Using FireWire to transfer mini-DV tapes to digital files on a PC

[CaptainCatholic587]

Hello everyone!

I recently finished up digitizing all of the VHS and VHS-C tapes in my "home movie" collection! (45 VHS Tapes and 76 VHS-C tapes, a whopping 128 hours of family memories spanning 20 years! Pretty cool). I could not have done it without all of the help and support from everyone here! You are all far more knowledgeable than I will ever be, haha. If anyone would like to see how I did that, here is the thread - I am fully satisfied with the results of what I did and the recommendations everyone here gave me:*https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/388201-Recommendations-for-Capture-Devices

I do have one last step to take now - I have about 30 mini-DV tapes to digitize! I'd like to put the footage from my mini-DV tapes right on my computer as digital files (not on to DVDs). Any advice on the best way to do this would be greatly appreciated.*

In the research I did, it looks like FireWire is the only way to do a "perfect quality" transfer, correct?

I still have the original camera used to film all of these mini-DV tapes. It is a JVC GR-D370U. I even have the original firewire cable that I used to use to transfer the tapes to my computer (unfortunately, I was an idiot in college and deleted all of the transfers I once did!). At least, I believe it is a "firewire" cable - looking at page 9 of the camera manual, the connector I would use to transfer the tapes to my computer is referred to as a "Digital Video Connector [DV IN/OUT] (i.LINK) (IEEE1394-1995)."

The problem is, my current desktop PC does not have a firewire port. How on earth then do I transfer these tapes to my computer via firewire?

So here are my main questions:

1) How can I connect my JVC GR-D370U video camera to my PC via FireWire?

2) Once connected, what is the best program to capture the footage? (I read in old, old posts on this message board that Scenalyzer Live is the best program, but wanted to verify since these were older posts)

Years ago, I used Windows Movie Maker (horrible program) to transfer the tapes to my laptop. I had all kinds of problems - dropped frames, dropped audio, etc. Hopefully this was due to Windows Movie Maker or my cheap laptop, and not due to my actual firewire cable. But if anyone thinks it'd be a good idea for me to buy a new firewire cable just in case, I can definitely do that.

Any help is greatly appreciated! Thank you all so much again!!!
Tony

[dellsam34]

If I get a dollar out every thread posted here for the exact same question I would be a millionaire, These are just recent posts:

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/396471-help-with-capturing-dv-footage-from-sony-handycam

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/396599-Transfer-mini-dv-tapes-to-PC

[Vidd]

The problem is, my current desktop PC does not have a firewire port. How on earth then do I transfer these tapes to my computer via firewire?

You have to purchase a Firewire PCI/PCIe card and install it in your computer. There is no such thing as a Firewire to USB adapter that works with capturing video.

[CaptainCatholic587]

If I get a dollar out every thread posted here for the exact same question I would be a millionaire, These are just recent posts:

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/396471-help-with-capturing-dv-footage-from-sony-handycam

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/396599-Transfer-mini-dv-tapes-to-PC

Hi dellsam! Haha I am sorry, I did not mean to ask a redundant question - although I did actually read through both of these threads before posting my own thread as I didn't see the exact answers I was looking for. Is there a specific Firewire PCI/PCIe card that is recommended? (Want to get the best one possible - though I'm hoping for an external device - I wasn't able to find the answer to this question in recent threads). Thanks again!

[CaptainCatholic587]

The problem is, my current desktop PC does not have a firewire port. How on earth then do I transfer these tapes to my computer via firewire?

You have to purchase a Firewire PCI/PCIe card and install it in your computer. There is no such thing as a Firewire to USB adapter that works with capturing video.

Thank you very much Vidd! Are there any specific Firewire PCI/PCIe cards that are recommended over others? If possible, I was hoping for something that would be easy to install externally on my desktop computer (I know nothing about the "insides" of computers, so opening my desktop up might be risky for me, feel like I'd break something haha). But if an "external" device would lower the quality of whatnot, I'd be willing to learn what I need to do to install something internally.

Also, you mentioned there's no such thing as a Firewire to USB adapter that works with capturing video - I keep hearing about this Pinnacle device in everything I read, but sounds like you'd recommend against it?

