NOTE: Our equipment only supports DV/miniDV recorded in Standard Play (SP)

Step 2: Turn on DV deck

• Make sure the power conditioner and DV cam deck are on. The power button is on the lower left hand side of the deck.
• When the deck screen lights up with numbers, that means the deck is on.
• Load your tape into the DV CAM deck.

Step 3: Open ​iMovie

Note: iMovie is Apple's proprietary software for video editing. We choose to use it because it is already on the iMac and the user interface is easier to navigate than many other capture software.

• Once you have logged onto the Mac computer, double click the iMovie icon in the dock.
  Note: If the icon is not in the display, search for iMovie and double click the icon that pops up.
• iMovie will open to this screen where you can Import Media.

Step 4: Import your media

• When you click on the Import Media button on the screen, iMovie will recognize the deck and show you an image.
• Click the blue button that says IMPORT at the lower right-hand side of the screen.
• If an image does not pop up, make sure that SONY DSR-1500A is selected.
• Click STOP IMPORTING to stop recording.

Note: You can stop your DV and/or miniDV tape at any time if you only want to capture part of the tape. If you want to capture the entire tape there will be a black screen when the video is done. DV and miniDV tapes can be 5 minutes to 2 hours long.

Step 5: Save your video file

• Save your file by clicking FILE > SHARE > FILE



• Name and describe your title. Your setting should be the following:
  • Format: Video and Audio
  • Resolution: 640 x 480
  • Quality: High

• Remember to save to your USB or external hard drive.
• When your file is done, iMovie will let you know with this message:

Step 6: Describe with MetaZ

• Don't let all this hard work go to waste. Adding metadata to your home movie will ensure that you have it for years to come.
• Double click on the MetaZ icon in the Dock.
• Click on the plus sign at the bottom left and select your home movie.
• Select "Home Movie" as the Video Type.
• Enter the artist or creator name.
• Enter the title.
• The approximate date it was filmed.
• Use the Short Description box to provide other important contextual information and technical information such as: Names, Places, Description of event(s), Rights information, and How it was originally captured (VHS, MiniDV, etc.).
• To save your information, select the Write icon in the top left corner of the window.

Step 7: You are done

• Return the adapter to the Octavia Lab library staff.
• Do not forget your tape and USB.