How to connect to a PC. - HC-V180, HC-VX870

Operating Environment

Even if the system requirements mentioned in these operating instructions are fulfilled, some PCs cannot be used.
A compatible Blu-ray disc/DVD writer drive and media are necessary for writing to a Blu-ray disc/ DVD.
Operation is not guaranteed when 2 or more USB devices are connected to a PC, or when devices are connected through USB hubs or by using extension cables.
Operation is not guaranteed when operation on an upgraded OS.
Operation is not guaranteed when operation on an OS other than the one pre-installed.
This software is not compatible with Microsoft Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98SE, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP.

Operating environment for HD Writer LE 3.0
Format	Compatibility
OS	Windows 8/Windows 8.1 (32 bit/64 bit) Windows 7 (32 bit/64 bit) SP1 Windows Vista (32 bit) SP2 Windows 10 HC-VX870 - A 64-bit version of the Windows 7/Windows 8/Windows 8.1 OS is required for operations involving 4K motion pictures.
CPU	Intel Pentium 4 2.8 GHz or higher (including compatible CPU) Intel Core 2 Duo 2.16 GHz or higher or AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 5200+ or higher is recommended when using playback function. Intel Core 2 Quad 2.6 GHz or higher is recommended when using editing function in order to play seamless. Intel Core i7 2.8 GHz or higher is recommended when using playback or editing function for 1080/60p. HC-VX870 - Intel Core i7 3.5 GHz or higher is recommended when using playback or editing function for 4K motion pictures.
RAM	Windows 7/Windows 8/Windows 8.1: 2 GB or more (64 bit)/1 GB or more (32 bit) Windows Vista: 1 GB or more HC-VX870 - 8 GB or more is recommended when using playback or editing function for 4K motion pictures.
Display	High Color (16 bit) or more (32 bit or more recommended) Desktop resolution of 1024x768 pixels or more (1920x1080 pixels or more recommended) Graphics card complying with DirectX 9.0c (DirectX 10 recommended) and DirectDraw overlay PCI Express™ x16 compatible recommended Video memory of 256 MB or more recommended For model HC-VX870 A video card compatible with hardware decoding of 4K motion pictures is required when using playback function for 4K motion pictures. (For example) Intel HD Graphics 4000 or higher. NVIDIA GeForce 600 series or higher. A video memory of 2 GB or more is required when using playback or editing function for 4K motion pictures. A 4K-compatible monitor and video card is required for 4K resolution playback.
Free hard disk drive space	Ultra DMA — 100 or more 450 MB or more (for installing the software) If the compression setting is enabled, errors will occur during recording. Clear the check box for [Compress this drive to save disk space] in [Properties] for the hard disk drive.
Sound	DirectSound Support
Interface	USB port
Other requirements	Mouse or equivalent pointing device Internet connection

Note:

This software is only for Windows.
Input is not supported in languages other than English, German, French, Simplified Chinese and Russian.
Operation cannot be guaranteed on all Blu-ray disc/DVD drives.
Operation is not guaranteed on Windows Vista Enterprise, Windows 7 Enterprise, Windows 8 Enterprise, Windows 8.1 Enterprise or Windows RT.
For Windows 8/Windows 8.1, this software is available only as a desktop application.
This software is not compatible with a multi-boot environment.
This software is not compatible with a multi-monitor environment.
If using Windows Vista/Windows 7/Windows 8/Windows 8.1, administrative account and standard account users only can use this software. (An administrative account user should install and uninstall this software.)

To use the HD Writer LE 3.0 (HC-V180)

You will need a high performance PC depending on the functions to be used. It may not properly play back or properly operate depending on the environment of the PC used. Refer to the operating environment and notes.

Note:

Operation during the playback may become slow if the CPU or memory is not fulfilling the requirements of the operating environment.
Always use the most current driver for the video card.
Always make sure there is enough capacity on the HDD in the PC. It may become inoperable or the operation may stop suddenly if the capacity gets low.

To use the HD Writer AE 5.2

You will need a high performance PC depending on the functions to be used. It may not properly play back or properly operate depending on the environment of the PC used. Refer to the operating environment and notes.

Note:

Operation during the playback may become slow if the CPU or memory is not fulfilling the requirements of the operating environment.
Always use the most current driver for the video card.
Always make sure there is enough capacity on the HDD in the PC. It may become inoperable or the operation may stop suddenly if the capacity gets low.

