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Inside Adobe
Inside Starting
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Using Firewire to Capture Video to Your Computer
Getting the video files into your computer
To get video into your computer using a direct-firewire connection, you need the following items:
1. Digital Video Camera
The camera is the method of getting a staged reality saved to tape. You can get the a digital video tape's contents transferred to your computer by making sure is has a Firewire port (aka 1394, iLink, or DV port). If you have an analog camera, you need to follow a couple more steps that will not be discussed in this article (but if you are interested, check out Dazzle's DV Bridge here).
2. Firewire Cable
This is how the data actually gets sent from your camera to your computer. Some new models include a wireless capability for transferring data, but the bandwidth is slow to consider as a viable option right now. You need a cable. The longer the cable, the more you will pay. Most Firewire cards will include a cable.
3. Firewire Card in Your Computer
Firewire cards are the mechanism by which you can connect your camcorder to your computer. A firewire cable runs from your camera's DV port to your computer's DV input. Firewire runs at a higher speed than a USB cable and has a smaller interface than SCSI, making it an ideal transport for moving digital video to your computer. That's a quick definition of Firewire.
Once you've got these items, you are ready to get video into your computer.
In order to capture video captures that will be used in the editing process, you can use:
1. Video Editing Software
Most video editing software has a mechanism by which you can control your DV device and capture video through the firewire cable. The easiest way to find out if your video editing software will function as a capturing mechanism, be sure to use the Help pages included with the software - search for "capturing."
2. Software Included with Firewire Card
Higher-end (non-OHCI) Firewire cards will sometimes include their own software for controlling the camera. In general, this software is easier to use and more feature-packed than using option 1 (editing software).
If neither your firewire card nor your video editing software has no mechanism for controlling your camera to be able to record your video clips... then it might be TIME FOR AN UPGRADE!
If so, look at:
Choosing the Right Video Camera