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General discussion

Import Mini DVD into Imovie

Mar 1, 2010 4:21AM PST

Hi
The sony handycam DCR-DVD-205E i used to film material on doesn't have a firewire or usb output ( just an av output ) and i can't load the 8 cm mini dvds into my mac .
I would like to import the film into imovie for editing .
Can any one suggest a solution please ?
Thanks
Chris
ps i have a MacBook Pro, 3,1 - Intel Core 2 Duo using Mac OS X (10.5.Cool

Discussion is locked

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The easiest way would be to get
Mar 1, 2010 11:08AM PST

a drawer loading DVD drive - like one from LaCie. The slot loading drives like the one in your Mac Book Pro will not work with the small 8cm discs.

You will also want to download and install HandBrake to rip the video from the DVD...
http://handbrake.fr/
Save the ripped file to MP4 or MOV file for use with iMovie. Less compression is better.

Alert: The VOB files contain very highly compressed video. Chances are very high that the video you rip will not be very good quality. This is expected. The video captured by consumer DVD based standard definition video camcorders was never meant to be edited.

Good luck.

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Import Mini DVD into Imovie
Mar 4, 2010 2:28PM PST
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It should...
Mar 4, 2010 9:51PM PST

I have a similar unit without the LightScribe feature and have successfully used it with many different Macintosh desktop and laptop computers.

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Dvd
Mar 4, 2010 9:59PM PST

Great thanks - and it will work with 8cm mini dvd's ?
cheers
chris

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Mine does.
Mar 4, 2010 11:48PM PST

Is has the same drawer loading tray design as regular DVD players that connect to a TV. There is an "indentation" in the middle of the drawer that accommodates the small DVDs.

Heads up: The VOB files captured by consumer grade standard definition camcorders are VERY compressed. Quality won't be very good. Best video quality when capturing video with those camcorders helps, but recuces available record time to around 20 minutes. Lower quality options selected in the camcorder result in higher record times - and the video quality degrades even more.

Be sure to finalize the disc before trying to rip the video.

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Import Mini DVD into Imovie
Nov 17, 2010 1:34PM PST
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import mini dvd into imovie
Jan 4, 2011 10:12AM PST
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now i can successfully import my mini dvd into imovie
Apr 6, 2011 7:22PM PDT

now i can successfully import my mini dvd into imovie with your solution, thanks my dear jamesjacson and i even can import dvd into imovie with this method

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Mini DVD into iMovie
Nov 22, 2010 7:35AM PST

You can certainly buy an external drive, but the easiest solution may be to buy a Canopus ADVC-55 Analog-Digital converter that allows you to plug your camera's AV cord into it and has a Firewire output that connects to the Mac, and iMovie will recognize the signal just like a Firewire camcorder. But, an external drive may cost less.

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have to convert to imovie compatible format
Apr 14, 2011 5:37PM PDT

i did get the external drive, but imovie still refuse to import my footage, it said it is the wrong video format, so i have to convert it to imovie compatible format with the above guide

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HandBrake or MPEG Streamclip will convert the file
Apr 15, 2011 11:02AM PDT

Both HandBrake and MPEG Streamclip are free. They both will convert the video file into a DV file for iMovie. Good luck.

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load mini dvd to mac
Apr 26, 2011 6:52PM PDT

Though Mini DVD can not be played back in Mac slot loading player, we have other ways to load Mini DVD to Mac.
Method 1 If Mini DVD camcorder has FireWire or USB;
just connect the Mini DVD camcorder to Mac using FireWire, or USB to
load Mini DVD to Mac.

Method 2 If Mini DVD camcorder has not FireWire or
USB; just shop for external mini-DVD drive that uses either a USB or
Firewire connector cable, and then connect the external mini-DVD drive
to your Mac and install any extra software that came with it. Insert the
mini-DVD into the external drive, and then access the files on the
mini-DVD as you normally would to load Mini DVD to Mac.

Method 3 If Mini DVD camcorder has not FireWire or
USB; buy an adapter that converts a mini-DVD to a normal DVD by adding
on a circular plastic piece that emulates the full size of a regular
DVD. Attach the adapter to the mini-DVD and load it into the Mac's DVD
drive to access the files. (Check the specifications of the adapter
before purchasing, as several on the market do not work in
vertical-loading drives like those found on the MacBook Pro.)

Method 4 If Mini DVD camcorder has not FireWire or
USB and you don't want to buy a separate external drive or full-size
adapter either, but you do have access to a PC, you can transfer the
files on the mini-DVD onto the PC, then put them onto a USB flash drive,
which will work on your Mac.