USB 2.0 vs Firewire

[dr_roberts49]

I have a P4 2.4Ghz C. I have both USB 2.0 and firewire ports on the front of my case. My new NEC 2500A 8X DVD burner should be arriving from Newegg tomorrow. I'll soon be starting on a major project of converting my older 8mm analog family videos to DVD. I have 2 SONY camcorders. One supports the newer mini DVD format. The other, I recently purchased when my old SONY 8mm camcorder gave up the host and died after 7 years of good service. The one I just bought is a digital 8. It records on digital 8mm tape, but will also playback my older analog tapes. Both camcorders support video/audio streaming directly to a computer through USB 2.0 or firewire. SONY supplied the USB cable. Unfortunately, I forgot to order a firewire cable from Newegg, which with shipping, would only cost me $7.00. The local computer stores charge $25.00 for the same cable.

My question. Will the USB 2.0 do as good a job as the firewire? Are we talking speed difference here, and/or quality difference? A slight difference in speed, I can deal with, but quality is the main issue. I'll go ahead and start with the USB connection when my drive arrives, but should I go ahead and order the firewire cable, or will I be happy with the USB?

SONY also supplied a CD with drivers and a program for video creation. I expect it to be on the low end. I have Microsoft's Digital Plus! for Windows XP (I have XP Pro) which has an enhanced version of Movie Maker. Any suggestions on software would also be appreciated. Thanking all in advance.

Robert

[stroyal]

Quality is probably the same, but everything else is better.



http://www.apple.com/firewire/

[dr_roberts49]

It's what I expected. My computer has the IEEE 1394b firewire. That much difference in speed is a factor when you consider the amount of 8mm video I have. Thanks, stroyal. I guess I better place that cable order with Newegg

Robert

[dr_roberts49]

Whoops, I don't have the IEEE 1394b. That's Apple only. I have the A version. There are currently no firewire PCI cards available that support the 800mhz speed.

Since USB 2.0 is 480mbps, isn't that a little faster than the IEEE 1394A speed of 400? Just curious.

Robert

[stroyal]

Looks that way, I didn't know only Apple had the fast one. If Apple was not so greedy in the first place with their license for Firewire, it would be as common as USB.

[dr_roberts49]

That has been Apple's policy since they introduced the Macintosh. When John Scully took over as President, he didn't like how 3rd party vendors were making a lot of money with the expansion cards they made for the Apple II series. I'm certain that the faster firewire port will be available soon. I can wait.

Robert

[Scott Tiger]

Originally posted by dr_roberts49
That has been Apple's policy since they introduced the Macintosh. When John Scully took over as President, he didn't like how 3rd party vendors were making a lot of money with the expansion cards they made for the Apple II series.

And that's one of the reasons why I consider Micrososft the lesser of two evils when comparing Apple to M$.

(And as nice as it is I don't feel the need to purchase designer BSD with proprietary hardware to match)

[dr_roberts49]

I had the pleasure of working for Apple as an Educational Rep., Apple II Division, from 1983-1986. I was there during the transition, which eventualy resulted in me losing my job. In my first year, Apple still had a trace of the company that formed in Steve Jobs' parent's garage. On the occassions when I visited the corp offices, I would often run into Jobs and Wozniak. Jobs was always aloof, but Woz always greeted everyone, and is a super person. Apple really changed when he left, about the same time that I lost my job, along with a lot of others. It really pissed me off when it happened, because it was a great job, but I look back on it as a good thing. I had no trouble picking up work, and landed a job in a computer company in my own town. Stayed with them for many years, and became a "Windows Man". Now, computers are a hobby for me. Still use them in my work, but it's not at all like the good old days.

Robert