How to Download Video From a Sony Handycam to a Computer

Use a USB cable.

Sony manufactures a series of digital camcorders under the brand name Handycam, with various features and benefits. The Handycam contains a hard drive for storing video and audio, which can be downloaded to a computer with a standard USB cable connection. Once transferred to a PC or laptop, the original footage can be deleted from the Handycam to make room on the hard drive.

Things You'll Need

• USB cable
• Computer installed with Sony Handycam software

Instructions

1. Shut down the computer and turn off the Handycam.

2. Connect the USB cable from the port on the back of the Handycam to any free USB port on the computer.

3. Turn on both devices and wait for the "New Hardware Detected" message to appear on the computer screen.

4. Open the Handycam software by double-clicking the name of the program on the computer.

5. Click "Add File" to open a list of MPEG-4 video files stored on the Handycam. Select the desired videos, which will be listed numerically unless previously saved with a name on the Handycam.

6. Click "Import from Handycam" to transfer the video files to the computer, where they can be stored, edited or burned to a disc (on computers equipped with a DVD burner).

Tips & Warnings

• Connect the Handycam DC power cord while transferring video so the camcorder battery doesn't die in the middle of a download.

References

• Sony Handycam: Models and Specifications
• Sony: eSupport

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish