Problem: Camcorder mini dvds & macbook pro can't play them?

what interface does your cam have?

NEVER EVER IN A MILLION YEARDS PUT A MINI DISC IN YOUR MAC’S SLOT DRIVE

Most firewire DVD players with a tray(!) can play mini cd/dvd’s.

If you are open to USB2.0 products (works just as well), you can get it pretty cheap. This one isn’t all that bad looking next to a macbook and it’s very well prized!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106329

you will want FW over USB for video
much faster

You should be able to import using your video camera to play the mini DVDs and a cable. The instruction manual for your camera should tell you what cable to use.

Never get a miniDVD cam, they encode and it significantly degrades the pic quality. plus is a pain to work with…. it’s purpose is to NOT edit the movie but take the movie on holiday, store it. and thats it.

Get a MiniDV cam with tapes.

@patg7590 -you will want FW over USB for video
much faster

That’s nonsense, both connectors allow for a much greater transferspeed then CD/DVD can write to. USB being the highest tranferrate. I know what it’s disadvantage is against firewire but running an external CD/DVD drive on a MacBook has nothing to do woth that.
It’s all nice sales talk to sell the more expensive FW ones.

@martijn86 I was merely talking about importing video from the cam…for which FW is the gold standard in the video world. USB is hell with dropping frames.

touche´

But patg7590, he was talking about plugging his DVD player into FW. And the gold standard is a DVCHD/HDV/XD tape deck.. in video world nobody plugs his camera right into a computer. ;)

welcome to the wonderfully traumatic world of codecs

instead connect your video device to your mac via firewire

firewire > USB
(fundamentally)