How to Hook Up Your Video Camera to the PC
Connecting a video camera to a PC enables the user to transfer video footage to the computer for editing and storage, including burning to a DVD if desired. Although there are hundreds of video camera models using a variety of storage media to record--including analog tape, digital tape, discs and hard drives--there are three primary ways of connecting a camera to a computer. Each method depends on the types of connections available on the camera and the PC. All involve standard audio-video cables available at electronics computer stores.
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Instructions
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Connecting an Analog Video Camera with Composite Cables
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1
Shut off the video camera and PC.
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2
Insert the yellow, white and red plugs on one end of the composite cables into the AV OUT jacks along the edge or back panel of the camera. The yellow plug connects to the video jack; white and red connect to left and right audio, respectively. If the camera records audio in mono, there will be a single audio jack. Use the white plug and leave the red plug dangling free.
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3
Connect the plugs on the other end of the cables to the video capture card jacks on the back of the computer's central processing unit (CPU), using the same color codes to match the plugs to the jacks.
Connecting a Digital Camera to PC Via USB
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4
Shut off the video camera and PC.
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5
Insert the plug on one end of the USB cable into the port on the back edge of the video camera. Some cameras use a different size USB port, although the necessary cable typically comes with the camera.
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6
Connect the plug on the other end to a free USB port on the computer.
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7
Turn on the camera and the PC, then wait for the "New Hardware Detected" message to appear on the computer monitor.
Connecting a Camera with FireWire
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8
Shut off the video camera and PC.
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9
Push the plug on one end of the FireWire cable into the FireWire port on the video camera. The plug inserts in one direction only. FireWire is a common name for an IEEE 1394 cable used for high-speed transmission of audio-video data.
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10
Insert the plug on the other end of the cable into any free FireWire port on the computer.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Check all available connections on the video camera and the PC to determine which AV cable to buy. Generally, older cameras will use composite-type AV cables, while digital cameras will be equipped with USB or FireWire ports. The same holds true for computers.
If the PC is not equipped with a video card for connecting composite cables, external adapter boxes are available that connect the camera with composite cables and attach to the computer's USB port. These adapters are available at electronics stores.
Shut down all equipment while connecting AV cables.
References
- Photo Credit The harmonous blonde with a videocamera in hands. image by Yuri Bizgaimer from Fotolia.com