Operating environment for the card reader function (mass storage)
Format	Compatibility
OS	Windows 10 (32 bit/64 bit) (HC-V180) Windows 8/Windows 8.1 (32 bit/64 bit) Windows 7 (32 bit/64 bit) SP1 Windows Vista (32 bit) SP2
CPU	1 GHz or higher 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor (including compatible CPU)
RAM	Windows 7/Windows 8/Windows 8.1/Windows 10 (HC-V180): 2GB or more (64 bit)/1 GB or more (32 bit) Windows Vista Home Basic: 512 MB or more Windows Vista Home Premium/Business/Ultimate/Enterprise: 1 GB or more
Interface	USB port
Other requirements	Mouse or equivalent pointing device

The USB equipment operates with the driver installed as standard in the OS.

Installation

When installing the software, log on to your computer as the Administrator or with a user name with equivalent authorization. (If you do not have authorization to do this, consult your manager.)

Before starting the installation, close all applications that are running.
Do not perform any other operations on your PC while the software is being installed.
Explanation of operations is based on Windows 7.

Installing HD Writer LE 3.0 (HC-V180)

Refer to the Panasonic Global website for the HD Writer LE3.0 Download program.

Installing HD Writer AE 5.2 (HC-VX870)

Refer to the Panasonic Global website for the HD Writer AE5.2 Download Program.

Uninstalling HD Writer software

Select [Start]
Select [Control Panel]
Select [Uninstall a Program]
Select [HD Writer LE 3.0] or [HD Writer AE 5.2], then click [Uninstall].
- Proceed with the uninstallation by following the on-screen instructions.
- After uninstalling the software, be sure to reboot the PC.

Connecting to a PC

Connect this unit to the PC after the software applications are installed.

Connect this unit to the AC adaptor. Use the AC adaptor to free you from worrying about the battery running down.
Turn on the unit.
Using the supplied USB cable connect this unit to a PC. The USB function selection screen will appear.
Touch [PC] on the screen of this unit.
- The Smart Wizard Screen is automatically displayed when HD Writer LE 3.0 or HD Writer AE 5.2is installed.
- This unit is automatically recognized as an external drive of the PC.
- When you select an option other than [PC], reconnect the USB cable.
- When using the battery, the LCD monitor turns off after about 5 seconds. Touch the screen to turn the LCD monitor on.

Note:

Do not use any other USB cables except the supplied one. (Operation is not guaranteed with any other USB cables.)
When this unit is connected to a PC using a USB cable while the unit is turned on, power is also supplied from the PC to this unit.
When performing reading/writing between a PC and an SD card, be aware that some SD card slots built into PCs and some SD card readers are not compatible with the SDHC Memory Card or SDXC Memory Card.

To disconnect USB cable safely

Select the USB icon in the task tray displayed on the PC, and then select the model number of this unit to disconnect the USB cable.
Depending on your PC’s settings, this icon may not be displayed.

About the screen indication of the unit

Do not disconnect the USB cable, battery, or AC adaptor while the access lamp is on or card access icon appears on the unit screen.
If the screen does not change when the unit is operated while connected to a PC, disconnect the battery and/or AC adaptor, wait approximately 1 minute, reconnect the battery and/or AC adaptor, wait approximately 1 minute again, and then turn the unit back on. (Data may be destroyed when above operation is performed while accessing the SD card.)

About the PC Display

We recommend using HD Writer LE 3.0 or HD Writer AE 5.2 to copy motion picture data. Using Windows Explorer or other programs on the PC to copy, move or rename files and folders recorded with this unit will result in them being unusable with HD Writer LE 3.0 or HD Writer AE 5.2. It is impossible to write data to SD card on this unit from a PC.

When the unit is connected to a PC, it is recognized as an external drive.

The following data will be recorded:

Up to 999 still pictures in JPEG format ([S1000001.JPG] etc.)
MP4 format (1080/60p) motion picture files ([S1000001.MP4] etc.)
MP4 format (720/30p) motion picture files ([S1000001.MP4] etc.)
MP4 format (360/30p) motion picture files ([S1000001.MP4] etc.)
iFrame format motion picture files ([S1000001.MP4] etc.
JPEG format still pictures created from the motion picture
JPEG format still pictures recorded in Stop Motion Animation Assist Mode
The motion picture thumbnails
AVCHD format motion picture files ([00000.MTS] etc.)
For management

Copying your still pictures to your PC

Card reader function (mass storage). Still pictures recorded with this unit can be copied to the PC with Explorer or other programs.

Double-click the folder that contains the still pictures.
- An example of the folder path is folder [DCIM] to folder [100CDPFQ] then view images.)
Drag and drop the still pictures onto the destination folder (on the PC’s HDD).

Note:

Do not delete the SD card’s folders. Doing so may make the SD card unusable in this unit.
Do not delete or edit files on the SD card or USB HDD on the PC. If you do so, this unit may not be able to read these files or its functions may not operate correctly.
When data not supported by this unit has been recorded on a PC, it will not be recognized by this unit.
Always use this unit to format SD cards.