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Resolved Question

Sony DCR-HC20E pal won't transfer video via firewire

Apr 27, 2015 1:00AM PDT

Hi,

I have an old Fujitsu Siemens Amilo M1451G laptop, Windows XP Home Edition SP3, Intel(R) Pentium(R) M, processor 2.00GHz, 2.00GHz, 1.00 GB of RAM, ATI Mobility Radeon X300 graphic card. The laptop has a firewire (i-Link port) and the driver is: Texas Instruments OHCI Compliant IEEE 1394 Host Controller.

I have the Sony Handycam DCR-HC20E pal miniDV. Recently I decided to transfer my miniDV tapes to the laptop connecting the camera to it via firewire. It didn't work out though. I did a search over the internet, read a lot of solutions but nothing worked. I tried almost everything: re-installed SP1, removed the card with the firewire on in order to automatically install the IEEE drivers, etc. etc.

I found the DCR-HC20E USB drivers on the internet, downloaded them but nothing! The USB drivers were installed right because Sony Imaging Video message appeared. When I connect the camera using the USB cable it works fine but the video quality is very very poor and don't want that. When I connect the camera using the firewire cable and port, nothing happens.

The funny thing is that a DV in sign appears on the LCD of the camera when I connect it to the firewire port but that's it. I tried some video softwares: Sony Vegas, WinDV, Windows Movie Maker but nothing happened. The camera is connected to the laptop via firewire, the DV in sign appears but no device is found. When I connect the camera via USB there is a sound and the camera is ready to use but when I connect it via firewire no sound, nothing.

I checked the camera settings but no i.Link settings (on nor off). I read the manual and it says that the i.Link port on the camera is IN / OUT but why only the DV in sign shows up? How I will turn the camera to DV out so that I can transfer my miniDV tapes to laptop?

It's really frustrating... Any help would be much appreciated...

Nikos

Discussion is locked

planick36 has chosen the best answer to their question. View answer

Best Answer

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Be sure to test the camera on other firewire lap/desktops.
Apr 27, 2015 1:30AM PDT

Then back to this laptop. For years I used WINDV but I find folk are deeply tested on firewire transfers. That is, I can't tell if you ever did this with this setup. If not, you may be forgetting this or that or have a blown port.
Bob

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Have also tried that and worked...
Apr 27, 2015 2:56AM PDT

Tried it and it worked on a friends laptop, he has Sony VAIO... The firewire port on my laptop isn't a blown one, it works. I'm getting the DV in signal which means the camcorder is connected

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Then go with what works.
Apr 27, 2015 3:05AM PDT

If it takes a full reload of the OS and drivers, do that. Do what it takes. But one thing. Just because the DV in signal does not mean the port is good. The port is good when it works with your devices. It doesn't so it's an unknown quantity.

Some folk lose it over firewire. This is why we keep some old desktop with firewire cards. That way when the card gets blown (why this happens is we see a lot of firewire cams for those last transfers) we can swap it and get back to biz.

You didn't mean WINDV so I can't tell what software you use.
Bob

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(NT) Typo. I meant "mention WINDV"
Apr 27, 2015 3:10AM PDT
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I did all of that!!!
Apr 27, 2015 4:35AM PDT

I did all these things you mentioned but nothing!!!

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Sounds like a blown firewire port.
Apr 27, 2015 4:45AM PDT
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Well
Apr 27, 2015 6:21AM PDT

I don't think I will install Linux, just need a solution for Windows XP Happy

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Then a dead end.
Apr 27, 2015 6:30AM PDT

While I own a XP laptop with a working firewire port my experience is that there are many blown ports out there. The Linux angle is to confirm the port is dead or alive.

I understand folk may never want to know that. That is, it would be devastating to learn the laptop's port is really dead.

Remember, we already covered the OS reload.
Bob

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Update camera's firmware
Apr 28, 2015 5:25PM PDT

Do you know how I will update DCR-HC20E firmware?

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That's a good question
Apr 29, 2015 12:28AM PDT

But if it works with other laptops and has with this one in the past, firmware is unlikely to solve it.

But if you insist, Sony's instructions must be followed. I will never tell any other answer since any deviation from their instruction can cause it to fail.

-> I looked over the thread again and it looks like the same old issues. A laptop that won't play along. You proved that.
Bob

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Problem solved!
May 8, 2015 6:25AM PDT

It wasn't the laptop's firewire port damaged, it was camera's firewire port that wasn't working! I found another Sony miniDV camera, connected it to the laptop and voila!

Thank you for the help though

Nick

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Werid.
May 8, 2015 6:32AM PDT

The fact it worked with another machine was why I thought it was the laptop. Strange. And partly why we have moved away from firewire over the past few years. Only time it comes up is when folk forget something and we need to bring it back "one more time."

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Answer
Legacy driver
Apr 27, 2015 1:23AM PDT

Check your IEEE 1394 driver is "1394 OCHI Compliant Host Controller (Legacy)" in the Device Manager.
Also check your FireWire cable is connecting properly.

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No Legacy driver found
Apr 27, 2015 2:54AM PDT

It's not 1394 OCHI Compliant Host Controller (Legacy). I tried to find that driver but couldn't find it anywhere for download... I read somewhere that if I have the card removed from the laptop, unistalled the driver, put it back it would install the Legacy driver automatically, so I did but it didn't install it. It installed the Texas instruments and the OHCI Compliant Host Controller, not the legacy one....