You’ll also need to acquire an analog video-capture dongle. These have a USB connector on one end and audio and video inputs on the other, and they start around $13.
The Playback Medium: VCRs And Camcorders
You can play these formats on different devices but not with Camcorder in reverse. The traditional way of transferring data from MiniDV tapes to the computer is to connect the Camcorder to the computer directly. Usually, after the connection, editing software in the computer is activated to capture the data from the Camcorder. Although it comes with a price, it can be affordable depending on your chosen service. DIY converting tapes to digital sounds easy, but it usually goes the other direction. Connecting different types of old devices gives you problems that are hard to figure out and take a ton of time before you even start.
Use a Video capture device
There are also adapters that let you insert those old VHS-C tapes into an ordinary VCR. Consequently, your best bet for finding a VCR is to buy one from an online auction at eBay. Here, you can browse a large selection of used VCRs and pick one that, based on the photos and description, looks likely to work.
Celebration Videos
Then, find some test tape to see if the camcorder works properly to save your important tapes from damage. If you don’t know what you are doing, please don’t start transferring on your own because you will probably damage or destroy the tape, which will lead to a permanent loss of footage. Instead, let the professionals do what they know best and save your memories in the best possible way. The obvious and most common way is the VHS-C adapter, the other is connecting the video camera. Using both methods, I will show how to transfer a VHS-C to digital. On the higher end is the Elgato Video Capture ($87.11).
Read more about convert mini dv to mp4 here.
There should be a page on how copying tapes from a camcorder, copying from one VCR to another, or from a VCR to a DVD recorder. Press record on the VCR or DVD recorder then press play on the Camcorder. Some VCRs allow access to the AV inputs by changing the channel selection up or down until you reach AV, line, or video in. Copying your camcorder tapes to a more current format preserves your footage more reliably and allows you to edit it. Let’s discover how at-home MiniDV-to-digital transfer can be done and then compare it with a digitization service. But always consider the safety of your stuff if you want to contract the job to a conversion center. On this, you may wish to consider not trusting your family secret or recorded business insight to a stranger.