[Scribner2448]

I bought a Sony Digital Handycam and would like to put my videos onto Cd's. When I bought it I was told it can be done. I have tried and tried. It acts like it is burning it and I end up with blank file folders on my cds. I am using the software that came w/the camera which is ImageMixer.

Cyndy

[Rutter]

What type of file are you trying to burn an mpeg or avi or what?

Cheers
Rutter

[Scribner2448]

I'm sorry, how do I find that out? That's why I'm here!

Cyndy

[Mulderator]

Take a look at this thread:

http://forums.techguy.org/t236165.html

Do you have a DVD burner or CD burner? Personally, I would recommend a DVD burner as the quality difference between DVD and VCD (what you would burn on a CD burner) is significant, especially on high definition televisions. DVD burners are cheap (I bought one for under $100 new at Office Depot on sale) and I find there are less problems with those than with VCDs.

[Scribner2448]

Ok, I'm confused still. How do I get it to my computer in the first place. I am so dumb!

[Scribner2448]

Oh yeah, isn't there a free way to do this?

[Mulderator]

Originally Posted by Scribner2448

Ok, I'm confused still. How do I get it to my computer in the first place. I am so dumb!

There are two ways to do it, but I would only recommend one. The first and recommended way is to have a Firewire PCI card. Here is an example:

http://sewelldirect.com/firewirepcic...rewire_card_22

I am not necessarily recommending that one--just grabbed the first one I found on a google search.

That card snaps into any open PCI slot in your computer. Your digital camcorder probably came with a firewire cable and if not, most of the firewire cards come with them or you can get one at any AV store or Radioshack, Goodguys, etc, but they will be cheaper on the Internet.

Here is one that comes with the cable and software for editing the video for $22 so that seems like a very good deal:

http://sewelldirect.com/firewirepcicardwithUlead.asp

Once you put the firewire card in, you just plug one end of the cable to the card and the other to the camcorder's firewire port and then you need software to capture the video. Any of the video editing software programs like the Screenblast I recommended in the link in my first post above will capture video or as noted in the link directly above, that firewire card comes with software.

The other way to do it is through your video card, but that is not a good way to do it because it defeats the purpose of having a digital camcorder. If you capture through your video card, you will lose some quality because you will be truly capturing digital through an analog device. The firewire card doesn't actually "capture" in that sense, it simply transfers the digital file from you camcorder to the puter with zero loss of quality.