Gaming Firewire

[UnseenHero]

Ok well recently i got a camcorder and i wanted to make videos so i found outi needed a dv cable. So after intense searching i found one but then they mentioned something about "firewire" So i researched it and i found out as much as i can. I have a few questions.

Is it worth it?
should i buy a external one? or an internal or not just buy one at all since i am not all to bright about computers.
How do i install?(if i get)
Well i dont have any specifics of my computer (its a hunk of trash) since im not at my home now. But it is very old and runs on XP. I never opened up my computer since i am 13 and my dad doesnt let me. So anyone got a guide how to put it in and also if you need specifics ill tell you them once i get to my house (youll need to tell me how to find all the specifics you need)

Just wanna say thanksin adnvance


P.S my camcorder needed a charger (sincei got without one) so im gonna post links on items i saw and can you guys say if worth buying and/or trusting thta place

thanks loads

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=...tingid=23558481
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.js...amp;tab=summary
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywo...sl_4vcusbqfik_b

 

[Lee79]

If you are using DV tape (Digital tape) you want to use Firewire to connect the camera to your pc to transfer the film onto it. As it is done digitaly and not by analog composite video connection it will be better and faster. If your PC does not have Firewire you can get a PCI card with it on. It is easy to install just plug it in a PCI slot on the main board, Start PC and put in the disc that comes with it and load the drivers then plug in and load any software that comes with your camera.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?...N82E16815124026

 

[Wabsta]

If you are using DV tape (Digital tape) you want to use Firewire to connect the camera to your pc to transfer the film onto it. As it is done digitaly and not by analog composite video connection it will be better and faster. If your PC does not have Firewire you can get a PCI card with it on. It is easy to install just plug it in a PCI slot on the main board, Start PC and put in the disc that comes with it and load the drivers then plug in and load any software that comes with your camera.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?...N82E16815124026

This isn't necesary, there are FW to USB cables...

 

[UnseenHero]

@Lee79
Problem i odnt know if i would be using a digital tape ki am using a Canon Camcorder ZR500
someone gave it ot me never used BUT they only gave me a camera i didnt get anything else

@Wabsta
there are DV to usb cables but i only found expensive ones anbd this method looks cheaper and works better.
If i am not making any sense then that might mean i didnt understand what u said

and i would be sorry

 

[Lee79]

@Lee79
Problem i odnt know if i would be using a digital tape ki am using a Canon Camcorder ZR500
someone gave it ot me never used BUT they only gave me a camera i didnt get anything else

That camera use's MiniDv tape so you will be. and looking at the spec below you are going to need at least 30gb free on you harddrive's aswell

QUOTEMiniDV

Commonly referred to as just DV[6]. The "L" cassette is about 120 × 90 × 12 mm and can record up to 4.6 hours of video (6.9 hours in EP/LP). The better known MiniDV "S" cassettes, 65 × 48 × 12 mm and hold either 60 or 90 minutes of video (13 or 19.5 GB) depending on whether the video is recorded at Standard Play (SP) or Extended Play (sometimes called Long Play) (EP/LP). 80 minute tapes that use thinner tape are also available and can record 120 minutes of video in EP/LP mode. The tapes sell for as little as US$2.50 each in quantity as of 2009. DV on SP has a helical scan track width of 10 micrometres, while EP uses a track width of only 6.7 micrometres. Since the tolerances are much tighter, the recorded tape may not play back properly or at all on other devices.

 

[UnseenHero]

will the software be on the camera or did come with the camera because i didnt get anything also do u think i should get something to mkae the DV cable to a usb cable instead of going to through all this trouble also is i do use a usb will i lose quality?

 

[Lee79]

will the software be on the camera or did come with the camera because i didnt get anything also do u think i should get something to mkae the DV cable to a usb cable instead of going to through all this trouble also is i do use a usb will i lose quality?

Dont think you can as firewire works at a different transfer rate as usb, The cables you buy proberly have a circuit in them to control the transfer rates. You wont lose quality because it is digital but the transfer speed would be slower.

You can just use "Windows Movie Maker 2". Windows should find the driver for it when you plug it in and treat it as a drive in the My Computer.

 

[UnseenHero]

well the computer i have now is awful alot of memory 512mb of ram. It is extremely old. But do you thhnk getting dv to usb cable would be less hastle and cheaper?

 

[UnseenHero]

well the computer i have now is awful alot of memory 512mb of ram. It is extremely old. But do you thhnk getting dv to usb cable would be less hastle and cheaper?

 

[Raki]

well firewire to usb cables just work if your camera can send an USB signal over firewire, but most cameras cannot.

So better buy a PCI firewire card
btw I transfered videos using a powermac G4 with 466 Mhz/896 mb of ram and it worked quite ok, but don't try editing video on such a slow thing

 

[moose3]

In most cases, firewire transfer speeds are around 2x faster compared to usb 2.0 if I am remembering correctly. So I'd definitely suggest getting the PCI card as mentioned if you are working with larger sized videos. While you are at it, think about getting your Dad to get some more ram for the PC if it will take it if you plan on doing a lot of movie editing (or just a good idea in general). The crucial website has tools to find out how much and what type memory you can use, then just find it elsewhere for cheaper.