Hi all, new poster but been a lurker for a while :)

OK have just a few days ago got myself a Canon HG21 and happy with results so far.

However one of my gripes is the Imagemixer software to transfer files from the HG21 HDD to my PC's HD - it is agonisingly slow and these are for what I would call as small files like 300- 350MBs in size each. Some are taking 10, 15 or even 90+ minutes to transfer these what I would call small files. BTW my PC is Vista Home Premium, Quad Core PC with 4GB Ram with over 1TB of hard drive space available with a 9600GT 256MB DDR2 video card.

During my lurking I recall reading a post related to the HG20 where a user used Windows Explorer to transfer the files with this having a few advantages, those being;
1. Faster Transfer speed
2. Better Quality output
3. No noise or stuttering in video playback.

The above was done via Adobe Premier if I recall correctly. I am happy to go out and buy this but is the above correct?

Basically why is the transfer from the HG21 so slow and really what is the BEST way to transfer video from the HG21 HDD to the (Windows) PC for faster transfer and best quality output.....

Please educate me :)

gwmbox, that's too slow for your setup and the size of the files being transferred. I would see if the issue is with your pc by transferring the same size files from an external USB hard drive to your pc and see if the transfer time is the same as when you are transferring from the HG21 with Pixela.

If it's just as slow, then you'll know it's not the software but something with your pc. Another thing to consider is maybe you are misreading the process and thinking that it's still transferring, when it's actually done(?)

As far as the shortcut method of transferring files; when the HG21 is connected to the pc, you go through the folder architecture and locate the "Stream" folder on the HG21 and then copy (COPY ONLY/NEVER CUT) the .mts files and then paste them into a folder on your pc's hard drive.

You could also do this is a test, to bypass the Pixela software to gauge the transfer times.

Once done transferring, safely disconnect the HG21 by using add/remove hardware function in pc system tray. Once the red activity light has stopped on the HG21, you can then turn off the HG21 and put it aside.
Open Pinnacle, (or whatever software you prefer than can read .mts),and navigate to that pc folder with the .mts files and select them for import.

You can also record to an SDHC card in the HG21's SD card slot.. turn the HG21 off.. take the card out of the HG21..put the card into a card reader on your pc..and then locate the stream folder/copy the .mts files to your pc.
(Once you turn off the HG21 and take the card out, the HG21 is not needed anymore.)

Thanks for the reply, yes it is the camera or software that is agonisingly slow as I have an external hard drive that I use via USB that transfers GB's of files daily very quickly. I have also tried it by using different USB ports....

I will try a different cable next to see if it is that...

So is no one else having this issue - just want to check if this is common or not.

Thanks

Ok it seems my cable was the issue - I tried another cable and it work well -so we can tick that as solved.

But does anyone know if there is any truth to there being a better quality output if you transfer via Windows Explorer and use Adobe Premier versus transferring by ImageMixer? I am getting Adobe Premier either way as it has greater flexibility and features for making movie's - but just want to know what is the better transfer method or if there si no difference?

image mixer manage file for you . if you look at output folder you 'll see dated foler and time-file and no 4-GB limited(image mixer stitched consecutive file for you).

Ok it seems my cable was the issue - I tried another cable and it work well -so we can tick that as solved.

But does anyone know if there is any truth to there being a better quality output if you transfer via Windows Explorer and use Adobe Premier versus transferring by ImageMixer? I am getting Adobe Premier either way as it has greater flexibility and features for making movie's - but just want to know what is the better transfer method or if there si no difference?

gwmbox, it is not capturing anything. It will always be the same data/same output produced; it's just a matter of how fast it can be transferred to it's completion.