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Sony Handycam DVD Headaches

Posted by on Dec 3, 2005 | 12 Comments

I recently spent some time testing one of Sony’s Handycam DVD models to see what the recording and editing experience is like from a user perspective. Recording isn’t much different than recording with a MiniDV camcorder. The editing experience leaves much to be desired. The Handycam units store video in a VOB file format, ready for immediate playback on most consumer DVD players but absolutely worthless within the context of most commercial video editing packages. To make editing even more problematic, the USB interface for the Sony Handycam is only recognized by the bundled software – you can’t access the camcorder from Windows Explorer as you can with a MiniDV camcorder.

As I discovered with the help of some readers, Sony includes support for editing the video files created on the DVDs using their on Sony Vegas editing suite. In most cases, this software is not included with the DVD camcorders and no indication is given that this is the best alternative. I was also able to trick Adobe Premiere Elements and Nero Vision Express into recognizing the video file simply by changing the file extension of the video. All this is a rather imperfect solution for anyone who doesn’t want to get serious about understanding how video editing works or doesn’t have the budget to invest in video editing software. Possibly the best solution for editing video created with a Sony Handycam DVD came from a reader who recommends VirtualDubMod as an editing solution for VOB files.

The bottom line here is, if you purchased a DVD camcorder, there are some workarounds for editing video, but if editing is important to you, you’re better off buying a MiniDV camera or one of those camcorders with an SD card.

  • Bryan Wright

    I have a miniDV at home but just purchased a Handycam DVD for use at work thinking the DVD would simply things. I was wrong. I like using Windows Movie Maker at home and assumed I could do so with the Handycam output. My goal was to insert .wmv files into PowerPoint presentations. From all that I initially experienced, and then read on the web, it didn’t look like I could do that. However, I stumbled on a fairly easy work around.

    First, using Picture Motion Browser, select “Video trimming” under the “Manipulate” menu.

    Second, edit out a least one second of the video clip your interested in and then save as a new mpeg.

    Then import this mpeg into Movie Maker. From here it can be turned into a movie and saved as a .wmv file.

    I’ve found that it doesn’t work unless you shave off a least one second of the original mpeg file.

    Let me know what you think.

  • Jeremy

    this is great!! they haven’t released the new picture package software for vista and i didnt know what to do. i’ll give it a go in the morning.

    thanks again,

    jeremy

  • David Ferguson

    I thank you for the instructions in this post.

    I weep, but I thank you as I consider my Sony DCR-SR40.

  • Aldin

    Bryan Wright I read ur thread and what is Picture Motion Browser

  • Snorpht FingerPoot

    Hundreds of $$s hundreds of hours and now you all confirm what I have discovered.

    This was a lousy trick to pull. No More Sony.

  • http://www.devotionables.com Missy

    I tried what you suggested, but Movie Maker keeps giving me the following message:

    C:\Documents and Settings\User\My Documents\My Pictures\handycam\jump(1).mpg could not be imported. An interface has too many methods to fire events from

    Any ideas what I’m doing wrong? Thanks so much! I’ve spent days trying to figure this out and you sound like there might be hope!

  • gem

    Just make note that if you have Windows XP, you’re pretty much screwed. Image mixer crashes the entire system & you’re not allowed to download/ use picture motion browser (ONLY FOR VISTA)

  • Dale Smith

    I have a Sony Handycam DVD508 and have recored on Sony DVD+RW 8cm. After recording I downladed to my computer and edited using Pictue Motion Browser. Within Picture Motion Browser I used DVD Video Creation to burn a new large Sony DVD+RW . The new DVD+RW plays on my computer (although poor quality) but not on my DVD player. I then burned a new DVD-RW and it will not play on my DVD player. Any suggestions?
    My DVD player is only a couple of years old.

  • Dawn

    Have shared your frustration . . .after bringing the .mpg files to my computer from the camera, I uploaded clips to http://www.zamzar.com and converted them to .wmv so they could be edited in MovieMaker.

  • OSman

    Sony company policy pay more get more pain! I have also a DVD handycam it is just a pice of junk. The software they give is Imagemixer is not a software of today maybe in 1980 but not anymore. I can take a wide screen DVD with the handycam but this gunies software of Sony (imagemixer) convert all files to old style and the picture quality as well as the image looks strange. Well I could not find any other software to get the files in to a computer since SONY always want us to pay them more $$$ now I will have to buy Sony VEga! no no no, no more sony shit in my life taht easy any other brand you buy you can edit with most editing softwares but not sony shit!

  • Steve

    http://wp3.lockergnome.com/media/2005/12/03/sony-handycam-dvd-headaches/

    After wrestling with this for days and finding it a case that not even PapaJohn’s advice could help effectively advise me on, the solution I came up with, at least for now in my continuing to be able to work with Windows Movie Maker plus my new Sony HandyCam DCR DVD 650, is to do as follows: First, Google and download the Prism video converter program. Use this program to convert the .Mpeg2 file to an .AVI file. As such, it will only retain the video portion of the .Mpeg2 file, not the audio part. Nonetheless, import this .AVI file into Windows Movie Maker. Next, import the .original Mpeg2 file into Movie Maker. Windows Movie Maker will treat the Mpeg2 file as an audio file only, placing it into the audio groove. But that said, the two files combined will then give you the full video you’re after. Make sure both files are matched up with the timeline. Once all that’s done, use Windows Movie Maker to publish this as a .WMV file, and wa la, there you have it! The very type of file you wanted to be able to work with in the first place. It is a long time consuming process I admit, but at least it enables you to create the kinds of video clips you want to work with using Windows Movie Maker. If I come up with a quicker solution I’ll be sure to post back and let everyone know. But that’s the best solution I was able to come up with so far.

  • Steve

    It turned out that solution was not the best. Not that it matters much now. For after crossing that barrier I came to the discovery that the quality of what Sony HandyCam camcorders produce — which is the bottom line — is far from what any serious videographer can meaningfully work with. The resolution of the output of Sony Handycams — even in .Mpeg2 format and at HQ — is terrible, unless you don’t mind producing a blotchy video all throughout. Maybe that look can be useable somewhere, somehow, what Windows Movie Maker refers to as the “posturize” effect. But certainly not through the length of an entire video! There’s also what I call the “cha cha cha” effect. This is when you play back the Sony digital video on your PC, and instead of playing back smoothly it stops (snags) and then plays, stops (snags) and then plays. Anyway, I gave it my all. But Sony still has so far to go. And are they even trying to get there I wonder? In any event, I returned the Handycam yesterday and am now looking back to analog video as having been a thousand times better.