink, I figured that I’d spend a little more time trying to figure out how to make my Handycam work with native iMovie ‘08. Turns out that you have to turn on the camera, wait for OS X pick it up as a USB storage device, and then hang tight for three or four minutes until iMovie detects that your USB storage device is actually a camcorder, and presents the import dialog. I’m glad that I can import native MPEG-2, but am somewhat puzzled by the delay.
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Apple sells a $19 MPEG-2 codec for Quicktime through the Apple Store. Not sure if you tried it, but if you did, didn’t it help?
The Quicktime codec will facilitate playback of MPEG-2 video within Quicktime. It will not, however, get you any closer to being able to edit said video using iMovie ‘08.
It’s also worth pointing out that, for the same price as the Quicktime playback codec, you can have an extremely powerful video conversion utility.
Put into this context, my choice might make a little more sense.
I have the same problem.
Impossible to work with my videcamera SONY SR8, and my MAC OS. I’m going crazy.
Unbelievable that this companies work against each other.
But what to do? 2 minutes of video are like 400MB, is that normal?
Is the silliest thing I’ve ever seen.
The SR8 is a high-definition camcorder, so I would expect that the files are huge.
But generally speaking, it is quite annoying that we can’t get the Sony utilities for Mac OS X. Being able to import movies via iMovie is neat and all, but the Sony suite is actually much easier to work with and provides a little more control over how movies are named, organized and placed.
Silly, indeed.
I found a simple solution for my dcr-sr290 that works:
http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/rbotoole/entry/importing_mpg_video/
- I just connect my camera
- set it to the usb-pc mode
- in I iMovie 08 I then choose import film
- choose disc burn function on my camera (instead of hdd computer-mode)
Of course they dont tell you this shite when you by the flippin’ thing. I just purchased my Macbook Pro (12/02/08) and was so excited to get home and start editing movies I have been recording around the world for the past year. BRAIN DAMAGE! I will try your suggestions, but so much for plug and play! Does anyone know about a “firewire bridge” option – I have the Sony DCR HDD SR200 – no firewire – just the USB. I want to know if there is any validity to buying a “firewire bridge between the mac and the bridge and the bridge and the camera (using the red, white, and yellow plugs)???
@Ashco: Have you tried the process outlined in my update? It’ll work, it’s just painfully slow and prone to crashing on import. But other than the suck, it works just great!
Need a conversion kit fro my handycam to mac. anyone know of a firewall conversion kit?
I have both a Mac and a PC so I don’t really care which one I use to import my videos on. Camera is HDR-SR12.
The problem is, Sony’s HandyCam Utility does NOT work on my Vista machine. Not surprising.
I’ll try some of the methods that you guys outlined on the Mac. Does anyone know if iMovie 09 makes life any easier?
I can’t believe that this is so painful. I bought a Sony camera thinking that it would work with a Mac. I saw references to older camera models that did come with Mac software.
Unluckily, VisualHub has been discountinued.
http://www.moviesmac.com/news/free-mac-video-converter-discontinued.html#119
M2TS files are used primarily with Sony hardware. Camcorders make use of M2TS in the form of AVCHD, a recording format made specifically for camcorders.
How to get and Convert AVC HD M2TS files on Mac?
http://www.moviesmac.com/tutorial/get-m2ts-to-mac.html#119
I feel your pain. Thanks for the postings, I too seem helpless with my new Handcam HDR-SR12. I tried your “Update 2″ voodo curse but no go. Any other suggestions
on how to download from the Sony’s harddrive?
You may take a look at this guide, it’s about how to import camcorder to computer
http://www.mac-dvd.com/mac-guide/how-to-import-video-from-camcorder-camera-to-mac.html
I was able to import movies from my Sony HDR-CX100 using a USB cable by first opening iMovie, and then pushing “USB Connect” in the first screen, and then “Disk Burn” instead of “USB Connect” in the second screen. This produced an icon, which I did not get when I pushed “USB Connect” in the second screen. Once the icon appeared, the movie showed up on iMovie and I was able to import it.
I just bought the Sony DCR-SR87 and really wish that I would have purchased a Canon instead!! I did not even think that this camera would not be compatible with my MacBook Pro. When I connect the camera using the USB, I am launched directly into iphoto. The files are there, but there is no sound. I have tried to import them into imovie, and I have the same problem. I have an image but no audio! I have tried both the USB connect option and the Burn disc option. No difference. WTF? Can anyone help?
