How to Make a DVD Using a Digital Video Camcorder
You've recorded your home movie, but the video is still sitting on your camcorder's tape. How do you transfer the information on the tape to a DVD? The process is actually quite simple, as long as you have the right software. Follow a few basic steps to make a DVD using a digital video camcorder.
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Things You'll Need
- Rewritable DVD Computer Firewire cord DVD burner Video editing software (such as iMovie or Final Cut) DVD burning software (such as iDVD) DVD player
Instructions
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Record images using the camcorder.
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Find the firewire port on your computer and your camcorder. Connect the two devices together. The port looks similar to an Ethernet port, but will be marked with a symbol that looks like this: http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/firewire.jpg. To connect the two devices together, simply attach the smaller head of the firewire cable to the camcorder's port, and the larger head to the computer's port.
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Open your video editing software. There should be an option like "Import From Camera." Some software programs automatically detect the presence of a camera and will ask you if you wish to import. If you have this software, click "Yes."
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Once the movie is finished importing, select "Export" from the "File" tab within the program. Be sure to export the movie in .dv format and to give the file an appropriate name. For example, if the movie is of a birthday party, you might want to call the file birthday.dv.
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Open your DVD burning software. Select the .dv file you just created.
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Insert a blank DVD into your DVD burner.
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Click "Burn" or "Write to Disc" to begin the burning process.
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Once the burning is complete, extract the DVD from the DVD burner. Now put it into a DVD player and play it. Watch the movie the whole way through to ensure the DVD burned successfully.
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Tips & Warnings
Some cameras allow you to import using a USB wire. However, a firewire is optimal because it transfers information faster. You may want to consider purchasing an external hard drive to store .dv files on. These files tend to be rather large and can take up most of your internal hard-drive space.
