In my experience, the widget (or you can do the same thing with software from your PC) connects through the stills socket in order to reprogram the camcorder code. This then allows the dv socket to be used bi-directionally. Either the widget then acts as a record button or the pc editting software actually starts and stops the cam when required. If you have no dv socket at all I don't think the widget will help - you certainly need to confirm that before buying one.
I have a panasonic, dv-out only, cam which I in-enabled using software downloaded from the net and the serial-to-stills lead which comes with the cam. DV quality footage is then transferred to PC and saved as avi format. Editted DV quality mpg2 movies can be saved back to DV tape via the firewire cable.
Its certainly worth searching the web for DV in info for your model. This is where I got my DV enabling software from: (I have subsequently disabled and re-enabled with no problems)
http://www.volny.cz/mkrejcik/dvzone.htm
editted to remove some gobbledegook which somehow appeared.