Difference in quality between Firewire cards?

[franco]

I have the ADVC 100 but have yet to buy a firewire card. I seen a review which seemed to convince me the Adaptec fireconnect 4300 was the one for me but they don't seem to be on sale in the UK, only on EBay and I've been outbid.

The question arises because I don't actually know if different firewire cards lead to different quality. I am capturing through the ADVC100 and would imagine that the quality would not be affected by the firewire card. Don't they all do the same job?? If so, why are some more expensive than others. Can anyone recommend a good one for the ADVC100?

There seems to be a lack of info and reviews on the net and that's why I've got all the questions. Any advice would be nice.

[jsnkc]

They are all the same, the only diffrence is how many ports are on the card, and the diffrent software the card comes bundled with. And since they all come with either Ulead or Pinnacle products wich are garbage anyway, just get a cheap $30 card and you will be fine.

[Trust_No_1]

You're right. There is no real difference in quality between firewire cards.

They all have the same functionality of a glorified souped upped I/O port. There is no point in buying a really expensive card over a cheaper one. The only time this would be of consideration is if you are comparing cards from a reputable and cheap ass manufacturer. At this point, the issue is the quality of the parts involved. Also, if the card has additional functionality i.e. more electronics, then this increases the cost as well.

What affects your capturing is the speed of your computer and hard drive (and to a lesser extent, the quality of the source video - garbage in, garbage out.)

You should check with your motherboard manufacturer to see if the board has an integral firewire connector. If so, they can provide or recommend the actual hardware. Otherwise, any PCI based firewire card will suffice. Do not use any manufacturers you've never heard of. I have use a PYRO PCI card in the past.

Hope that helps.

[franco]

That helps a lot. This is what I suspected but couldn't find on the net. I think I'll get one of the cheaper cards tomorrow. Thanks guys

[dun4cheap]

I got the ATI DV wonder for like $35, which most were $49 at the time and it came with Ulead Video Studio, which works great for editing of my DV movies.

[Will Hay]

If I've searched correctly the card you bid on finished higher than ebuyer is currently offering them for, brand new.
£28.00-ish is not an unreasonable amount to pay for a firewire kit, especially an Adaptec one, very reliable.
I just bought what I think is the same Adaptec card from ebuyer too, due early next week.
Delivery was only £1.99 for me but this is because I used myfree delivery option up the week before.
Plus it comes with MGI VideoWave 4 digital video editing software which, if you haven't any editing software already will be fine.
Will