Is the Panasonic VDR-D230 now Mac compatible?

I've had a Panasonic VDR-D230 camcorder for a little less than a year (it's only been used once) and discovered that it's not compatible with iMovie '08. It's Mac compatible, but not iMovie compatible. That was in December, I think. Since then my computer has updated iMovie '08 several times and one time dealt with "compatibility issues" but I haven't tried to connect it. I've looked all over the internet and can't find a single word about this problem. Does anyone know if this camera is now compatible with iMovie '08?

The VDR-D230 mini DVD based camcorder is about as "Mac compatible" as it is "Windows compatible".

If you start with the understanding that DVD based camcorders were not meant to have their video edited, that would be good.

The problem is HOW you get the video into the computer. Remember, this is not a Mac or Windows specific issue...

Connecting via USB and transcoding the video will always be painful and is not recommended. USB can be used successfully to transfer stills on the memory card.

If your computer has a slot loading DVD drive, DO NOT EVER put an odd sized (in this case, the small 8cm discs) disc in there. You can break the drive and scratch the disc making it unusable.

There are two ways to transfer video from a DVD based camcorder into a computer with a slot loading optical drive:

1) Transfer analog: Using one of the "Analog/digital bridges" from
http://desktop.thomsongrassvalley.com/pr...
connect the camcorder to the A/D bridge with the AV cable that came with the camcorder. Connect the A/D bridge to the computer.

2) Transfer digital: Since the files on the disc need to be translated into something your video editor can understand, you can get an external drawer loading DVD drive
http://www.lacie.com/us/products/range.h...
There are others - I happen to like LaCie.
You will also need to download and install a DVD ripper like HandBrake
http://handbrake.fr/

Take the (finalized) disc out of the camcorder and put it in the drawer loading DVD drive connected to your computer. Launch HandBrake. Translate the video on the DVD into something your video editor (in your case, iMovieHD likes .mov, .mp4 or .DV file formats) can use. When the translation is compete, launch the video editor - in your case, iMovieHD - then drag the translated video files into the clips pane or the timeline of iMovieHD.

Good luck.

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