FireWire is one of the hot new technologies that makes digital video so fun and easy to work with. FireWire — also sometimes called IEEE 1394 or i.LINK — was originally developed by Apple Computer and is an interface format for computer peripherals. Various peripherals, including scanners, CD/DVD burners, external hard drives, and of course, digital video cameras use FireWire technology.
Key features of FireWire are as follows:
Speed: FireWire is really fast, way faster than USB or serial ports. First-generation FireWire ports are capable of transfer rates of up to 400 Mbps (megabits per second), while the latest second-generation FireWire ports (nicknamed FireWire 800 by those crazy individualists at Apple) can pump an astonishing 800 Mbps through a connection! Digital video contains a lot of data that must be transferred quickly, making FireWire an ideal format.
Mac and PC compatibility: Although FireWire was developed by Apple, it is widely implemented in the PC world as well. This has helped make FireWire an industry standard.
Plug and Play connectivity: When you connect your digital camcorder to a FireWire port on your computer (whether Mac or PC), the camera is automatically detected. You don't have to spend hours installing software drivers or messing with obscure computer settings just to get everything working.
Device control: Okay, this one isn't actually a feature of FireWire; it's just one of the things that makes using FireWire really neat. If your digital camcorder is connected to your computer's FireWire port, most video-editing programs can control the camcorder's playback features. This means that you don't have to juggle your fingers and try to press the Play button on the camcorder and the Record button in the software at exactly the same time. Just click the Capture button in a program like iMovie or Pinnacle Studio, and the software automatically starts and stops your camcorder as needed.
Hot-swap capability: You can connect or disconnect FireWire components whenever you want. You don't need to shut down the computer, unplug power cables, or confer with your local public utility before connecting or disconnecting a FireWire component.
All new Macintosh computers come with FireWire ports. Some — but not all — Windows PCs have FireWire ports as well. If your PC does not have a FireWire port, you can usually add one via an expansion card. Windows 98 and higher include software support for FireWire hardware. (However, you should stick with Windows XP if you're editing DV on a PC.) If you're buying a new PC and you plan to do a lot of video editing, consider a FireWire port as a must-have feature.
All digital camcorders offer FireWire ports as well, although the port isn't always called FireWire. Sometimes FireWire ports are instead called "i.LINK" or simply "DV" by camcorder manufacturers who don't want to use Apple's trademarked FireWire name. But rest assured, all digital camcorders have a FireWire-compatible port. FireWire truly makes video editing easy, and if you are buying a new camcorder, you should buy one that includes a FireWire port
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