all_about_DVD

FAQ: 

 Connection

A fast connection for devices that need high a data transfer rate.

FireWire, iLink and and IEEE1394 are technically identical.

A specification put out by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE) This standard interface is also known as Firewire and iLink and is used by all consumer level digital video camcorders to transfer the video from tape to a computer for editing. It originally should replace serial ports. It is a high speed data bus protocol sometimes referred to as "Serial SCSI." Originally developed by Sony and Apple, Firewire has several advantages for connecting peripheral devices such as scanners, DV camcorders, CD burners and external hard drives. Some of its benefits include: 50 MB/sec throughput, it is "hot swappable" meaning devices can be connected and disconnected without shutting down your computer, no device termination is needed, up to 63 devices can be connected to a Firewire bus, and cables can be up to 30 meters long.

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Like IEEE 1394 and Firewire, iLink is just another name for the same thing:

A way to plug your DV-cam into your computer.

A specification put out by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE) This standard interface is also known as Firewire and iLink and is used by all consumer level digital video camcorders to transfer the video from tape to a computer for editing. It originally should replace serial ports. It is a high speed data bus protocol sometimes referred to as "Serial SCSI." Originally developed by Sony and Apple, Firewire has several advantages for connecting peripheral devices such as scanners, DV camcorders, CD burners and external hard drives. Some of its benefits include: 50 MB/sec throughput, it is "hot swappable" meaning devices can be connected and disconnected without shutting down your computer, no device termination is needed, up to 63 devices can be connected to a Firewire bus, and cables can be up to 30 meters long.

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The ISO standard's name for one fast connection between devices.

Also known as FireWire or iLink.

A specification put out by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE) This standard interface is also known as Firewire and iLink and is used by all consumer level digital video camcorders to transfer the video from tape to a computer for editing. It originally should replace serial ports. It is a high speed data bus protocol sometimes referred to as "Serial SCSI." Originally developed by Sony and Apple, Firewire has several advantages for connecting peripheral devices such as scanners, DV camcorders, CD burners and external hard drives. Some of its benefits include: 50 MB/sec throughput, it is "hot swappable" meaning devices can be connected and disconnected without shutting down your computer, no device termination is needed, up to 63 devices can be connected to a Firewire bus, and cables can be up to 30 meters long.

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A way to connect devices to computers.

Very common for printers, scanners, PDAs etc. For video needs, FireWire/iLink is prefered.

USB 1.1

Short for Universal Serial Bus
An external bus that is beginning to replace parallel and serial ports. With a maximum transfer speed of 12 Mbps (megabits per second), USB is designed for low- to mid-speed peripheral devices (such as keyboards, mice, printers, joysticks, and modems) whereas more bandwidth-intensive devices (such as digital video cameras and storage devices) use the IEEE FireWire standard. The main advantage of USB over traditional ports is that it offers easy expandability; you can daisy chain up to 127 devices (far more than the number of devices supported by traditional ports). All USB devices support plug-and-play and hot plugging. The computer automatically recognizes any USB device as soon as it's plugged in or added to the chain. Desktop computers that support USB typically have two four-pin USB ports (one for a keyboard and mouse daisy chain, the other to daisy-chain all other USB devices). USB was introduced in computers in 1997 and has received a boost from Windows 98, which offered better support for the standard than Windows 95. Macintosh computers support the USB standard. The iMac, for example, has no serial or SCSI ports, only USB ports.

USB 2

USB 2.0 extends the speed of the connection from 12 Mbps on USB 1.1 up to 480 Mbps on USB 2.0, providing an attachment point for next-generation peripherals which complement higher performance PCs and user applications. USB 2.0 is both forward and backward compatible with USB 1.1. USB 2.0 uses the same cables and connectors as USB 1.1. USB 1.1's data rate of 12 Mbps is sufficient for many PC peripherals such as telephones, keyboards, mice, digital joysticks, floppy drives, digital speakers, and low-end printers. These peripherals will continue to operate with no change in USB 2.0 systems.
The higher bandwidth of USB 2.0 will permit PC peripherals with more functionality, including higher resolution video conferencing cameras, next generation scanners and printers, fast storage units, and faster broadband Internet connections. Time to download a "roll" of digital photos will be changed from a few minutes on USB 1.1 down to a few seconds on USB 2.0. As with USB 1.1, USB 2.0 is expected to eventually be in industry chipsets. Once these chipsets reach high volume, it is expected that USB 2.0 will be about the same cost as USB is today. Because of this, USB 2.0 is expected to supersede USB 1.1, which is already a ubiquitous connector on PC systems today. To satisfy the needs of power-sensitive applications such as notebook computers, USB 2.0 will provide the same power-management mechanisms as USB 1.1 to allow aggressive management of I/O power consumption. This is expected to allow USB 2.0 to find use even in demanding low-power systems.

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What is the right plug on my PC?

4 pin plug on one end, 6 pin on the other. Most Cams come with one.

Otherwise available in shops for $ 15-20.

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