To: ag_f68@hotmail.com
I have a Canon HF200, and rather than fool around with installing the Canon software, I simply take the card out of the camcorder, put it in a card reader and stick it in one of the USB ports in my laptop. After I open a new Video Editor project, I click on "Media Library" along the left margin, then click on Video, then click on the "Import" button just above. An Explorer window opens up, I look for the memory card, and then drill down through the folders till I find the raw .mts files. I select the ones I want and simply download into the program. Once I see them in the Editor desktop, I can either preview them in the video window or pull them onto the time line.
If you choose this method, you'll need to keep the card reader plugged into your computer while you edit and render, since I believe the program needs to access supporting files in the other video folders.
The other option would be for me to download the entire "Private" folder (you need to keep all the associated files together) to my hard drive instead of pulling the .mts files individually from the card. That's assuming I want to save the files for later access or use.
I guess a third option, which I haven't tried, would be to plug the USB cord into your computer and download the files from the camcorder. I like the card reader best. No muss, no fuss.