prob some simple answer but i'm not too technical so......

why do they say that using usb to transfer minidv to computer results in loss of video quality vs. firewire which does not.

i thought the difference between usb and firewire technology was only the speed transfer rate, not loss in data....so i would have assumed that the minidv transfer would just take longer via usb....but surprised to find you actually lose video quality during the transfer as well

[Edited on January 4, 2007 at 3:42 AM. Reason : k]

1/4/2007 3:41:44 AM

who is they and what camera?

so while in a perfect world where the minidv camera you are transferring from would slow down to accomodate the lower data rate of usb (i assume we are talking usb 1.1) then yes it would just take long and there would be no loss in quality - it's been a while but if i remember correctly usb bandwidth is shared across ports while firewire is not - i transfer minidv video to my pc often but i've only ever used firewire - i've never even attempted usb though...

1/4/2007 10:10:18 AM

because the DV format is firewire only.

http://www.pixela.co.jp/en/products/tv_capture/pix_uvcd_u1w/index.html

and other DV->USB works because it uses a firewire->usb bridge. You still shouldn't lose video QUALITY though, it's probably just going to be slower. Who is "they" that say the quality is worse, when it's pretty rare to ever even do it?

1/4/2007 10:20:31 AM

Tyler and Alan, is it not b/c the camera lacks the ability to slow the playback while capturing? You COULD capture the full quality, only if your camera was able to effectively playback in "slow motion." (Which none are...)

It's a bandwidth issue-- like trying to download a video over a 56k modem (just an analogy...) except the video MUST be streamed in realtime, with no buffering.

1/4/2007 11:01:39 AM

shouldnt make any difference. Firewire has a 400mbps bandwidth and USB 2.0 has 480mbps. Both are more than adequate to capture a DV stream. Maybe if you had a USB cable sharing with other heavy bandwidth devices (like doing large file transfer to a USB hard drive while capturing on the same controller), it would have repercussions.

1/4/2007 12:36:46 PM

Firewire has a greater average throughput. It is necessary for transferring large video files.

USB 2.0 is fast, but only in 'peak' bandwidth. It performs best when sending multiple small files.

1/4/2007 12:57:12 PM

sorry let me clarify....

i bought an hc21 sony camcorder.....i've been reading the forums at camcorderinfo.com
people who transfer minidv to their computer say u get better video quality via firewire whereas usb causes video and audio loss

i don't know if this is just sony's dcr-hc line or all minidv camcorders

i would agree that it should only be slower in the transfer but no loss in quality


on another note....what's a good simple to use video editing s/w?

1/4/2007 1:10:35 PM

Pinnacle Studio has the best ease of use/power ratio i've seen.


I have never come across a cam that would even LET you transfer using USB, so I can't really comment on audio/video loss, etc...


But basically, when your tape is playing back on your camcorder, the connection has to be fast enough to capture all that data in real time. There is a quite a bit of data (uncompressed DV takes up LOTS of space), so you need a wire that can transfer all that [i]consistently[/].


my only thought is that maybe your cam is able to somehow compress the video before sending it over USB, or downsample the audio or something. Though that is very doubtful. Either way, just buy a $5 Firewire PCI card and be done w/it.

[Edited on January 4, 2007 at 1:15 PM. Reason : f]

1/4/2007 1:13:31 PM

^ yeah it seems it captures data in real time and thus it's 'streaming' like someone said earlier.....but i would think it's a simple data transfer from the minidv to the computer hard drive (like transfering files from a usb drive to the hard drive)....why is it a real time streaming?

seems like others have the same question i did:
http://www.liewcf.com/blog/archives/2006/02/import-video-from-sony-handycam-camcorder/

[Edited on January 4, 2007 at 1:18 PM. Reason : k]

1/4/2007 1:17:56 PM

yeah i'll get a firewire card no prob i just wanted to understand technology better
and it's funny that sony includes the usb cable but not the firewire....lol

otherwise, it's a great little camcorder a step up from my old 30lb gargantuan sony hi8mm

1/4/2007 1:21:02 PM

They don't incluse a firewire cable because they are more expensive. It is not sent as a datastream because that's not how it is stored. The camcorder plays back the video over the cable to the computer. The computer then captures the video. Firewire was created with this as one of its primary purposes. USB just happens to be cheap and widely available. It's not good for this particular use though.

1/4/2007 1:27:24 PM

maybe i should have got a minidvd camcorder instead and not worry about streaming and transfering to computer but i couldn't pass up on the price

1/4/2007 1:32:11 PM

it's easy to do - i use the latest version of pinnacle for most of the stuff i do and it's about as simple as could be

1/4/2007 1:40:16 PM

^^you'll see, once you get your 'system' going, you'll be glad you didn't get a DVD camcorder.


miniDV is more flexible ( you can convert it to any filetype you like)
tapes are cheaper + reusable
Cams are smaller

etc etc

1/4/2007 3:34:30 PM

^yep, those mini-dvd camcorders suck donkey balls. DV is amazing once you get your stuff setup, and even moreso if you have a Mac and either Final Cut or the iDVD/iMovie thing thats with iLife.

1/4/2007 7:19:35 PM

sweet...i hope to get this up and running.....what other good easy to use s/w are there besides pinnacle...how much is pinnacle

1/4/2007 7:36:41 PM