So i just realized my new computer doesn't have a firewire port (4 or 6) OR an expresscard slot

how the hell can I get video off my 3 year old HD Canon camcorder? (uses a 4-pin 1394, but i have adapaters for a 6-pin connection if needed)

if you know someone who has a cord i can borrow for a weekend OR a link to a site that can ship in a reasonable time (ie not from china), many thanks!

2/27/2011 8:03:47 PM

Check monoprice

2/27/2011 8:11:48 PM

checked, i don't see any

anyone else?

2/28/2011 6:01:30 PM

http://www.monoprice.com/products/search.asp?keyword=firewire&x=0&y=0 ?

2/28/2011 6:25:40 PM

yep, that was a helpful representation of the fact that they don't have what i'm looking for

i don't think what i'm looking for even exists but i'm absolutely shocked that Canon has left me with zero ability to get DV off my camcorder without using a different computer

also Toshiba really screwed me with no firewire or expresscard slot

2/28/2011 6:47:00 PM

Toshiba screwed you huh? As in forced you to buy something that doesn't suit your needs?

2/28/2011 7:08:41 PM

well actually they did list features the computer doesn't have but i let it slide because they gave me a much better video card

it was supposed to have a media card reader as well which it doesn't

but i guess i didn't take into account that i really needed a way to hook up my cam to the computer, i guess i mean screwed in the "why have 4 usb ports and nothing else" in the design category

2/28/2011 8:00:39 PM

Go get a $25 usb capture device and feed the video from analog out into it.

Also, what kind of camera and do you want to sell it

2/28/2011 8:26:52 PM

do they make usb capture cards that capture 1080i HD? it's got an hdmi out but my computer also only has hdmi out...
it's a Canon HV20, i see they go for about $350 on ebay...

2/28/2011 8:38:27 PM

it doesnt come with expresscard OR firewire? really? what model is it?

2/28/2011 8:57:34 PM

they don't have my exact model on the website anymore but it's pretty much this except i have an i5 and an ati radeon card, note that it still says there's a media card reader but there is not...

http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/pdet.to?poid=505770

2/28/2011 9:10:14 PM

Should have got an Apple.

2/28/2011 9:15:33 PM

Quote :

"i don't think what i'm looking for even exists but i'm absolutely shocked that Canon has left me with zero ability to get DV off my camcorder without using a different computer"

LOLwut?

Canon didn't leave you without the ability to get the video off the camcorder. You left yourself in a position to not get it off.

Quote :

"also Toshiba really screwed me with no firewire or expresscard slot"

You shouldn't have bought a computer that didn't do what you needed it to do.

Quote :

"but i guess i didn't take into account that i really needed a way to hook up my cam to the computer"

Exactly. Blame falls on you.

Quote :

" i guess i mean screwed in the "why have 4 usb ports and nothing else" in the design category"

Because most people aren't going to need firewire. I've used firewire once in 5 years. The only devices that use firewire that aren't professional grade are camcorders and external hard drives. Almost all external HDDs have USB connections and possibly eSATA connections too.

2/28/2011 9:15:53 PM

i'm confused...it seems like you agree that Canon isn't very smart for using FireWire if it's not something the majority of people use

do you think i'm really saying they held a gun to my head and made me choose this model over one that had firewire or could it be that i shouldn't have to choose a laptop with everything else i could want because of a 3 year old unrelated device

this thread is now a HV20 FOR SALE thread...

comes with remote, carrying case, original materials/cables, AND a handy firewire cable

2/28/2011 9:24:15 PM

If you're an NCSU student (or realistically, can get into the library) just find a computer on campus and use that to pull the video off on. IIRC there's a digital media lab floating around on campus somewhere.

