No Firewire400 port on Macs -- How do I import footage? at DVinfo.net

Stefan Immler · March 24th, 2009, 10:19 AM

Hi all --

I was just about to buy a new iMac and MacBook Pro but realized that none of the new Macs has a FireWire400 port needed to hook up my JVC HD100 (either directly or through a Firestore). All they have is Firewire800 and USB.

Is there a workaround other than keeping an old Mac to import footage?

Jurgen Schubert · March 24th, 2009, 11:18 AM

all you need is this adapter:

Amazon.com: Sonnet FireWire 400 to 800 Adapter (FAD-824): Electronics

greetz
Juergen

Edward Carlson · March 24th, 2009, 11:53 AM

Cables To Go - 3m IEEE-1394B Firewire® 800 9-pin/4-pin Cable
Also a cable that goes directly from 4 pin to 9 pin. They also have 6 pin to 9 pin.

4 pin is Firewire 400 unpowered, what's usually on cameras. 6 pin is Firewire 400 powered, on the computer end and some hard drives. 9 pin is Firewire 800.

Jurgen Schubert · March 24th, 2009, 12:16 PM

Cables To Go - 3m IEEE-1394B Firewire® 800 9-pin/6-pin Cable

you´re shure? i thought this one is the right one.

Edward Carlson · March 24th, 2009, 01:00 PM

Well it depends on what you want to plug in. I don't know what plug the HD100 has, but I know that the Firestore has a 6-pin port. Most camcorders have 4-pin ports, so just buy accordingly. You can also go for the adapter if you already have a bunch of cables, but the adapter makes the plug a lot longer and prone to breakage, in my opinion.

Tim Dashwood · March 25th, 2009, 02:44 AM

The HD100/200/250 have 6-pin firewire ports. The new HM700 has 4-pin.

Alex Humphrey · April 8th, 2009, 02:08 PM

can you capture from a firewire camera to a USB/firewire external drive to USB computer back to a USB drive?

I don't have that problem. I got a FE-HD100 DTE drive, so I'm sure it will work, just slower. I'll probably still get a MacBookPro, but I could get a MacBook. But if someone didn't have a DTE drive, could they capture through the USB bottleneck?

Edward Carlson · April 8th, 2009, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex Humphrey

But if someone didn't have a DTE drive, could they capture through the USB bottleneck?

No. Neither Final Cut nor iMovie supports USB video capture. Which is kind of a paradox, since the MacBook doesn't have FireWire, but comes with iMovie.

Elma Middel · January 3rd, 2010, 07:11 AM

I was referred to JVC by Apple support for this problem. I use Firewire400 on the camera and Firewire800 plugged in the iMac. I specifically bought the iMac for video-editing, and now I cannot use my tapes... Apple support says JVC should come up with a driver, JVC US says they never sold this model in the states, JVC in Europe says they don't have drivers, so I have to use my old HP Notebook as an in-between solution (which can only do low-res Quicktime import). Now here's a deadlock, or...?
I'd be soo happy if someone with Mac experience might come up with a workable solution!

William Hohauser · January 3rd, 2010, 05:20 PM

This question is better off in Non-Linear Editing on the Mac Forum at DVinfo.net.

March 24th, 2009, 10:19 AM	#1
Stefan Immler Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Washington DC Posts: 162	No Firewire400 port on Macs -- How do I import footage? Hi all -- I was just about to buy a new iMac and MacBook Pro but realized that none of the new Macs has a FireWire400 port needed to hook up my JVC HD100 (either directly or through a Firestore). All they have is Firewire800 and USB. Is there a workaround other than keeping an old Mac to import footage?

March 24th, 2009, 11:18 AM	#2
Jurgen Schubert New Boot Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Heidelberg, Germany Posts: 7	adapter: all you need is this adapter: Amazon.com: Sonnet FireWire 400 to 800 Adapter (FAD-824): Electronics greetz Juergen

March 25th, 2009, 02:44 AM	#6
Tim Dashwood Wrangler Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Toronto, ON, Canada Posts: 3,637	The HD100/200/250 have 6-pin firewire ports. The new HM700 has 4-pin. __________________ Tim Dashwood

January 3rd, 2010, 07:11 AM	#9
Elma Middel Tourist Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Mensingeweer, NL Posts: 1	iMovie does not ' see' the JVC GRD-DF420E I was referred to JVC by Apple support for this problem. I use Firewire400 on the camera and Firewire800 plugged in the iMac. I specifically bought the iMac for video-editing, and now I cannot use my tapes... Apple support says JVC should come up with a driver, JVC US says they never sold this model in the states, JVC in Europe says they don't have drivers, so I have to use my old HP Notebook as an in-between solution (which can only do low-res Quicktime import). Now here's a deadlock, or...? I'd be soo happy if someone with Mac experience might come up with a workable solution!

January 3rd, 2010, 05:20 PM	#10
William Hohauser Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: New York City Posts: 2,650	This question is better off in Non-Linear Editing on the Mac Forum at DVinfo.net. __________________ William Hohauser - New York City Producer/Edit/Camera/Animation

March 24th, 2009, 11:53 AM	#3
Edward Carlson Major Player Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: North Hollywood, CA, United States Posts: 807	Cables To Go - 3m IEEE-1394B Firewire® 800 9-pin/4-pin Cable Also a cable that goes directly from 4 pin to 9 pin. They also have 6 pin to 9 pin. 4 pin is Firewire 400 unpowered, what's usually on cameras. 6 pin is Firewire 400 powered, on the computer end and some hard drives. 9 pin is Firewire 800.

March 24th, 2009, 12:16 PM	#4
Jurgen Schubert New Boot Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Heidelberg, Germany Posts: 7	Cables To Go - 3m IEEE-1394B Firewire® 800 9-pin/6-pin Cable you´re shure? i thought this one is the right one.

March 24th, 2009, 01:00 PM	#5
Edward Carlson Major Player Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: North Hollywood, CA, United States Posts: 807	Well it depends on what you want to plug in. I don't know what plug the HD100 has, but I know that the Firestore has a 6-pin port. Most camcorders have 4-pin ports, so just buy accordingly. You can also go for the adapter if you already have a bunch of cables, but the adapter makes the plug a lot longer and prone to breakage, in my opinion.

April 8th, 2009, 02:08 PM	#7
Alex Humphrey Major Player Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: california North and South Posts: 642	can you capture from a firewire camera to a USB/firewire external drive to USB computer back to a USB drive? I don't have that problem. I got a FE-HD100 DTE drive, so I'm sure it will work, just slower. I'll probably still get a MacBookPro, but I could get a MacBook. But if someone didn't have a DTE drive, could they capture through the USB bottleneck?