Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: IEEE 1394 card needed

This is topic IEEE 1394 card needed in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 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.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 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.

Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 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.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 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

Posted by Mike Heenan (Member # 392) on 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.

Posted by Matt Hale (Member # 1518) on 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.

Posted by Dave Macaulay (Member # 813) on 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.

Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 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.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 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

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 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.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 04-10-2003, 02:11 PM:

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