Do slower transfer speeds reduce the total amount of data transfered?

July 11, 2009 11:15 AM

Do I really need firewire for mini-DV to computer transfers?

I have a mini-DV camera and I am horrible at making movies on my computer at home. They all come out blocky with indistinct lines. That's not what this question is about (although if you know of good tutorials feel free to give them a shout-out).

I am thinking of buying an HP dv4t notebook computer, but I noticed that it has no firewire ports. Here is my question: do I need a firewire port to make good quality digital movies?

I know that firewire is just a technology for transferring data (relatively) quickly from camera to computer and it seems to me that using USB shouldn't affect anything other than the data transfer speeds.

However, I've heard that having what is essentially a "smaller pipe" will lead to transferring less data from camera to computer and thus to lower resolution movies. (i.e. the camera/computer detect that you are using a slower transfer method and compensate by providing less data for the transfer.) Is this true? Common sense says "no" that USB will just make it take longer to transfer the data, but computers can do funny things. So, I'm not certain.

posted by oddman to computers & internet (5 comments total)

Your problem won't be resolution but dropped frames. I doubt your minidv camera will let you even try to transfer minidv video via USB.

You might want to check to make certain that your new dv4t doesn't have firewire. It's pretty unlikely but if it is then firewire pcmcia cards that will slot into your laptop can be found cheap on ebay and elsewhere so it shouldn't really be an issue.
posted by merocet at 11:52 AM on July 11

The USB port on your miniDV camera is there to allow you to transfer still images from the memory card. It does not interface with the video part of your camera at all.

As for your blocky/indistinct videos, you need to play around with your codecs/render settings. Pay particular attention to your bitrate.
posted by davey_darling at 12:36 PM on July 11

No, your camera will not transfer video through the USB port. It's used for still photos and sometimes to turn your camera into a webcam.

You need firewire. (Or a new camera.)
posted by Mwongozi at 1:25 PM on July 11

No worries with that laptop, it has an expresscard slot, so you should just be able to purchase the expansion card and a compatible cable
Then you just need editing software
posted by ijoyner at 4:54 AM on July 12

It won't provide a lower resolution movie. Some DV cameras take stills and can transfer them via USB.

USB can't guarantee their data transfer rates; firewire can. This is why DV cameras must use firewire to transfer the data. There aren't any workarounds. You need a way to get firewire in. There are some $50-100 cards (expresscard, pcmia) that can plug into laptops with that interface.
posted by filmgeek at 7:03 AM on July 12