Burn your MiniDV tapes to DVD.
With the invention of the digital camcorder, many families and amateur filmmakers have used MiniDV tapes to capture home movies or independent films on this medium. While the MiniDV tape allows you to watch videos on a computer or television screen, the format does not allow mass production of the finished product. By using a simple importing program to save the MiniDV tapes to your computer, you can edit the video and then burn it to a DVD that can be viewed in any DVD player. You need a computer with a DVD burner and a few pieces of software to complete this process.
Instructions
1. Turn on your computer. In order to convert the MiniDV tape to a DVD, first find a program that will import and edit video. Adobe Premier is the standard for this type of activity, but this program costs money to use. There are other programs available on the Internet, including DVD Photo Slide Show and Final Cut Pro, that allow you to import your MiniDV tape and burn it to a DVD. Download or purchase the software that works best for you and install it following the instructions on the disc or downloaded file.
2. Connect your MiniDV camcorder to your computer via a USB or firewire cable. Using the screen on your camcorder, switch the video mode from record to VCR. Once the device is connected, start up the video-editing program of your choice.
3. Capture the video from your MiniDV camcorder. Do this by clicking on the "File" menu and moving down to "Capture" or "Import" depending on the program. This will access the capture menu, which operates like a VCR. Find the "Record" button on the capture screen to begin recording a video file. Using the MiniDV camcorder, press the "Play" button. The MiniDV file should begin playing in the capture window. When you have reached the point where you want to stop recording, click on the "Stop" button on the capture menu to finish recording. A box will appear asking you to name your file.
4. Click on the "Burn DVD" button on the main screen of your program or go to "File" and then "Export" and select DVD on the menu that appears. This will bring up the DVD burning menu, which will allow you to save the file you just recorded to a DVD. Insert the blank DVD into your DVD recorder drive. Choose the file you just recorded when prompted and click on the "Burn" button to begin the process. When the DVD is finished, the disc drive will open up and you can remove your DVD.
Tags: your MiniDV, MiniDV camcorder, MiniDV tape, MiniDV tapes, your computer