iLINK Help Please

[LOLGEOFF]

I've got a reasonably old Sony DCR-PC3E mini DV camcorder that I want to connect to my laptop. The connections on the camcorder are an iLINK socket an S-video port and an audio video socket. The laptop has got USB, some sort of multi plug connector( the sort that your mouse used to plug into before USB), a network port and what looks like the network port but is slightly smaller.

I have the lead that plugs into the audio video socket and has a red, yellow and white jack plugs but thats all. I've had a look on ebay but can't find an iLINK to USB cable. Is there such a thing?

If not what is the easiest and cheapest way to allow these two to get it on?

 

[Jimb]

IEEE 1394

iLink is Sony's name for Firewire or IEEE 1394 to give it its technical name, so you'll need a Firewire port, if your laptop doesn't have USB 2.0 its unlikely to have an IEEE 1394. Check out the device manager to see if a 1394 device is present.

So what to do, do you have a PCMCIA cardbus slot in the laptop if so then you can get a Firewire PCMCIA card, these come in two speeds 400 Mbps and 800 Mbps, the 400 is the same speed as USB 2, the Lacie is the only one to offer the 800 Mbps.
The reason it has to be Firewire is the video and audio are captured simultaneously and USB won't do it, the camera will have a USB also but that is for uploading from the memory stick.

Alternatively if you have a desktop PC that may have an IEEE 1394, if not then a Firewire card is cheaply purchased, about a tenner to fit in the desktop.

You'll also need some video editing and capture software such as Premiere to handle the capture process.

 

[Gonzo]

Another question along the same lines........

I want to do the same as LOLGEOFF (get video onto the hard disk), only the input device will be a standard VHS VCR. Thanks to JimB's advice below, I've managed to work out that my laptop has 4-wire 1394 Firewire port.

So........the basic question is which output ports on the VCR do I use? Would I be right in thinking the SCART socket? The follow-on then is what type of cable do I need - if the SCART assumption is correct, then a SCART-Firewire?

Also any suggestionson on good basic capture software would be appreciated - I'm pretty much a computer numpty so ease of use has to be a priority.

Cheers, in advance........

Simon

 

[LOLGEOFF]

Blimey I'd forgotten I'd asked that question. Thanks for the reply JimB. One of the spotty kids at work fixed me up with a cable and a card thing from Ebay. Works a treat.

I think the software was pre installed on the computer as I can watch recordings without having to load any other software. I haven't tried any editing though.