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Topic: IEEE 1394 card needed

Steve Kraus
Film God

Posts: 4094
From: Chicago, IL, USA
Registered: May 2000

posted 04-08-2003 01:52 PM

I need to get an IEEE 1394 (Firewire, I-Link) PCI card for my PC. They seem cheap enough. Anything to look for / avoid or are they pretty much all the same? In that case what bundled cheapo video editing software is recommended? This will be under W98SE. Thanks.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 04-08-2003 02:37 PM

Well first off don't expect my post here to be exceptionally helpful. I am mainly just posting to add to my post count so I can access the Sneak Preview section.

But all firewire cards are not the same. I wouldn't get the cheapest thing you see, but there is also no need to get the most expensive, either. Try to avoid the proprietary stuff... the cards that come bundled with editing software, etc. From my experience it is hard to get those cards to work with other things like external hard drives or computer networks. If you want cheapo editing software, well I can't help you there. All I can recommend for the PC is Avid. Adobe Premiere is almost decent but neither of those programs are cheapo.

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Steve Kraus
Film God

Posts: 4094
From: Chicago, IL, USA
Registered: May 2000

posted 04-08-2003 03:51 PM

I meant more in the sense of a general purpose card that comes with "free" software as a sales inducer, not so much the idea of a card + software combo. Then all things being equal I might as well get the one with the software. Like when scanners came with Photoshop LE as opposed to some other bundleware I would rather have PSLE.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 04-08-2003 05:41 PM

Adaptec has lots of stuff to buy related to Firewire. You can purchase standalone cards or bundles featuring DVD/CD writing software. They also offer the "DuoConnect" card, a 2-in-1 solution featuring 3 USB 2.0 ports and 2 Firewire ports in a single $99 card.

Companies like Orange, Belkin and others offer various USB 2.0 and Firewire solutions. But Adaptec seems to offer the most experience and support. Their website also has product info for new RAID, Ultra320 SCSI and Serial ATA solutions.
www.adaptec.com

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Mike Heenan
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1896
From: Scottsdale, AZ, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 04-08-2003 06:31 PM

I bought a firewire card at fry's electronics for 25 bucks, and it works perfectly. It even came with the cable too, that connect's to the camera, not a bad deal. I forget the name brand though, if I find it, I will post again.

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Matt Hale
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 123
From: Vancouver, Canada
Registered: Dec 2002

posted 04-08-2003 07:44 PM

I used to do service work in a computer store and we had the best results from cards with the Texas Instruments chipset. Less driver problems than other makes. I believe TI chips can be found in PC Ally cards, among others.

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Dave Macaulay
Film God

Posts: 2321
From: Toronto, Canada
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 04-09-2003 09:55 PM

I got one about a month ago, I went to a computer parts store and asked what they had. The clerk asked if I want a good one or a cheap one, I picked "good". It's an Adaptec and came with cable and a usable video editing package (won't format a DVD or do fancy compression as far as I've found). The card has worked flawlessly.

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Steve Kraus
Film God

Posts: 4094
From: Chicago, IL, USA
Registered: May 2000

posted 04-09-2003 11:07 PM

I bought an Adaptec "FireConnect 4300" which came with a cable and software called MGI Videowave (which ought to do til I can figure out why Premiere and my box are not happy together). Winblows recognized it as a TI-powered card so it has that going for it too.

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 04-09-2003 11:23 PM

Hpefully the one you bought will work but des it really matter which one U buy. Just get it at Comp USA or a reputable returnable store, try it out and if ya don't like it ya can return it and get another one, or your $$ back. IEEE 1394 is not that big a deal......
Mark

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 04-10-2003 02:09 PM

Give this a whirl Mr. Steve:

-----------------------------
For capturing:

File/capture/movie capture/(opens new window)

Settings/edit/(opens new window)

Capture format/select card from drop down menu

-----------------------------

Make sure Project/project settings/capture is set appropriately as well. Premiere was written to be a pain to the user.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 04-10-2003 02:11 PM

IEEE 1394 is indeed a big deal if you edit video.

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