Firewire options?

Battle Vaughan · July 1st, 2012, 05:47 PM

Best bet is a Sager (custom gaming laptops - Welcome to Sager Notebooks) as they are one of the few with IEEE1394 on board, anymore. If you can find a laptop with a cardbus slot you can get a firewire card for it (one with the TI chips is often recommended for best compatability), and for this you might try NitroAV (Verge Labs Inc.), their cards come highly recommended.

The usb-to-firewire adapter appears to be a mythical creature, although you can find "adapter cables" on ebay, they don't. Google this and you'll find a lot of disappointed purchasers....

If you are really serious about on the road editing, the 17" Sager workstation offers the nVidia 675 graphics card and just got the 680, with 4 gb ram, but at a price. This would be a good match for Premiere cs 5 or 6 with the Mercury engine. Best wishes!

Jay Webster · July 6th, 2012, 06:19 PM

I have read that the USB to Firewire adapters do not work with camcorders/decks.
Anyone tried that route ?

Battle Vaughan · July 7th, 2012, 12:28 AM

Here's what I have been able to discover, anyone with other info please jump in:

(1) The "usb to firewire" adapters don't work (but see below). There are legions of people commenting on these who are firmly disappointed in the snake-oil devices they tried.

(2) Even if they did work, most editing systems are looking for dv or hdv log-and-capture on the firewire bus and will not see a USB device in the first place.

(3) Pinnacle (in the process of being spun off by Avid, at the moment) sells an interface device which apparently works only with Pinnacle software, which, it appears, is programmed to recognize a USB signal. It purports to accept firewire, composite, and S-video and output via usb to Pinnacle version 15 editing software. Maybe so. My early experience with their products makes me wary, and at any rate, it is not compatable with my or AFAIK any other NLE, which expects to see a firewire device for capture.

Here's a link: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/681351-REG/Pinnacle_8230_10068_41_Studio_Moviebox_Ultimate_Collection.html
If anybody knows of a solution -- and heaven knows, we need one --- I'd love to hear it....

July 1st, 2012, 05:47 PM	#16
Battle Vaughan Trustee Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Miami, FL USA Posts: 1,505	Re: Firewire options? Best bet is a Sager (custom gaming laptops - Welcome to Sager Notebooks) as they are one of the few with IEEE1394 on board, anymore. If you can find a laptop with a cardbus slot you can get a firewire card for it (one with the TI chips is often recommended for best compatability), and for this you might try NitroAV (Verge Labs Inc.), their cards come highly recommended. The usb-to-firewire adapter appears to be a mythical creature, although you can find "adapter cables" on ebay, they don't. Google this and you'll find a lot of disappointed purchasers.... If you are really serious about on the road editing, the 17" Sager workstation offers the nVidia 675 graphics card and just got the 680, with 4 gb ram, but at a price. This would be a good match for Premiere cs 5 or 6 with the Mercury engine. Best wishes!

July 6th, 2012, 06:19 PM	#17
Jay Webster Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: New York Posts: 131	Re: Firewire options? I have read that the USB to Firewire adapters do not work with camcorders/decks. Anyone tried that route ? __________________ Jay Webster WPI/NY

July 7th, 2012, 12:28 AM	#18
Battle Vaughan Trustee Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Miami, FL USA Posts: 1,505	Re: Firewire options? Here's what I have been able to discover, anyone with other info please jump in: (1) The "usb to firewire" adapters don't work (but see below). There are legions of people commenting on these who are firmly disappointed in the snake-oil devices they tried. (2) Even if they did work, most editing systems are looking for dv or hdv log-and-capture on the firewire bus and will not see a USB device in the first place. (3) Pinnacle (in the process of being spun off by Avid, at the moment) sells an interface device which apparently works only with Pinnacle software, which, it appears, is programmed to recognize a USB signal. It purports to accept firewire, composite, and S-video and output via usb to Pinnacle version 15 editing software. Maybe so. My early experience with their products makes me wary, and at any rate, it is not compatable with my or AFAIK any other NLE, which expects to see a firewire device for capture. Here's a link: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/681351-REG/Pinnacle_8230_10068_41_Studio_Moviebox_Ultimate_Collection.html If anybody knows of a solution -- and heaven knows, we need one --- I'd love to hear it.... Last edited by Battle Vaughan; July 7th, 2012 at 12:41 AM. Reason: addendum