How To Download Videos From A Sony Handycam

If y'all have an older Sony Handycam model that records videos onto a hard drive so this article will help you transfer that footage over onto a estimator.

Some brands of camcorders accept given upwards for software back up for older models, but it's peachy to see that Sony still has a piece of software that recognizes all their older models.

Advantages & Disadvantages

These type of cameras (this example is dated back to 2009) can somewhen have difficult bulldoze failure, or just non boot upward.

I've only encountered two models that had bug and had to endeavor and think the data, information technology just shows that none of these devices are impervious to finally failing.

That and dying from gravity. Or sand. Or water.

Anyhow you get my drift.

The advantage older models have is that the cassettes tin can be separated from the broken camera.

The advantage these style of camcorders (and newer 4K models) is the large capacity of storage for photos and videos all saved on difficult drive.

Something to remember with these larger chapters cameras is that even if you desire to burn footage to a DVD you can only practise four.5GB at a fourth dimension.

For example – using the motion-picture show above, if you lot completely used the 80GB on this camera for a vacation, that'due south most 17 DVDs to burn!

More than likely you are going to actually just back the footage up onto some other hard drive. I recommended a portable hard drive for any backups of photos and especially videos.

Option One – Connecting the AV Cables

Allow's get the obvious method out of the style.

Yes y'all tin can transfer each clip individually via the blended cables. The Sony Handycam will play out the clips similar to this camcorder postal service I wrote a while back.

Be aware, if you don't have the AV composite cables, Sony have their own propriety cablevision they use for these type of camcorders.

Luckily they use the same blazon of connection for their DVD Recorder models as well, so you lot might be able to detect 1 as second mitt on eBay.

If y'all are going this route, may I propose reading this post to requite yous an idea of the numerous capture devices that will work to get a copy of the clips.

Another thing to annotation is that if you capture using an AV cable from these type of camcorders, you volition capture all those carte du jour options that appear on screen too.

Option Two – Connection via USB

I know this should take been selection one but I needed to cover both means to transfer your footage.

By far the superior way volition be to merely connect the Handycam to a PC via a mini USB.

The USB will be a mini USB adapter.

If you have the original cable supplied, make sure to use that. Using a faulty or lower quality cable will result in no driver installing onto the computer.

Yours truly found this out the long manner.

With the cablevision connected, the PC will go along to install the drivers and then your PC can see information technology as an external difficult bulldoze.

This will definitely have a moment to install depending on the reckoner.

Another thing that'southward worth mentioning is the option to burn discs which Sony called 1 Touch Disc Burn (pictured every bit the arrow disc).

Apart from sounding like an STD, this selection would permit to burn directly to DVDs. The caveat is you need to download the PlayMemories software.

Why is this a caveat? In my opinion yous're amend off transferring the clips off the camcorder first, then deciding which ones yous may want to burn down on the PC using a video editor.

Once the USB driver is installed on the computer you will take 3 options available. USB CONNECT, USB CONNECT (Retention CARD) and DISC BURN.

The deviation between the top two is the memory card will transfer photos only.

Downloading and Installing PlayMemories

First up if you want to employ the official Sony software to transfer the videos then download PlayMemories to get you started. The software is dedicated to their camcorders and cameras.

If you are using a Mac, the link can be plant hither to download.

The zero file is free to download and is 174MB (at fourth dimension of writing) in size.

Once you take extracted the file, PlayMemories volition proceed to install the software. Follow the install steps and click next.

The installer tin can take some time to end.

PlayMemories Home

The software will open automatically and continue to prove the videos/photos that are on the Handycam.

Each image tin can be played to see what the clips are.

Under Tools – Import Media Files you tin copy the whole camcorder files to your figurer.

With the above example the client had 1147 files they wanted to back up.

I'thou not going to lie, this does accept a while to copy over. Make sure you accept the infinite on your PC to re-create any video files.

If y'all were going to merely re-create the video files directly from the camera similar an external hard bulldoze, the files are going to be jumbled together.

Where equally the PlayMemories software creates separate folders for each twenty-four hour period/month the photographic camera recorded the videos thus making it easier to search for a particular moment.

In this example the client was looking for a 21st birthday under a sure date.

Practise Smart TVs Play MPEG Videos?

Equally much equally I would like to say a resounding yes, turns out not all TVs volition.

This video shows that a lot of people seem to take issues with file codecs not working on smart TVs.

I accept an older cheaper model and every bit you can run into in the image in a higher place I can play the mpg file without a trouble.

The customer'south TV wouldn't recognize the videos when simply copied from the Handycam. Luckily the PlayMemories software has an outstanding MP4 converting software in built.

Along the right paw side are the tools icons. The icon yous want is chosen the Edit/Convert Videos.

Inside this little section, you will exist able to edit private clips or combine several clips.

Just what we are want is the Convert to MP4 and Save.

Y'all volition be able to drag clips into the side bar every bit many every bit you lot want at a fourth dimension.

There are 3 options from extremely keen quality to smaller easier to upload files.

Rendering in highest quality volition take a footling time, again depending on your PC. My computer is getting a little old, just does seem to return quite fast at approx 5 minutes.

Are There Other MP4 Converters?

So if for some reason you didn't want to use the Sony PlayMemories software, are at that place other options available to catechumen.

Yeah there certain are.

The near popular costless version is HandBrake, which volition catechumen any file. Because it has so many options to tweek, people tin become a fiddling confused how to use it.

This video thoroughly explains the presets to choose when converting to MP4.

At that place are of form paid options also. While they may say that sure elements are gratuitous, to get the best results crave you to purchase the full versions.

Whatever Video Converter has a freeware version alongside an Ultimate version.

The layout of the software is like shooting fish in a barrel to use but I was a petty disappointed by the free version'south export quality.

Another converter is Freemake which will permit you to catechumen videos but with their watermark on the clip. You can pay $one to use all the features for one week.

One of the near popular brands is DVDFab.

This visitor does convert videos really well just they are definitely pricey. Their software layout is easily the best of the three examples.

They have created a defended enlarger AI to enhance video quality which claims to amend the old VHS videos and upscale them without losing quality.

PlayMemories Results

When comparing the original files to the converted MP4 files, PlayMemories does an excellent job.

If you own an older Sony Handycam using the PlayMemories is hands downwards the best option to transfer to MP4.

Original MPG file was only under 24MB with a bitrate of 9500kbps.

When up scaled to 1920×1080 the MP4 file became 84MB with a bitrate of 24000kbps.

Impressive.

Now this customer had 1147 videos, some longer than others all needing to exist converted to a video format her TV could read. That'southward over 100 gigabytes of video!

Which brings us to backing up the files onto a portable hard drive that volition last you a long time.

Whether it be SD cards, mobile phones or even older hard drives from other computers, you should ever support those memories onto a physical media before yous assume that they are safe.