Member Avatar for locked out

My Sony TRV 480 has both USB2 and i link capability
I have used the USB2 to transfer ( 450 kbps); looks good to me
However I have "heard" that firwire is optimal;
Is this true ?
I do not have a firewire card; I do not wish to invest in one IF the USB2 technology affords similar quality

thanks

AK :o

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Nice thread — reported that the USB capture looked acceptable, and suggested trying FireWire. For anyone preserving MiniDV tapes, the practical question is whether you can get a bit-for-bit copy of the tape or whether the camera must re-encode before sending video to the PC. The former is the archival route; the latter usually introduces extra compression and loses original detail.

Practical points and steps to get the best result:

  • Use the camera’s IEEE‑1394/i.LINK (FireWire) port when the goal is an archival-quality transfer: that interface carries the native DV stream. See background on the DV format and typical bitrates here: .
  • Acquire a proper FireWire host for the PC (PCI/PCIe card or a FireWire‑equipped machine). Look for OHCI-compliant cards; historically TI-based controllers are the most compatible with DV capture. Make sure you have the correct 4‑pin ↔ 6‑pin cable for your camera/PC ports.
  • Capture workflow: put the camcorder in playback/VTR mode, connect FireWire, open capture software (Movie Maker/Adobe Premiere/iMovie/Final Cut), choose native DV capture (no realtime recompression), and write to a fast local drive. Keep an untouched DV master and make compressed copies for email/web.

Troubleshooting and tips:

  • If the camera is not detected, check cables, camera mode, and that the host controller driver shows as a 1394 OHCI device.
  • Expect several gigabytes per hour for native DV — plan storage and backups accordingly.
  • Avoid “USB-to‑FireWire” passive adapters; they do not produce a true DV stream. If a FireWire host is impractical, capture via a good analog converter as a last resort, but accept that it is one extra conversion step.

This keeps the original tape quality safe for editing or archiving while letting compressed versions be used for sharing.

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Member Avatar for chrisbliss18

Firewire was designed to transfer large quantities of data at a sustained high speed, so it is possible that you will see a performance gain by using it. Unless you really need to save some minutes; however, I don't see it giving you sizable performance gains.

If you want to try it out, go to any store that has computer equipment and pick up a cheap PCI Firewire or Firewire/USB2.0 combo card. They run anywhere from $10-30, so it shouldn't be too expensive. Even if you end up sticking with the USB2.0 connection, you will still have extra ports to use.

Member Avatar for locked out

finally got thru to Sony

The USB2 streaming has aspect ratio of 352x240 pixels
The i link has aspect ratio of 720X480 pixels
Both offer 29.97 frames per second
So firewire wins; higher bandwith;lowrer compression rate

off to purchase the proper hardware

thanks

AK

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