[Edited on February 28, 2011 at 9:41 PM. Reason : Alternatively, use the "Phone a Friend" lifeline]

2/28/2011 9:41:29 PM

meh, i'm in gboro and i don't want to be phoning a friend everytime i want to use the camera, i think getting rid of it and getting something like a flip is in the books

i really don't even use it enough to justify what i spent on it

2/28/2011 9:48:06 PM

Quote :

"it seems like you agree that Canon isn't very smart for using FireWire if it's not something the majority of people use"

Uhh... firewire was the standard IO for the DV and Digital-8 formats. It wasn't until devices started using flash cards that you saw USB interfaces showing up on video devices, and even then, they still had firewire because so much software was already around using it.

And even nowadays, firewire is the standard for prosumer and profession video interfaces.

You probably shouldn't have bought a laptop without the interface you need.

However, this might work for you:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Pixela-JVC-DV-USB-1394-Capture-CONVERT-Cable-Adapter-/180631245958?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a0e761486#ht_1256wt_893

Seems to be based off of this product which appears to be discontinued: http://www.pixela.co.jp/en/products/tv_capture/pix_uvcd_u1w/index.html

It looks like it reencodes the stream to MPEG1 in realtime, which would cost you picture quality, but at least you get your video.

2/28/2011 10:14:01 PM

Quote :

"meh, i'm in gboro and i don't want to be phoning a friend everytime i want to use the camera, i think getting rid of it and getting something like a flip is in the books i really don't even use it enough to justify what i spent on it"

It was more just a "hey, you could do this once or twice" type suggestion.

2/28/2011 11:12:12 PM

^^ Just came in here to post about that pixela adaptor cable.

2/28/2011 11:24:50 PM

Go to bestbuy get a 4 pin to 9 pin firewire cable. Go to an apple store with an external hard drive. Move your raw files to the mac, plug in your external drive and copy them over. Return the cable and have a good day.

2/28/2011 11:30:56 PM

Will it run live video out the HDMI? If so I'll go $260 as an opening bid.

3/1/2011 9:23:36 AM

Quote :

"i'm confused...it seems like you agree that Canon isn't very smart for using FireWire if it's not something the majority of people use"

You need to re-read what I said if you think I'm actually agreeing with you. It isn't a "Canon" deal, it's a standard deal. As moron said, it wasn't until recently that you saw USB show up on camcorders.

USB is fine for photos, but when I took video off of a camcorder several years ago through firewire, it took a long time to do so. Being that Firewire 800 is roughly 6 times faster than USB 2.0, it would have sucked ass to have had to take the video off of the camcorder through USB. Granted, camcorders have gotten better at compression and storing the video.

And believe it or not, most desktop computers and many laptops have firewire ports. It isn't until the last few years have manufacturers been leaving firewire ports off of their products, typically on the lower end machinery.

Quote :

"could it be that i shouldn't have to choose a laptop with everything else i could want because of a 3 year old unrelated device"

If the camcorder is "unrelated," then what's the problem? No, you don't have to answer that. Obviously the camcorder and firewire aren't unrelated, otherwise you wouldn't be in your present bind.

This is why when you buy a computer, you make sure it is capable of doing what you need it to do before focusing on what you want it to do.


I'm not trying to ride your nuts too bad. It just irks me when people go out and curse companies when they're not to blame. In your case, if you have a problem with your camcorder having firewire, you should have bought one with USB. And if at the time of purchasing the camcorder firewire was great, and even preferable, then you should have ensured that your new laptop had firewire. In the end, you pulled the gun on your product decisions.

And to be quite honest, your logic really doesn't make much sense. The whole "I shouldn't have to choose a laptop that has everything I need blah blah blah." You have a variety of choices open to you. Buy a laptop that does what you want it to do, but doesn't work with one of your devices. Buy a laptop that doesn't do what you want it to do but does work with your device, or buy a laptop that does what you want it to do and works with your device. Unfortunately, the later option may be more expensive, but you're the one who bought the camcorder to begin with. You can't blame Canon for your own ignorance. Compromises are a part of life. You deal with it. You certainly don't bitch about making a compromise.

Another alternative is to sell your current camcorder and buy one that has USB instead.

3/2/2011 12:22:08 AM