How to Make a Video Camera Live on a Laptop Screen With a USB Cable

By Nicole Schmoll

Learn how to connect your laptop to a video camera.
i Comstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images

Maybe you're itching to project a live video feed of your next meeting or class presentation onto a laptop screen. Or maybe you want to see exactly what your video camera is recording on a larger screen. Many video cameras can be easily connected to a laptop with a USB video audio capture device. It will capture and display audio and video footage taken by the camera on the connected laptop.

Locate the yellow, red and white component video and audio slots or s-video slot on your video camera. Use the composite video slots instead of the s-video slot if you can. They produce higher quality video images on laptop computers than s-video, which is optimized for display on TV. Check your video camera's user manual if you are having difficulty locating these ports.

Connect the composite video cables on your USB video audio capture device to the ports on your video camera. Plug the USB portion of the capture device into an open port on your laptop.

Test the connection by turning on the video camera and the laptop. Press "Record" on the camera and verify that what you are recording is displaying on your laptop screen. Use the device as needed to capture, display and edit the footage.

×