Actually, how do I know if my PC is equiped with a IEEE 1394 or firewire connection? What does it look like? I have 2 USB ports on my front panel, but I am uncertain what I have on the back. I took a quick glimpse, but I really don't know what I am looking for. Does it look like a USB port? Is there an identifier of sorts that I can look for? Also, if I don't have a 1394 or firewire connection, is there any other way to get my data off of my MiniDV and to the PC? Sorry for all the newbie questions and thanks for any advice that you are able to provide.
a firewire port is different. kinda looks like a usb port, but a bit bigger and is shaped like a V at one end, sorta like this.. => As fire data transfer, some cameras use a usb 2 connection, and some use a DV connection. You would have to check with in the manual to see which it uses. If you have a DV connection, but no firewire port, u can get a firewire card from ur puter store, and it should come with the cable and software to hook it up, and a program to capture the vidio. Hope this helps
Thanks. I have the Canon ZR200, so whatever it came with. I need to take a closer look at my PC to make sure that I don't already have the connection and I am just overlooking it. I may even pull out the documentation on my PC and see if it says anything.
On the picture in this article you can see how such a port looks like: http://www.digitalvideoclub.com/basics/transfer.php
Is a DV connection better than a USB one? I have noticed that the quality of my captured video varies based on the program used, and I've been told that I should try to use something other than USB. My camera does not have a firewire port.
Yes. The quality will be exactly the same as on tape when you use Firewire, independent of the capturing program.
