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All you need to know about FireWire
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IEEE 1394 (aka FireWire ILink) is the industry norm for transferring 'real time' data almost instantaneously
between a DV camcorder and your computer (faster than USB). FireWire is a Plug 'n' Play device and has been supported since Windows 98.
Know your port size:-
DV Camcorders feature a (Female) 4-pin FireWire port.
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PC's feature a (Female) 6-pin FireWire port.
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Laptops feature a (Female) 4-pin FireWire port.
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Laptops with PCMCIA Card feature a (Female) 6-pin FireWire port.
Your DV camcorder and the majority of PC's will be FireWire capable*, if they are not you will need to upgrade. PC's will require a PCI FireWire card (see below), while laptops owners will need to purchase a PCMCIA FireWire card (see below), especially if two or more cameras are being used.
*If you are purchasing a new computer ensure that you have enough FireWire ports or spare PCI slots, so additional PCI FireWire ports can be added. Some laptops feature a FireWire port (two ports are rare).
FireWire is designed to transfer 400Mbit/sec over a distance of 4.5 metres - however DV Camcorders streams at 3.5Mbit/sec - as a result FireWire cables can be extended maximum of 20 metres.
For distances over 20 metres a repeater is required (see below).
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PCI Cards
If you need to add, or require
additional Firewire capability, and you have a spare PCI card slot (most PC's have) then you can
simply insert one of these cards and off you go.
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PCMCIA Cards
If you need additional FireWire slots for your laptop you will need to purchase a PCMCIA FireWire card. This can, then be simply slipped into your laptop's PCMCIA slot.
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Express Cards
Latest laptop computers use a express card as opposed to a PCMCIA card - they have the same role.
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FireWire Cables
Ensure that you choose 6-pin/6-pin, 6-pin/4-pin or a 4-pin/4-pin cables when ordering (Either FireWire IEEE 1394 or FireWire IEEE 1394a)
FireWire Repeaters
When the distance between your camera and your computer is over 20 metres you will need a 'repeater' to boast the signal along the next length of FireWire. Simply connect a single repeater between each pair of cables, and the repeater will boost the signal to the next cable while correcting any errors that may have occurred during transmission.
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