Capturing digital video is the processing of recording video from either a digital or analog source into a digital format on your computer. You might do this, for instance, by connecting a digital camera to the USB or micro USB port on your computer. FireWire is an alternative to USB designed by Apple, and if you have a MacBook, then you have easily accessed FireWire ports that you can use for DV capture.
If you want to capture DV video to FireWire Mac, then you’re going to need a source, an input and a recording mechanism. The FireWire port on the MacBook or other Apple device is the input. The source could be a DV camera, as mentioned earlier, or it can even be a VHS tape, which can be made possible by a product like Roxio Easy VHS to DVD for Mac, which includes all of the necessary hardware, which would provide the source, and software, which would provide the recording mechanism.
There’s also a program called DV Capture, and it’s a great way to capture DV video to FireWire Mac because the software is free-to-use and may even have come pre-installed on your Mac. If you opt to use it, then you wouldn’t need everything in the Roxio package. All you’d need would be the hardware. In that case, you may want to consider the Pyro AV Link API-550 by ADS Tech.
What’s intriguing about the Pyro AV Link API-550 is that it’s a video converter box that attaches to your Mac. It’s independent of the source. Instead, it provides you with a wide range of video connections, including RCA and S-Video. You simply connect your video source to one of the ports on that box, and then you use the DV Capture software to record the video.
When it comes to capturing video through the FireWire port on a Mac, you have numerous options, including USB-to-FireWire adapters. Whatever method you choose, rest assured that FireWire will deliver your video in a high-quality digital stream.