Any HDV camcorder must be attached via firewire (IEEE or 1394) to capture the tape in real time.
It is time-consuming and has several pitfalls, but it's still a great camera.
I would suggest a flash-based camera, you just attach via USB, browse and copy/cut/paste the media files.
It's a much easier method.
I just use my HV30 for AV/DV conversions now, such as analog tape (VHS, 8, Hi8, etc).
Keep in mind any Hi-Def media will put strain on an average computer.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at Jan 02. 2014 18:24
HP Envy Phoenix/4thGen i7-4770(4@3.4GHz~turbo>3.9)
Nvidia GTX 960(4GB)/16GB DDR3/
Canon Vixia HV30/HF-M40/HF-M41/HF-G20/Olympus E-PL5.
Tape capture using 6 VCR, TBC-1000, Elite BVP4+, Sony D8 camcorder with TBC.
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