LIFEFLIX 2.5: YOUR OLD MINIDV CAMCORDER'S NEW BEST FRIEND

VIDEO SOFTWARE

- J.R. Bookwalter

If you shot home videos between 1995 and 2010, there’s a good chance you did so with a tape-based MiniDV camcorder. With its simple FireWire connectivity, the DV format had a great run prior to the advent of smartphones. For those who want to relive those taped memories, LifeFlix (go.macworld.com/lflx) is a Mac application that makes it simple to do.

ATTACH YOUR CAMCORDER AND IMPORT THE VIDEO

LifeFlix streamlines the process of capturing tapes in three easy steps. First, dust off your MiniDV, HDV, Hi-8, or Digital 8 camcorder and attach it to the Mac with a FireWire cable. This will be the biggest stumbling block for many, since Apple abandoned FireWire in 2012. You can overcome this hurdle by investing in a Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter (go. macworld.com/th2f; $29 at Apple); most users will also need a FireWire 400 to 800 Adapter (go.macworld. com/elgf) sold by Elago ($10 on Amazon; go. macworld.com/amfw) that I used to connect my aging JVC SR-VS30 Mini-DV/S-VHS combo deck, as well as a Canon HV20 HDV camcorder.