Sony dumps Firewire for USB 2.0 !!!
[quote] New Cameras Shoot Video Direct To DVD
Now it will be easy to shoot video and send the disc directly to the grandparents who can then watch it on their DVD player.
It connects to Windows-based PCs only,
via the USB 2.0 interface, which is an odd choice for Sony. Several of its other camcorder models support Apple's Macintosh operating system and connect to the machine via the Firewire interface, which is often the connection of choice for video cameras. (Sony still insists on calling its Firewire connections by the name i.Link.) These cameras are compatible with Windows 2000, Windows ME and higher. It is backwards compatible with USB 1.1 connections, though in that case it will transfer video to the PC more slowly.
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this is just great.
Now it will be easy to shoot video and send the disc directly to the grandparents who can then watch it on their DVD player.
It connects to Windows-based PCs only,
via the USB 2.0 interface, which is an odd choice for Sony. Several of its other camcorder models support Apple's Macintosh operating system and connect to the machine via the Firewire interface, which is often the connection of choice for video cameras. (Sony still insists on calling its Firewire connections by the name i.Link.) These cameras are compatible with Windows 2000, Windows ME and higher. It is backwards compatible with USB 1.1 connections, though in that case it will transfer video to the PC more slowly.
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this is just great.
Comments
technically it should be possible to create a firewire to USB2.0 bridge. Something small and inline. OXford's 922 bridges firewire800 and USB2.0 on one chip. Even though firewire 400 has a lower "peak" transfer rate than USB2, it's sustained transfer rate should be more than able to bridge a USB2.0 device to the firewire bus. I would expect Griffin or Macally or some such to make a nice slim firewire to USB2.0 bridge so mac users can get in on the growing pool of USB2.0 devices.
Bastard formats, damn!
Furthermore, why don't take the DVD out of the camera and use that on your Mac.
[quote]On its face, it would remove at least one step in the process of creating personal-movie DVDs, which is all the rage among a certain segment of people who have recently made their parents grandparents.<hr></blockquote>
The point in getting it on your computer before putting it on DVD is editing.
Anyway, Firewire has four pins, USB has two. There's no excuse for firewire not to have double the data-rate.
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Sticklerism: how did "bandwidth" ever come to mean data-rate? Being a purist, I will not use the term anymore except when appropriate.
<strong>What does this mean???</strong><hr></blockquote>
Apple is doomed...
There is no need for Firewire on these cameras because.
1. They record MPEG and not Minidv. That means no timecode.
2. Since there's no Timecode their useless for features like Log and Capture and EDL.
Anyone who is even remotely serious about Desktop Video will avoid these cameras like the plague. As JLL said. The idea is to edit your video and not capture a bunch of boring video with camera shakes and cheesy effects to "force" someone to watch.
Sony announce a whole new lineup of MiniDV and Digtal8 models complete with iLink. These cameras are for those who value simplicity. iLink/Firewire isn't going anywhere. Trust me.
But your right. JLL is always making sense. And I have yet to discover he being wrong. Plus I suspect he knows people ***blink blink know what I mean know what I mean eh? eh? eh?***
<strong>Though it does perplex me: why has Apple sat on its hands for so long with Firewire800? How hard can it be to double the clock rate of the serial mechanism?</strong><hr></blockquote>
Apple is not in charge of FireWire development and 1394b wasn't finalized until recently.
if you want to quote me some stupid marketing numbers to show otherwise, i suggest you read up on the subject. No one, and i mean No one has ever found USB 2.0 to be faster than firewire in any real world test. it's always slower.
<strong>How hard can it be to double the clock rate of the serial mechanism?</strong><hr></blockquote>
Probably much harder than most people on these boards will ever realize (or admit).
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Probably much harder than most people on these boards will ever realize (or admit).</strong><hr></blockquote>
As you so astutely observed, I'm not most people. The simple act of doubling the clock speed on a serial controller is easy. I can give you the hardware specs if you'd like. Aside, I have a feeling that the lateness of 800 release must have been influenced by the standards committees. If there's some degree of matching timings involved here, then I suppose there is a standards conflict whenever someone wants to double the clock rate.
<strong>The simple act of doubling the clock speed on a serial controller is easy. I can give you the hardware specs if you'd like.</strong><hr></blockquote>
My point was more like this. I once heard a guy say "I know HOW cold fusions works, but DOING it is another matter."
I'm not a hardware engineer. I am a software engineer though. And the things that some people think are "easy" to do can often be the hardest things to do. In fact my favorite phrase has become "Can't ya just...", a variant of which is used pervasively on these (and other) boards in regard to what Apple "should" be doing.
I agree that the reasoning might have had more to do with standards bodies and what-not. But I still chuckle at the sheer ignorance/arrogance (which is typically caustic combination) often displayed on these boards (generally) about how Apple "should have" done this or that (with some particular piece of hardware or software). While I believe Apple's hardware and software engineers are probably top flight people (in regard to their professional skills), somethings are just plain hard and take time. Or, to put it far more conscisely and elegantly, as Fredrick Brooks once said, "Nine women cannot have a baby in one month."
[ 01-18-2003: Message edited by: Chris Cuilla ]</p>
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. . . things that some people think are "easy" to do can often be the hardest things to do. In fact my favorite phrase has become "Can't ya just..." . . .
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It's nice to see someone else is familiar with this tactic. For me, it usually starts with, "All ya gotta do is . . ." Managers are the worst offenders.
Look at the transfer speeds compared with FireWire drives... And the CPU utilization is lower...well gee, maybe because FireWire's doing a little more by pushing 30 MB/s instead of 14 MB/s.
The ADS USB 2.0 enclosure had trouble with 32x burning...
Sheesh.
<a href="http://www.wiebetech.com/products.html"; target="_blank">http://www.wiebetech.com/products.html</a>;
but they rule, they are bus powered, and they work of an iMac, which the specs say they won't do. (7,200 rpm drives no less).
overall i was extremely impressed.