URGENT! Firewire card for computer

[dakota413]

i recently received a new computer as a gift from a family member for graduation and turns out its a slim and doesnt have a firewire port... i bought two firewire cards both of which didnt fit. i bought a 1394 cardbus adapter because i was told it would work, turns out computer didnt have a cardbus slot. im thinking about an express card which i believe is a little slimmer? if that doesnt work then idk, maybe an external capture card like the pinnacle ultimate or plus? would the external capture card cause me to lose video quality? im desperate for answers cause i have to finish a full length video by september... please help VH members

[Baldrick]

Give more info about your computer.

[dakota413]

i have the emachine el 1352 slim. http://www.emachines.com/products/products.html?prod=EL1352-03

[Baldrick]

Yep, you need an external solution if you don't fit any PCI/PCI-Express, cardbus, etc. Like a pinnacle moviebox hd should do it , http://pinnaclesys.com/PublicSite/us/Products/Consumer+Products/Home+Video/Studio+Fami...version+14.htm . It can capture/record from dv and also output as dv to your camcorder. You just need a free USB2 connection.

[dakota413]

i was looking into the pinnacle moviebox but would i lose quality if i were to use the pinnacle, and can i use it with a program other than pinnacle such as adobe premiere or sony vegas?

[jagabo]

Why do you need a 1394 port? For a DV camcorder? An ADVC-100 or similar?

Why didn't the 1394 cards fit? Cardbus and Express Card are usually used in laptops (desktops don't have slots for them). A slim desktop would usually use a half height PCI or PCIe card. For example:

http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Profile-1394a-FireWire-Adapter/dp/B0002XMZOO/

These aren't 1394 cards but it shows a half height card with a half height bracket and a full height bracket:

http://bizsupport1.austin.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?objectID=c01951393

[aedipuss]

the box has 2 open slots.

PCI Slots (Available/Total)(1/1) PCI Express x1
(1/1) PCI Express x16

you can get a pci-e x1 ieee1394 card that also comes with a low profile bracket
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815150151

[jagabo]

Or cheaper if you have a PCI slot:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815158020

Ah, NewEgg shows the computer only has PCIe:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883114085

[julitomg]

i was looking into the pinnacle moviebox but would i lose quality if i were to use the pinnacle, and can i use it with a program other than pinnacle such as adobe premiere or sony vegas?

No, you won´t. The Pinnacle card will transfer your DV video to your HDD and the resulting .avi files will be editable with the editors you mention if you don´t like Pinnacle´s own. You also have the option to convert your DV to .mpg on the fly within the capture section of Studio and finally, the external box will enable you to capture also analog sources (composite & S-Video), converting them to DV AVI or mpg.

[jgg]

Wouldn't something like this work?
http://cgi.ebay.com/half-height-PCI-Express-Card-2-Firewire-ports-w-cable-/40023510421...item5d2fdf07db