Sony's DCR-SR40 Handycam is a hard-drive digital video recorder with 30GB of storage. That's enough space to store seven hours of footage shot at the Handycam's highest quality setting and even more footage if you shoot in SP or LP modes. But when the hard drive fills up, you'll need to start to delete videos or transfer them to your PC. The DCR-SR40 comes with the software you need to do this.
Instructions
1. Make sure that your camcorder isn't attached to your computer. Insert the CD-ROM disc that came with the DCR-SR40 into your CD or DVD drive. If you've lost the disc or bought the camera used without it, you can download the software from Sony's Support site (see References). You have three options on the CD's splash screen: Image Mixer for HDD Camcorder, Product Registration and Handycam Handbook. Click on Image Mixer for HDD Camcorder, and then click "Install" on the next screen that appears.
2. Choose your language and click "Next" and then click "Next" again to read the license agreement. Accept the terms and click "Next" again to view the folder selection screen. Change the location of the installation, if desired, and click "Next" to "Continue." You now have to choose a video format -- NTSC or PAL. North American countries, Japan and Korea and some South American nations use NTSC format, whereas Europe, Africa, most of Asia and parts of South America use PAL. Choose the format that's correct for your location and click "Next." Then click "Install" to accept these settings, and to install the Image Mixer for HDD Camcorder software. Restart the computer when prompted.
3. Place the DCR-SR40 Handycam into the Handycam Station and make sure the dock is plugged in to AC power. Slide the power switch to "On" on the Handycam Station. Now connect the USB cable to both the Handycam Station and your computer's USB port. Look on the LCD screen on the Handycam, which now displays three options: DVD Burn, PictBridge Print and HDD. You can burn videos directly to a blank DVD using "DVD Burn" or copy still images using PictBridge. To copy your videos to your PC's hard drive, touch "HDD."
4. Click "Easy PC Back-up" on the computer screen. The first time you connect the DCR-SR40 Handycam to your PC, it might take a few seconds for the computer to recognize the device. Select the kind of media you wish to transfer -- you can pick videos and still images. Select a destination folder and then click "Start Importing" to begin transferring the videos. This process may take anywhere from a few seconds to an hour or more, depending on the quality and quantity of the videos. A "Browser" window opens when the process completes. It's now safe to disconnect the USB cable and turn off the Handycam Station.
Tags: click Next, Handycam Station, DCR-SR40 Handycam, Image Mixer, Image Mixer Camcorder, Mixer Camcorder