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Topic: DV Question...

PunkMunkey

Member # 44

Member Rated:

posted April 06, 2005 16:00

OK...I just bought a new MiniDV camcorder (Panasonic PV-GS150) and I have a question for those who may have experience capturing video via FireWire...now this may be elementary, but I needed to ask for my own peace of mind, do you plug in your equipment hot or power everything up (camcorder and PC) after the FireWire connection is made?

As far as I knew FireWire was plug and play/hot swappable, but then I got this note with my camcorder saying that the FireWire connection should be made before I power either the computer or the camcorder on to avoid and "low voltage spikes" as they put it...so is it safe to make the connection hot and is Panasonic full of shit or will I fry something?

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Posts: 520 | From: Sweet Home Sacramento! | Registered: Oct 2001 | IP: Logged

NSA

Member # 1

Member Rated:

posted April 06, 2005 17:55

I always hot swap with my iPod and Sony MiniDV camcorder. I guess if your one of those people who actually WEARS one of those electric shock bracelet things when you work on computers.. you might want to go the safe route and power on afterwards.

I'd guess there is a danger in anything that a power spike could occur.. but I've never experianced it before

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the Bored lives FOREVER.

Posts: 1564 | From: Galactic Empire | Registered: Oct 2001 | IP: Logged

PunkMunkey

Member # 44

Member Rated:

posted April 07, 2005 08:56

OK...well I played it safe and powered on after I plugged in...maybe one day I'll be brave enough to hot swap but seeing as how I just got the camera Tuesday I didn't want to fry it right off the bat.

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Have you ever felt like you've been cheated?

Posts: 520 | From: Sweet Home Sacramento! | Registered: Oct 2001 | IP: Logged

***norm

Member # 86

Member Rated:

posted April 08, 2005 18:32

Firewire is Apple technology, I don't know how the whole thing translates to PC companies who adopted it, but I do know that it is hot swappable for all products on the mac.

Just like USB though, there is current run through the port to any device attached.

The "low voltage spikes" could be potentially damaging if the battery was not attached and/or the AC adapter was not powered either. What happens is a small amount of electricity constantly gets into the device, occasionally the power through the port can surge, nothing major, but maybe it is enough to potentially cause some trouble. I have never heard that before, but now i better check some of my stuff...

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•Taking money from religious people is like beating retards at checkers.
• Alcoholics Anonymous is to Jesus Freaks what still water is to mosquitos
•* I understand war for some reasons. Land, money, a girl, that can be understood. Now war over god, that's a whole different issue. There is no way I can justify a war over who has a better invisible friend.

Posts: 238 | From: Norm's Ghetto House | Registered: Nov 2001 | IP: Logged

NSA

Member # 1

Member Rated:

posted April 14, 2005 17:25

Well I guess Firewire is just IEEE 1394 or whatnot, not sure if thats strictly Apple or not.. I know a lot of PCs are coming with the ports now standard though, I imagine since Digital Video has gotten so popular?

Strange that the iPods are going only USB now though, I wonder why?

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the Bored lives FOREVER.

Posts: 1564 | From: Galactic Empire | Registered: Oct 2001 | IP: Logged

PunkMunkey

Member # 44

Member Rated:

posted April 19, 2005 08:07

quote:
Originally posted by NSA:
Strange that the iPods are going only USB now though, I wonder why?

Could it be licensing fees?...since Sony/Apple (I think) both were in on the development of IEEE 1394/Firewire could it be that other manufacturers have to pay them a fee for their patented technology?...or maybe USB has just achieved such a mass market availability that it's just more available thereby making a USB only iPod both cheaper and more "user friendly".

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Have you ever felt like you've been cheated?

Posts: 520 | From: Sweet Home Sacramento! | Registered: Oct 2001 | IP: Logged

***norm

Member # 86

Member Rated:

posted April 19, 2005 12:50

The thinking behind the USB only iPod is simple.

USB 2.0 far exceeds the transfer speed of original USB which makes it much more useful for transfering large files. (Man, I am old when I consider 2-3 MB files large) In addition, USB 2.0 is a universal port. (I am not sure of who came up with it, but I know that Apple, Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Lucent, Microsoft, NEC, IBM and Philips all were part of either development or agreement to the Universal Serial Bus port) It is now standard on every machine where as Firewire/IEEE 1394 is not.

Another possible reason is that although both USB and Firewire can be daisy chained or ported to include 198 or so devices, most computers have 4-8 USB ports and 1 Firewire. Making it harder to connect a variety of firewire, but really easy to connect USB devices.

Finally, it is probably a cost saving measure. One less cable to bundle into the box, or even manufacture.

Here is an article about Apple getting a belated academy award for creating firewire...
http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/apple_firewire_award_08_22_01.htm

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•Taking money from religious people is like beating retards at checkers.
• Alcoholics Anonymous is to Jesus Freaks what still water is to mosquitos
•* I understand war for some reasons. Land, money, a girl, that can be understood. Now war over god, that's a whole different issue. There is no way I can justify a war over who has a better invisible friend.

Posts: 238 | From: Norm's Ghetto House | Registered: Nov 2001 | IP: Logged

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