is there a A/V adpter to convert to a computer fireware port

[Emery25]

Does anyone know if there a adpter for A/V connection to be able to plug a Fireware cable to the adpter and then plug the fireware into the fireware port on my computer?

The Sony TRV-36 only comes with a A/V cable not a Fireware connection.

I wanted to tranfer the video to my computer. I was hoping there was a adpter I could use to plug in the audio/video connection to and on the other side of the adpter to plug in a fireware connection and then connect it to my computer fireware port.

If there no adpter, can you give me any suggestion how to tranfer the video into my Dell computer?

Thanks,
Emery

[FulciLives]

Well you didn't say what kind of camcorder you have but I did a google search and your model Sony camcorder appears to be a Hi8 model which is important to know when it comes to giving you the proper advice.

Since this is an analog camcorder it has no FIREWIRE output. That of course is normal since only Digital camcorders (such as Digital8 or miniDV camcorders) have that type of output.

Anyways ...

If you want to get the video to your computer then there are many different options HOWEVER it is my opinion that the best would be the following: the Canopus ADVC-110

The Canopus ADVC-110 is an external "box" that has A/V inputs ... it uses specialized hardware to convert an analog audio/video signal to the DV AVI format (same digital video format used by Digital8 and miniDV camcorders). It then sends the DV AVI file to your computer via FIREWIRE.

This device will work with a Windows based PC as well as an Apple MAC computer.

It is not a cheap device but it works and works well and will give you a DV AVI file (just like you get from a digital camcorder) and this type of digital video is the easiest kind to work with if you intend to do a lot of post processing such as editing or adding special effects etc.

Please note that the Canopus ADVC-110 is the new version of the old ADVC-100 which was considered one of the best video capture devices ever made and the ADVC-110 seems to be just as good.

Another alternative for you would be the DataVideo DAC-100 which is a "clone" of the Canopus ADVC-100 and works pretty much exactly the same. Often times you can find this for a few dollars less than the Canopus ADVC-110.

Also you can buy a Canopus ADVC-100 on eBay but the device is in such high demand that often times such auctions end at a price that is only slightly cheaper than a new Canopus ADVC-110 or a new DataVideo DAC-100 so I wouldn't buy one used on eBay unless you can save A LOT of money on it. Then again I'm not a big person for buying anything used so take my used buying comments with a grain of salt if you will. My view is if I can't save A LOT of money buying something used I would rather just buy it brand new.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

P.S.
The Canopus ADVC-100, ADVC-110 and the DataVideo DAC-100 all have composite and S-video inputs along with stereo audio inputs (standard 'RCA' style). In the case of your Sony camcorder you would want to use S-Video for the best video quality.

[guns1inger]

Yes. No. Sort of. You cannot just plug an av output into the firewire. There are devices that you can plug your AV outputs into, which will then convert the incoming video and audio to DV, which is then passed down the firewire to your PC and captured in the same manner as you would transfer from a mini-DV camera.

If you already have a mini-DV camera it may be able to perform the same function. Many DV cameras have the ability to pass through analogue input as DV output.

[FulciLives]

If you already have a mini-DV camera it may be able to perform the same function. Many DV cameras have the ability to pass through analogue input as DV output.

Yes I did not think of this.

If you have a digital camcorder (Digital8 or mini-DV) then some will accept an analog input and will convert it to DV AVI if you then plug the digital camcorder into your computer. That is called, "analog to digital passthrough".

However not all digital camcorders support this function. Some will not accept analog video input at all. Some will accept analog video input and allow you to copy it to a tape but not pass it through to the computer. In that case you have to record to the tape first ... then transfer from the tape to the computer via FIREWIRE.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman