Live video from non-FW camera

September 14, 2009 8:10 AM

New Panasonic camcorder doesn't seem to send out live video through USB2. Do I have alternatives to get the HDMI output into my Mac, or am I back at square one?

We're preparing for a work event later this week, and I'm testing my new setup (related in part to this old question).

We just got the new camcorder (a Panasonic HDC-TM20), and I'm quite shocked to discover that the camera does not output it's image and sound through the USB connection live. (The camera doesn't have Firewire.) I did a bit of research on new cameras, and nowhere did I see this limitation mentioned with regard to USB2-enabled cameras, but now that I know what to look for, it seems that this is, sadly, the normal state of affairs.

The camera does HDMI out, but I'm not sure if that helps with my situation. Has anyone had good results using some kind of middle hardware layer to get HDMI into a Mac from a camcorder? Or should I return this camera and start from scratch with a model that has Firewire? (This is for archived webcast quality presentations, so full HD quality isn't necessary in case that's relevant.)

Thanks!

posted by j-dawg to computers & internet (4 comments total)

I've never tried an HDMI to DVI converter, but it seems as if there are plenty of people out there trying to sell them to you.

According to this article, though, you will need another way of transmitting the audio because DVI is a video-only protocol.
posted by jordanlewis at 8:29 AM on September 14

I'm pretty sure the Mac's DVI port is output only, so that's not a viable solution as far as I know.
posted by j-dawg at 8:46 AM on September 14

You'll need to look at hardware by companies like Decklink, Aja, or MOTU. If you can get analog component out of the camera, something like this can take component input and capture it via USB. If you're stuck with HDMI/DVI, there are some very slick boxes that will take HDMI input and spit out high quality video over FW800.
posted by kid_dynamite at 9:02 AM on September 14

Well, if you have a MacPro: Black Magic Intensity card does HDMI in/out. At $200, connected to your 2.5k MacPro and the $1k FCP, it's a steal.
posted by filmgeek at 9:34 AM on September 14