Firewire video capture is a way to capture video which was invented by Apple back in 1986. Firewire is actually just an Apple name for IEEE 1394 High Speed Serial Bus. It is an interface for high-speed communication and isochronous real-time data transfer that is used by computers as well as other applications such as digital audio, video, automotive, etc.
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.
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