Firewire can transfer data much faster than USB and therefore it is ideally used to transfer video from digital devices to computers with zero loss in quality. Most modern motherboard nowadays has a built-in firewire port which makes it so convenient for users. You just need to run a cable from your camcorder DV output to your firewire input port.

If for some reasons your computer does not have a firewire port. Do not worry. Nowadays, with easy plug-and-play features that are supported by all major Operating System, installing an extra firewire card has never been so easier.

Some firewire video capture card come with the Open Host Controller Interface which means that they do not even need to install drivers in order to work. Just simply plug these cards into the system and they will work. Other cards might require drivers. These cards tend to be more expensive than those of OHCI but usually support more sophisticated features such as real-time effects, etc. to reduce the load of CPU and speeding up the rendering process.

Some recommended firewire video capture cards:

TRENDnet 3-Port FireWire PCI Adapter: This card is cheap but work great. It is easy to install and has great support from TRENDnet. It can be recognize by all major Operating System just right after plug it in.

Startech.com 4 Port IEEE-1394 FireWire PCI Card with Digital Video Editing Kit: A perfect combo. It is easy to install and come with Ulead Video Video Studio which makes importing and editing video on computer has never been more convenient.

Belkin FireWire 3-Port PCI Card: Cheap and work great on old computers. This card is work great as it is but finding driver for newer version of Operating System would be hard.

Having a firewire video capture card is a perfect way to transfer video from other devices into computers. With the extra power from real-time processing of these cards, you can notice the boost up in preferment of your old machine just right after plug them in. You can shop online for a good deal. Ebay is great place to start with.

There are many different kind of video design software on the market today and they all have their own pros and cons. Choosing the one that is best fit with the needs and budgets is sometime really troublesome. Below are reviews of some of the best software available on the market nowadays.

Sony Vegas Movie Studio: This product is backed up by Sony so it cannot go wrong. It is known as a very solid, stable and well-designed product that is packed with hundreds of features. It is required sometime to learn all the features but the good news is Vegas Studio has a very amazing interactive tutorial system. New users are highly recommended to look through them first.

Cyberlink Power Director: One of the best available for video design software. It combines a perfect balance of both simplicity and versatility. Some of features that makes it stand out from the crowd are: uploading directly to Youtube, particle effects, SD to HD up-scaling, tons of output format, and automated “Magic” Editing tools.

Pinnacle Studio: This is high-end video design software. It comes with all standard features with added HDTV video format. Drag and drop make it very easy to use however; there are many features and options, it would take some time and practice to take advantages of it full capacity.

Corel Video Studio: Very easy to use with a clean and well-designed interface. It provides smooth playbacks. Options are easy to set for both beginner and advanced users. It comes with tons of features including multi trimming, inserting effects, transitions, audio, etc.

Adobe Premiere Elements: Standout features including Adobe Elements Organizer, easy to use interface, unmatched production capacities. It had been on top many years in the past but other companies catch on and leave it a bit behind. One thing that is still ranked at number one for Premiere Elements is its online support and tutorials. This is actually a very important factor for a lot of professional video designers.