Camcorder Playback on Computer

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Michael Ryle
Camcorder Playback on Computer

Hi,

I don't currently own a camcorder, but am in the market for one which will let me record relatively short segments (10 to 15 minutes) and play them back, not on a TV, but on a notebook computer running Windows XP Professional using either a USB or IEEE 1394 (FireWire/iLink) connection. I don't need to save or edit the video, only play it back with sound and reasonably good resolution. Any recommendations? Thanks.

Ron Repking (not verified)
Almost any digital camcorder

Almost any digital camcorder should be able to do exactly what you want out of the box. The limitation will be how good your notebook is for playback. If it's not several years old, you should be fine.

If this is truly your only use, go with a low-end model. I would even consider buying a used one and save some money.

Michael Ryle
Thanks, Ron. As it turns out

Thanks, Ron. As it turns out, my computer is new, so I expect it should handle it.

One more question: what handles the playback on the computer? That is, if I convert video to mpeg, I can play it back in RealPlayer, Windows Media, Quicktime, etc. If I want to play the video back directly from the camcorder tape without downloading and converting, what software do I need?

Thanks.

Ron Repking (not verified)
Michael, happy to help out.I

Michael, happy to help out.

I believe that Windows XP ships with a program called Windows MovieMaker for free. When you plug in your camcorder, XP should recognize it and launch MovieMaker automatically. You can hit the play button on the camcorder or in the software (same result) and it will play back on the computer for you. It won't be fullscreen, however. If you want that, you'll have to save it to a file like you mention. I'm not sure what all of the formats that MovieMaker saves to anymore, but surely it will produce a file that would work with Windows Media Player.

Bottom line is that you shouldn't have to buy any software at all! Once you get into fancy editing is when you might want to consider looking into high-end editing software.

Let us know how it goes and what you decide.

Michael Ryle
Ron,There's no way to get

Ron,

There's no way to get full-screen? Unfortunately, that isn't going to work.

What I'm trying to do is use my computer as if it were a TV monitor. I want to be able to videotape my clients and play the tape back for them immediately afterward. In a counseling session, there's no time to stop and convert video output to a file, and if all I can show them is a little window in MM, there's not much point.

I have two reasons for wanting to do it this way. One, I wouldn't have to buy another piece of equipment (i.e., a TV set) and try to find a place for it in my already rather small office, and two, I could do this outside my office, taking only the camera and computer.

Thanks for your help.

Matt Whitlock
MM has a full screen option

MM has a full screen option underneath the little playback box on the right side of the screen, although I'm not sure if it will fit the video to screen size or display it in native resolution.

Another option is to save the video as a WMV file and fit it to screen in Windows Media Player, then it will show full screen.

 

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