- Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 10 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
2.5 stars
"File output format is .avi..."
Pros: Can play Video8 tape
Cons: The software only output .avi file
Summary: I bought this model in the hope to digitize all my VHS tapes. When using the software that comes with the product (Picture Package), the output file is only .avi, not .jpeg2. Half hour of the tape takes 20 GB of my harddisk. I would not buy it had I known this. I welcome any comments...Updated
Although this model has IEEE1394 interface, it does not work (No driver is included on the CD). I bought an extra i.Link-to-i.Link cable, and these is no communication between my Toshsiba laptop and the Camcoder. According to its manual, it will work on Sony VAIO computer. Now I have to use USB jack. AM I missing something?
- 10 replies to this review
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I don't know what you guys are talking about. I've had no problem with my TRV-480 with older and new tapes over 1394 to my PC. If you don't have a Vaio, you need to get decent editng software-- that's it. Mac users will love this -- just plug it in and open up iMovie, and the software flawlessly captures either your newer Digital 8 tapes (with scene breaks translating seamlessly to iMovie) or your older Video 8 / Hi 8 tapes. Better still, you can plug in your old VCR with a composite cable and convert those tapes to DV too.
The issue of the file size is because the camera translates to DV. This is the best format for editing. You need burning/editing software to convert to MPEG-2 for DVDs; they all work, with or without a Vaio. -
If you want to get the max out of your Cam you will need additional software besides the Basic Software. 1). If you don't have a good graphics driver besides the intergrated one then, GO GET ONE! 2). I have purchased Pinnacle Studio 10 and it will do it all for your PC Experience. It will Capture Video from ALL sources of input. If you have ieee ports then you good to go. If you have the MOVIEBOX USB OR FIREWIRE then you are all the way there. I have made PC transfers from USB,Firewire,Composite(Via MOVIEBOX USB). If you are going to do something right then you must invest. Trust me. I have made over 200 recordings and DVD's using this method and never once made coaster. You will thank me in the End!!!!
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I found the Picture Package that was provided by Sony to be very cheesy and did not work for me. The Sony store that I purchased the camera from gave me a fire wire to transfer the images from the camera to my computer and this worked very well.
I had to down load from CNET an upgrade for Microsoft Movie Maker 2. This allowed me to edit my images and it also provided a large variety of way to save my images, which in turn would determine the file sizes well.
I hope this info will help. -
Ask a direct question to them...i.e..."Why wont Picture Package write to a CD-RW,has video but NO audio playback?"
After 4 monthes of messing with the downloads and 5 times on the phone with SONY customer support...and the 2 times to PIXELA support, SONY finally told me this system will not detect the format of CDRW BUT, will format to CDR, ONLY.
The .avi file has to be set to bit streaming with NO file compaction i.e...jpg, THUS, HUGE hard drive consumption.
What really *issed me off was the PRO DUO, 2 peice stick is incompatible with our SONY reader. BUT, will run thru our Brother MFC420CN just fine. It is newer than our SONY reader built in to our Samsung DVD 9000 player. -
Well, that's not really that much of a drawback. For starters, I think it's beneficial to start with a larger, high-quality format such as ".avi", so that you may begin with quality and work down from there. Also, for the record, AVI is only a "container" and has little bearing on what actual video codec has been used to create it. AVI files can be encoded using the DivX codec, which is native to the ".mpg" file format. A number of other codecs may also be used to create AVI files.
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Any thoughts on this topic? It was the basis for buying this camera vs. a newer mini-DV.
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I just purchased this camera due to the built in TBC and pass-through feature. The size is larger than mini-DV style cameras, but if you have a Hi-8 library this camera is a good choice. The tapes are 1/2 the cost of mini-DV. The battery is undersized for the unit, as only a 5Wh battery is provided. A 30Wh battery will be the first accesory to purchase.
The iLink is IEEE1394(firewire), the A/V are inputs and outputs (camera selectable on LCD screen during playback). I didn't use the provided software (looked lame), but rather ULEAD software that came with another box I have (ADC - AV Pyro, which was a good choice but has no TBC).
The video on the firewire interface MPEG1 DV. The downfall is that it's a ton of data/minute, but this is much better than MPEG2 for editing (quality vs size). 2 hours of video will take up 20G or so of disk space. After editing on the PC, ULEAD will transcode the DV to MPEG2 for DVD burning. This is the way most video editing is done I believe.
Concider purchasing a 200G hard drive for your PC for editing. -
I don?t know how other cameras work by digitizing tapes. But in this 480 camera it takes to much hard disk space, and when I burn a disk it is in .avi: that is very bad quality. The software that the camera brings isn?t user friendly. It makes good automatic editing, but doesn?t let you edit for yourself (or doesn?t explain how to do it). The video quality on the tape is very good. The touch screen and remote control are cool. It may be too heavy and big compared to the new models. However, it?s a great buy for its price, because essentially does well its job: takes good videos of your family. I only wish I could edit and burn a good CD with it.
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It seems like they are not telling us everything we need to know to make an informed purchasing decision. I am looking at this model and TRV280 so that I can view and reuse the many 8mm tapes I have; as well as to burn them into DVD. Looks like another disappointment for me since TRV280 will not meet my needs.
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thei1394 definitely works. if you have windows 200 or xp you do not need any additonal software. windows will recognize the device immediately.
Where to buy
Sony Handycam DCR-TRV480:
$599.99
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$599.99 | Yes |
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