canon xl1 to pc

[Leburg]

Looking over a Canon XL1 video camera. Ok. I found an online manual. Read it. But came away fuzzy on what to do to get the videos over to my PC. The XL1 has a firewire port however my computer does not. My PC doesn't even have a slot to install a firewire card. Is there an alternate way to port to a PC...USB, S-Video, RCA...?

And while we're at it...will Windows Movie Maker suffice on the PC side?

Many thanks in advance.

[julitomg]

http://www.amazon.com/Studio-MovieBox-HD-OLD-VERSION/dp/B00392LYF6/ref=pd_cp_sw_0

Something like this. Avoid simple USB to firewire cable adapters. Moviebox comes with it´s own software (Studio) that allows you to capture your DV video and also edit, author DVDs, etc...

[Leburg]

Thanks...if you don't mind my asking, how's does this adapter work? Firewire to device, device usb output to PC usb? Any software involved other than Windows Movie Maker?

Thanks again.

[julitomg]

As I said before, the MovieBox comes with it´s own software ( Pinnacle Studio ), the Movie box is easy to use, you just install it´s software (wich by the way is a full featured NLE, in other words, much better than Windows Movie Maker), you connect the M Box to your PC via a standard USB 2.0 cable and your miniDV cam to the firewire (6pin) input on the other side (labeled "DV"), you can also conect analog sources (with composite or S-Video cables), when you connect the Moviebox to yor computer it´s automatically recognized and yo can open the "capture" part of the Studio program. there you can select the format you want, but for a miniDV source you really want the DV option to preserve it´s full quality. Once captured (or better said, transfered) you can edit your footage within the Studio software or with Windows Movie Maker or any other NLE of your choice (many people consider Studio to be quite buggy)