Thank you so much again!

[babygdav]

1. Using the firewire connection on the camcorder
https://www.ebay.com/itm/PCIE-PCI-E-FIREWIRE-IEEE-1394-3-PORT-FIRE-WIRE-CONTROLLER-CAR...Y5IGE&LH_BIN=1
Any PCI-E or PCI (depends on your motherboard) firewire card.
Drop it in, connect, load optional Microsoft LEGACY firewire drivers for win8/10 as needed (if WinDV etc doesn't see your camcorder).

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/2970191/firewire-port-based-device-does-not-w...ndows-8-1-or-w

I just did this two days ago for a Dell Inspiron 620 and it's working with WinDV/Scenalyzer.

Dropping the card in literally takes minutes. Unscrew case cover, unscrew empty slot cover, drop in card, close up case.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTVYicaRXbk

Kids can do this.

(Only issue I had was that the Nvidia 1050ti interrupts interfered with the interrupts of the firewire card. Too lazy to diagnose, so I simply pulled the video card and running the PC on the Intel CPU graphics instead.)

2. If you want an external way to capture
https://www.elgato.com/en/video-capture
etc.

There are tons of $10-1000 USB analog video capture devices.
Using such means you'll lose some video quality because the video will go from digital DV into analog cable then digitized by the capture device again.

THERE is NO firewire to USB converter.

3. Mac Mini <$50 or so
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-Mac-Mini-A1114-1-66GHz-Intel-Core-Duo-120GB-Hard-Drive-...d94GA&LH_BIN=1

Any older Mac that has firewire ports in working condition can capture the videos, too.
Just plug it in and use iMovie to capture.

[Brad]

Despite babygdav & Vidd's claims, one company (Pinnacle) did make a handful of devices that specifically convert DV-over-Firewire to USB. This is what you should buy.

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/391475-Panasonic-DV-GS17-to-laptop#post2537473

[aedipuss]

those movie boxes are 15 years old and ran on xp. i'd guess it's a bit hard to locate a working one reasonably priced. back then there were even a couple panasonic dv cams that could transfer dv over usb with the correct panasonic software and drivers...

[dellsam34]

Nope, It works perfectly in Windows 10 using ScenalyzerLive:

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/396471-help-with-capturing-dv-footage-from-sony-ha...am#post2577809

[babygdav]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pinnacle-Ssystems-PCI-Card-Callisto-REV-7-0-51011615-500-USB-...AAAOSw8vZXNCB1

Only $35 for the 500-usb!

[babygdav]

https://www.ebay.com/c/1101270436
$40 for the 700 model.
(Funny how past reviews/suggestions here and on Amazon trash the pinnacles, primarily on analog video capture, but now, desired as the few that can capture dv over usb.)

I'll hold off on getting one myself for awhile so that everyone can get their projects underway since I already have a desktop with firewire. Just would be nice to capture to a laptop.

[dellsam34]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pinnacle-Ssystems-PCI-Card-Callisto-REV-7-0-51011615-500-USB-...AAAOSw8vZXNCB1

Only $35 for the 500-usb!

That's a PCI card, The 500-USB external works with a USB port.

[babygdav]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pinnacle-Ssystems-PCI-Card-Callisto-REV-7-0-51011615-500-USB-...AAAOSw8vZXNCB1

Only $35 for the 500-usb!

That's a PCI card, The 500-USB external works with a USB port.

SCROLL through the photos!!!
He's selling two items - the internal card & the external 500-USB for just $35!!

It's such a good price I'd normally snatch it up asap, but....I'll let everyone who doesn't have a firewire capture system have at it.

[dellsam34]

If you want it get it, You don't have to worry about anyone, I too have a laptop with firewire port but not sure how long it will last so I have one as a backup for future computers until no USB port is a thing anymore.

[babygdav]

https://www.mercari.com/us/item/m18437008013/?gclsrc=aw.ds&&utm_source=google&utm_medi...SABEgKy5fD_BwE

$9 for a 710-usb without power supply (no idea what it needs).

[dellsam34]

It's big, it needs a power supply and some pinnacle devices are built in MPEG-2 encoder chip, so you can't capture analog lossless, You have to know the spec before you buy.