This is a pretty common question and this post is not going to tell you step by step, but instead point you in the right direction. If you get stuck along the way then just post a question below

OK first up, you have purchased yourself a nice shiny Mini DV Camcorder, taken it on holiday, taken some really boring footage and now you want to bore the family with it?

What you will need:

1> The camcorder which will need a DV OUT port and the tape loaded inside!
2> A suitable PC - Meaning not a Pentium 100 with 16Mb RAM!!! Ask if your not sure if your PC's up to it.
3> A Firewire Card or internal Firewire port also known as i.Link or IEEE-1394
4> A Firewire cable
5> Editing software
6> Plenty of patience

Ok so numbers 1 and 2 I'm guessing you have, number 3 you may not though. In short Firewire was develped to allow you to transfer large amounts of data at high speed from external devices to your PC. This is why it is a great way to transfer digital video from your camcorder onto the PC for editing.

Some newer PC's and laptops will already have a Firewire port built in, check your PC/Laptop first. If you don't I recommend the PYRO BASIC card for desktop PC's which you can find here - http://www.adstech.com/products/intro/products.asp These cards are fairly easy to install yourself although you should always seek professional help! If you have a laptop look out for a PCMCIA Firewire card which you can plug into the laptop - you get the same result

Next up is the cable which will plug from the DV out port on your camcorder into the Firewire card on your PC. The card you purchase whould come with a suitable cable but check this when you purchase. If you need to buy the cable seperately then make sure you get a cable which fits your needs - ask for help here.

Editing software? this doesn't have to be expensive and in fact you may already have Microsoft Movie Maker installed but I have tried and tested Video Studio and I think it's one of the best products for beginners. (That said don't discount others, I just haven't personally used them )

Video Studio - http://www.ulead.com/vs/runme.htm You can even try it before you buy so you can have a practise first!

Ready? Feel free to post questions on what to do next on the forum and we will do our best to help you get your video created!