"I'm running Windows XP with Movie Maker but Movie Maker isn't recognizing my Canon HV20 camera. What do I do?"
The Canon HV20 is a great camcorder, but it is not compatible with the Windows XP version of Windows Movie Maker. At the time Windows XP originally appeared, most consumer camcorders were still standard definition, so no support for high definition video was built into the XP version of Movie Maker. Now that Windows Vista is on the scene, it supports all HDV format camcorders, including the Canon HV20. You have three options for editing video recorded with your Canon HV20:
Option 1) Upgrade to Windows Vista, which is not what I recommend doing unless you're ready to buy a new computer.
Option 2) Capture your video using HDVSplit and then edit with VirutalDub. This solution is great if you're on a budget, but lacks some of the advanced editing options available in full fledged editing suits.
Option 3) Purchase video editing software packages compatible with HDV format video. There are many solutions available for editing HDV. Of those listed, I use Pinnacle Studio, Sony Vegas, and Roxio Easy Media Creator regularly.
