I've got an old Panasonic camcorder (NV-GS230GC) that uses the mini DV tapes and I want to connect it to my PC (Windows 10, 64 bit) to download recordings and edit them. I've found some capture/editing software (Filmora) and downloaded it.

The camcorder instruction manual doesn't cover the PC connection issue.

The camcorder has a small 'DV' port (about 6mm wide), an S video port, a small USB port (Mini B, I think) and a single '3.5mm jack' type AV port. I've tried USB to USB but the software I have downloaded doesn't seem to link to the camcorder when it's connected.

Is the DV port on the camcorder the same as a FireWire port? The Panasonic online help pages say to use the DV port so I have a FireWire card and cable on order in the hope that this might work.

Any suggestions as to the correct ports; the correct cable and software or anything else to help me accomplish this task would be appreciated! As you may have gathered I'm new to this so don't be afraid to keep the language simple!

The socket is a 4pin firewire. So as long as your cable has that type on the end, you're ok. Your camera supports SD cards I think - not sure if there is a function to dub the DV tape onto the card - that could be easier than having to connect the cable, but I suppose would take real time to do it in.

You need to buy a pci firewire card for your pc from an online retailer like ebay or amazon for under $20. Places like Best Buy can help you install it if you’re not tech savvy.

Or look for an old computer with firewire and of course a legit Windows XP or similar. Then look download this capture program. http://www.scenalyzer.com/

Or you could get any old Macintosh, starting around 1999 or so. After that, all Macs had built-in firewire ports and were pre-loaded with iMove software that can capture DV. I think all Macs still had firewire ports up until around 2012. You might find somebody who will just give you one of these, I have a couple in my closet.

Even if you want to use a PC to actually edit, you could capture on the Mac and then copy the files to an external USB disk.