HELP - Driver Needed?

Hello, I'm new to Mac. I have a 13 inch MacBook Pro with os x 10.7.5. I am used to "plug and play" with pc. I have a Sharp camcorder, model VL-NZ100, that my old XP would recognize.

I went and bought a Firewire 800 9-pin to 4-pin cable, plugging one end into the MBP and the other into the DV port of the camcorder. However, the computer didn't acknowledge, let alone recognize, the camcorder. For kicks, I uses a USB to hook the camcorder to the MBP, and the MBP recognized the camcorder's photographs (but not the video).

It appears I need a driver, but my search of the net didn't come up with anything. So, I'm turning to you experts at mac-forums.

How do I get videos from the camcorder to the MBP?

Most likely you'll need 3rd party software. Apple's iMovie should do the trick. In fact, someone in this thread specifically mentions that iMovie works with that model camera. If your Mac didn't come with iMovie, then you can buy it off the Mac App Store.

lifeisabeach said:

Most likely you'll need 3rd party software. Apple's iMovie should do the trick.

Click to expand...

I have iMovie on the MBP. I attached the camera via firewire, but iMovie didn't "see" the camcorder. It's the same as Finder: the computer doesn't acknowledge or see the camcorder is attached.

lifeisabeach said:

In fact, someone in this thread specifically mentions that iMovie works with that model camera.

Click to expand...

I saw that thread, but unfortunately it's 9 years old. That thread deals with a Powerbook G4, which has the driver for the camcorder. I think my MBP doesn't have that driver.

My sister has an older iMac (a desktop) that recognizes the camera. Can I somehow take the driver off of that computer and install it in my MBP?

Thanks

Have you tried your MBP with any other firewire device?
Sounds like a problem specific to your MBP - Not a driver issue.

This is from another post:

"One thing is to confirm the Mac is even seeing the camera. With the camera connected and turned on; Click on About this Mac under the Apple menu, click the More Info... button, under the Hardware tab in the window that appears, click on Firewire. A list of devices found shows up on the right and you camera should show up if it is working properly."

I followed those directions and here's what my computer said:

"FireWire Bus:
Warning: Unable to list FireWire devices.
Maximum Speed: Up to 800 Mb/sec"

I think I need to get a driver for the camcorder. Can I get it off of my sister's iMac?


Thanks.

gsahli said:

Have you tried your MBP with any other firewire device?
Sounds like a problem specific to your MBP - Not a driver issue.

Click to expand...

YIKES! I hope it isn't the MBP! Is there a way to diagnose the firewire port without another device? I don't have anything else to connect other than the camcorder......

I think your MBP has a firewire problem - not a driver problem.
(Macs aren't like Windows in this regard.)

MPG blog - Restoring a Failed Firewire 800 Port

You may also need to try a different cable.

Earlier this evening I took my MBP to the Apple store at the mall. The guy hooked it up to a peripheral via the firewire port and it worked fine. He asked what the device was that I was using and I showed him the VL-NZ100 camcorder. After fiddling around with it, he said that the camcorder is too old and that Lion is not "backward compatible" with the camcorder. He said I'd have to get the driver from Sharp (the manufacturer).

I checked with Sharp and they are not supporting the camcorder.

Here's my question: Can I somehow copy the driver from my iMac and install it on my MBP?

Thanks to all that have helped so far, and thanks to those that help in the future.

ttoepf said:

Here's my question: Can I somehow copy the driver from my iMac and install it on my MBP?

Click to expand...

So, you know what this driver is? I don't think there is a specific driver. Sorry I didn't say it that way before. Firewire is a standard protocol, and the OS X Firewire driver is all that is needed. Of course I can't be 100% sure, but I've never heard of a device-specific firewire driver.

When you were at the Apple Store were you able to reproduce the System Information: "FireWire Bus:
Warning: Unable to list FireWire devices."

I don't get that on either of my Macs - with or without something plugged into Firewire.

In reviewing the literature on Sharp's website for this camcorder, the only drivers ever supplied by Sharp were for Windows and only for transferring photos (not video) over USB. There are no drivers nor ever have been for using the Firewire port to transfer videos. Not for Windows or OS X.

I'm of the opinion that the Apple technician was incorrect in his assessment. Please follow through the steps in the link I provided earlier for "restoring" a FW800 port. I'm skeptical that this is the problem, but until you try it you won't know. If that doesn't fix it, then try a different cable. And a high quality one at that. If the Mac is working properly; the camcorder is working properly; and you have the right software on the Mac (i.e. iMovie); then barring an outright incompatibility, the problem MUST be the cable. Check out this review on Amazon from someone who had a problem similar to you with another device. The cable (similar to the kind you appear to be using) was the problem. He had to get a regular FW400-Mini-DV cable and use an adapter.
Amazon.com: Chris' review of Belkin FIREWIRE 800/400 Cable (6 feet)

EDIT: Another link for your reading pleasure.
mini-dv out to firewire 800 port

Bottom line? TRY ANOTHER CABLE! (edit: Also, the shorter the cable, the better)

gsahli said:

When you were at the Apple Store were you able to reproduce the System Information: "FireWire Bus:
Warning: Unable to list FireWire devices."

I don't get that on either of my Macs - with or without something plugged into Firewire.

Click to expand...

No, I didn't even try to connect the camcorder after he told me the testing confirmed the Firewire port was functioning properly. When he said it was working fine, and he told me the camcorder is too old, it didn't even occur to me to try to recreate the error message.

Should I go back and show it to a technician and ask what it means?

Thanks.

I would suggest you go back and read the posts from lifeisabeach and try those items - incl'g a new cable.

Solved

lifeisabeach said:

Check out this review on Amazon from someone who had a problem similar to you with another device. ... He had to get a regular FW400-Mini-DV cable and use an adapter.
Amazon.com: Chris' review of Belkin FIREWIRE 800/400 Cable (6 feet)

EDIT: Another link for your reading pleasure.
mini-dv out to firewire 800 port

Click to expand...

O.K., first off thanks to lifeisabeach for the incredible amount of time and effort put into helping me. I wish I could send a beer/wine/drink of choice in thanks.

Since I'd already gone through the steps to reset the port (no help) I read the two links that lifeisabeach was kind enough to hunt down for me. In the first link user "Chris" says:

"I have an old Sony camcorder ... and ... my new iMac does not have a firewire 400 input. It only has a firewire 800 input. After connecting the camcorder to the iMac I opened iMovie and tried to upload video from the camcorder. I found, to my disappointment, that the signal was not being sent.

Good thing I had also purchased the Sonnet firewire 400 to 800 adapter. I connected the Sonnet adapter to the original cable that came with the camera and the signal reached the computer with no problem."


In the second link (which is buried in the Apple support site), user Diane T says:

"After days of wasted time and 3 calls to Apple, I found a solution to my problem so I wanted to post it in case someone else needs the info:

I bought a new MacPro (mid 2010) and in 2012 tried to connect a mini-dv player to it. ... This MacPro has only 800 ports. It would not recognize that there was a device connected to the computer.

Finally I looked again at the choices at the Apple store and saw the Moshi Firewire 800 to 400 adapter there ($15). Without expecting it to work, I ordered it. IT WORKS! I plugged the cable from the camera into the adapter and the 800 end into my 800 port and Final Cut Pro X (under Lion) recognized the devices and import proceeded normally just as under the older operating systems and older macs."



After reading those two links I went to a local computer store and bought for 400 Firewire, and I also bought a 400 to 800 adaptor. IT WORKS.

NOTE: I EXCHANGED THE 800 FIREWIRE FOR ANOTHER, TO SEE IF IT WAS THE CABLE, AND IT STILL DIDN'T WORK. I'M GOING TO RETURN THE 800 FIREWIRE FOR A REFUND

Thanks to lifeisabeach for hunting down the links, I'm forever grateful.

I'll have to keep that in mind. I have some stuff that I need to transfer via firewire and might be in the same situation. I have a Belkin cable with Firewire 800 on one end and 400 on the other. It has worked well with hard drives but I have not tried it with other devices.