Samsung Camcorder

[Xanxtuary]

Myself and Hogweed purchased a shiny new camcorder the other day.  It is a Samsung VP-D354.  It has the facility to use DV cassettes for video making and a memory card for taking still photographs.

The trouble is, we can't get the camcorder to communicate via USB with our computers!  The camcorder shows that it is linked on the USB but the computer doesn't show that the camcorder is linked and there's nothing in the user guide or the on-screen instructions to show us how to transfer images/video from the camcorder to the computer.

There's loads of tutorials showing how to edit movies, make slideshows of stills, etc, but they all assume that the images/videos are already on the computer!

Anyone have a similar model and know what to do?

Advice gratefully appreciated!

[Peter]

Two things that come to my mind:

1) The device probably needs a driver to be able to attach to the computer. Must be on a CD or the Samsung support downloads web page.

2) To actually DO something, like copying a cassette to a DVD or so, you again need some peace of software that came with the camcorder...

[Appelmoes??]

Update the USB portal? (or something, I read about something like this with a printer.)

[Xanxtuary]

Thanks for your suggestions.  Me and Hoggie have tried several times to install the software on his PC, making sure that all the components were installed, etc, but to no avail.

Anotherlook at the operating manual tells us that we need an IEEE 1394 card, which is something that a friend tells us is readily installed with Macs ... his suggestion was go out and buy a Mac, not something we can just do at the drop of a hat.  Besides, unless you're extremely wealthy or a total geek, who would buy a new computer just to do one single function?

So what we need to find out now is whether these cards are compatible with PCs and how to go about getting one installed.  It's not drastically urgent, as we can transfer the camcorder recordings onto an ordinary VHS cassette easily enough.  It's old-tech, but it works, so we will leave it at that for now.

Thanks.

[keyboardistmatt]

IEEE 1394 is a Firewire card - thats why they are already installed in Macs!
I think things like the that are readily available at places like PC World, Maplin Electronics, etc...  I'm not sure of a price though...

However you can pick them up on eBay for a tenner.

[gelert]

You can borrow my Mac if you want...

The dog has chewed a hole in the pocket where I usually keep "the treats"...

...but otherwise it's watertight.

[Xanxtuary]

You can borrow my Mac if you want...

The dog has chewed a hole in the pocket where I usually keep "the treats"...

...but otherwise it's watertight.

OK ... I'll swap you my underwater hairdryer for your chewed Mac! Deal?

[gelert]

OK ... I'll swap you my underwater hairdryer for your chewed Mac! Deal?

Sadly, Chateau Gelert will have to decline your most generous offer...

Due to The West Wing apparently requiring a certain amount of modernising (something to do with the existing gas-lighting not being compatible with 2meg broadband, or some such technical malarkey), we recently reluctantly found ourselves on a money-saving drive.

However, by moving curry-night to the same day-of-the-week as bath-night, it appears that we no longer have a requirement for a third-party underwater hairdryer.

And allegedly, we've just had a whirlpool bath installed for free, to boot....

...or so the gas-powered 2meg broadband technicians would have us believe.

[Xanxtuary]

And allegedly, we've just had a whirlpool bath installed for free, to boot....

Bummer man!  A bathtub that you have to keep re-booting!  Now that's what I call frustrating technology!  It really makes the underwater hairdryer and the kinetic energy broadband sound positively desirable!

[gelert]

Bummer man!  A bathtub that you have to keep re-booting!  Now that's what I call frustrating technology!  It really makes the underwater hairdryer and the kinetic energy broadband sound positively desirable!

Re-booting is no problem...

A swift application of the "size-10's" to the side-panel, and all is restored to former glory...er...it doesn't say here...!

[Xanxtuary]

Update on the camcorder situation ...

Hoggie has it working!  He read the manual thoroughly earlier on and reinstalled the software.  He has been patiently trying things with the software and camcorder and while I've been browsing on the net, he has managed to figure it out. Brilliant!

So far it seems to be working with the USB connection!