@ksd: Do you have still photos on the device? If so, that’s probably why it opens iPhoto as opposed to iMovie. There have been a few improvements in the handling of the Sony devices by OS X, and it *should* work. You might try removing the still photos (one way or the other–you can manipulate files on the device as a USB disk), open iMovie, then connect the device and wait for iMovie to import the video.
Why didn’t I know this before I bought a Sony?
I plug in USB and nothing happens.
Bastards!
What I want to do is record the feed from my HDR SR10E to the harddrive of my computer, but when I go to “USB Transfer” in the cameras’ menu, the lens cap doesn’t open, it just gets ready to transfer whatever is there….
What I want to do, Pat, is tear Best Buy and Sony a new – well, you complete the sentence. SEVEN HUNDRED BUCKS.
OK – initially I was rather disappointed that my HDR-CX100 did not appear to work with my Mac. However, I followed John’s advice and it appears to have worked perfectly. They downloaded with no problem, and playing them in iMovie appears perfect.
Thank you, John!
John – you rock! Your process worked like a charm!
Hi everyone, after reading the responses, I was ready to head back to Future Shop and return my Sony Handycam (DCR-SR47) because I could not get iMovie to import the short video I made. I read John’s post and tried his steps and that didn’t work either. So Instead of following his steps, I just hit “Burn Disc” and nothing else, well wouldn’t you know iMovie picked it up and imported it perfectly. So needless to say I will now keep my Handycam. By the way I did have iMovie open prior to hitting the burn disc option. Hope that helps for any others who might be having a hard time, and thanks to John for pointing me down the right path.
I own the SR-11 & it downloads flawlessly to iMovie09 on my MacBook Pro. I purchased a HDR-XR100 for a club I am a member of & have been disappointed. It downloaded OK the first time but will not download any new clips. I have been round & round with Sony & will be returning the camera. I even tried it on my husbands iMac with no luck. Might I add that the resolution of the video sucks!
If it makes you feel any better, the Sony software for Windows XP is absolutely useless too. You can not play the movies with the Windows Media Player or Quicktime.
thank you all for the comments. i just bought macbook w/o firewire. (sucks big time) i’m thinking of buying sony high def cam. think again!!
Hey — I, too, have a Sony DCR-SR47 and use a Macbook Pro.
Solution =buy VRD-P1 DVD writer. Works great and simply.
surprised none of you haven’t tried the Elgato turbo.264HD now that really is plug and play and solves all of the above.
forgive my awful double negative in previous post, should be have not haven’t
sorry
Hi Friends,
I think there is a confusion: you maybe able to import the standard video to iMovie but not HD (mind is Sony HDR-CX100). Don’t delete all your videos until you are able to import the HD videos. I am not able to import those, still. Any thought?
The standard video from Sony HDR-CX100 is MGP but the High Definition is MTS in “AVCHD” folder. I don’t think I can import MTS files from camera. Any solution?
I just did some web search and found this solution for HD importing, which is working for me!
http://forums.macrumors.com/archive/index.php/t-460629.html
jimidan
Mar 3, 2009, 03:58 PM
I just helped a friend figure this out with his HDR-SR7 last night.
1) Import any SD content on the camera.
2) Delete the SD content from the camera (look for MPEG files – you may also have to delete the SD content folder)
3) Disconnect the camera.
4) Quit iMovie
5) Restart iMovie
6) Reconnect the camera
7) Your content should be detected and import into iMovie normally.
Basically, whatever communication is going on between iMovie and the Sony HDR-SRx series of cameras *stops* when it finds the SD footage. If you don’t have any SD footage on the camera, iMovie sees the HD footage.
ok so i just got the sony DCR-SR47/L handycam and could not figure out how to import the videos because there in mgep 2 format. after doing some digging i found the plug-in from quicktime (the mpeg 2 playback component). and then i was able to import my video. but when i went to watch them….NO FREKIN’ AUDIO!!!!!!!!! and i already deleted them off the camera. plz someone help me!
“…Sony: Please stop sucking ass, and produce some useful software for the creative world’s most popular operating system…”
LOL, that will never happen my friend, you are having false hopes I’m afraid. SONY is pushing their VAIO series like crazy, and as you may already know, VAIO are PCs, Windows based machines. They DO NOT want you to have a good time on Macs, because that’s their biggest competition right there. Fuck them I say. I have never ever liked them. I went with SAMSUNG which is true High Definition camcorder inventor. Every single file which is in Super High Definition by the way, comes out saved as .mp4, no conversion needed (because you know, every conversion gives you slightly if not crazy low quality image at the end). It saves all videos using beautiful H.264 (Mpeg-4) format, progressive (non-interlaced BTW), at stunning 59.97 fps (60 fps) which gives you unbelievable smooth footage and you should even see how this looks when you want to have slow-motion footage.. simply amazing. Audio is recorded using AAC Stereo at 48.000 kHz, crisp and crystal clear. Never ever looked back, SAMSUNG is the way to go. OS X, crappy Windows, Linux you name it. Just take your videos of your card, and you can play them even in simple PREVIEW mode on Mac. Quick Time plays them without any problems, VLC, iDVD, iMovie whatever suits you the best.
I know this id highly repetitive, but I have tried almost everything now.. Has anyone had any luck with the XR-100?
just got a new macbook pro and my sony handycam is the DCR-DVD810. At first I couldn’t get it to work because it always opens up iphoto. I did something similar to a previous post on here. I just opened up imovie (before plugging in the usb cable) turned on the device and then plugged it in. It took a few seconds but it came up and imported all my movies. I didn’t have to hit burn disk or any of that stuff. Hope this helps
hi, yes, i recently bought the sony handycam hdd before coming to panama two weeks ago, and i didnt realize that it wasnt compatible with mac or something, so i plugged my camera into my computer with the USB that came with it, and after i dragged the pictures, just pics, not videos, onto my desktop, i disconnected my camera. thennn i was reviewing on the camera and all of the files, vids and pics were “not applicable” or something and now i cant see them or they arent there or.. i dont know. does this mean i have lost all of my footage? i dont understand. and firewire cables arent available here in panama, so im not sure what i can do. thankss
oh, i have the dcr-sr47, i dont know if that matters.
I’m having LOTS of trouble with a Sony Handycam HDR-XR520 and I use a MacBookPro with Leopard Installed. Been trying to download my videos for a week or so. FAIL. The first time I just connected the USB and imported to iMovie perfectly. Now it doesn’t work at all. I’m SO frustrated!
SONY + APPLE suck!!!
Getting the SOUND to play from a MUXED MPG is impossible without CONVERSION which fracks all quality.
Result: any video recorded MPEG-2 is DOOMED on a MAC.
Anyone know if there’s a way to import videos from the DCR-SR47 HandyCam *not* in MPEG-2 format? That would solve a world of problems for me…
But if that’s not possible, how can I convert the MPEG-2 into an AVI? I need AVIs specifically because I need to use VirtualDub and it only manipulates AVIs.
Oh, I’m on Windows XP, btw.
@SJBG: I use VisualHub to convert . . . anything that needs converting.
That said, Techspansion no longer distributes this product. The source was opened and placed on Sourceforge (http://sourceforge.net/projects/transcoderredux) but nothing has been done with it.
Don’t know of a tested alternative off-hand, but there are surely a number of them.
How can I import video from sony handycam XR200 to
new imac-Mac OS X 10.6.2?
My manual referred me to the Pixela Corporation website. Try this website it’s supposed to be software for Macs
http://www.pixela-1.com/imagemixer3_mac/features.htm
Again, please go to the following website and it has links for Mac products for Sony DVD camcorders, Sony HDD camcorders, JVC Everio camcorders and Panasonic SD camcorders
http://www.pixela-1.com/
^^ im in the exact same boat as you max.. anyone know how?
Thanks to your tips I can now import from my camera to iMovie!!
Any ideas if I’ve already moved the mpeg files from my Sony DCR SR200 to a hard drive and want to access them with iMovie? Seems like iMovie should be able to load them from a hard drive if it can recognize them from the camera.
@JenJ: You could always plug in the camera and copy the movie files back to the camera (OS X should see it as a generic USB device). Then disconnect and re-connect the camera. iMovie should import them without any problem. There’s probably another way, but this will work. -K
Hey, thanks for having this it was helpful.
I have a sony DCR-SR47, and once I opened up iMovie (09) THEN plugged in the camera it recognized it the clips and imported them automatically…
I have DCR SR200. When I use disc burn it does bring the icon but I still can’t import the movies using iMovie. When I click on the icon it only sees built in iSight. The only options I have is “Done” and “Capture”. What am I missing?
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