Firewire to usb adapter?

Tiddlypeeps

Anybody know where I can buy an adapter with a female firewire and male USB. My sister got a laptop with no firewire port on it and needs to plug a camera into it, but it only outputs via firewire.

mp22

have a look here http://www.usbnow.co.uk/Adapters_&_Connectors-Adapters_&_Connectors_%28All%29/c42_152/index.html

Tiddlypeeps

There doesn't appear to be any in that list.

bhickey

Tiddlypeeps wrote: »

There doesn't appear to be any in that list.

If the laptop has a Cardbus/PCMCIA slot then you could try this.

Tiddlypeeps

Unfortunately it doesn't, its a mac book so it only has 2x USB ports, 1x HDMI port and an Ethernet port.

bhickey

Tiddlypeeps wrote: »

Unfortunately it doesn't, its a mac book so it only has 2x USB ports, 1x HDMI port and an Ethernet port.

You havent said what type of camera it is or what she's trying to do with the camera but does she have to connect the actual camera to the laptop? For example, if she were just looking to copy pictures/movies from it then could she not take the memory card out and get a USB reader for the card?

Khannie

Pretty sure you'll need to get a firewire hub. USB and firewire are fairly different technologies so you can't really just use an adapter to change the wire shape / gender as such.

bhickey wrote: »

You havent said what type of camera it is or what she's trying to do with the camera but does she have to connect the actual camera to the laptop? For example, if she were just looking to copy pictures/movies from it then could she not take the memory card out and get a USB reader for the card?

This would be a much simpler solution.

Tiddlypeeps

I have no idea of the make of the camera, but she is using it in college to make videos and they have to hand in the tapes from the camera for their assignments. The camera does use SD cards also but there is no way to move stuff from the SD card to the tape on the camera itself.

Tiddlypeeps

Khannie wrote: »

Pretty sure you'll need to get a firewire hub. USB and firewire are fairly different technologies so you can't really just use an adapter to change the wire shape / gender as such.




This would be a much simpler solution.

I had a look around for a firewire hub but couldn't seem to find one. Maby im just searching for the wrong thing.

bhickey

Tiddlypeeps wrote: »

I have no idea of the make of the camera, but she is using it in college to make videos and they have to hand in the tapes from the camera for their assignments. The camera does use SD cards also but there is no way to move stuff from the SD card to the tape on the camera itself.

I think she'll need to think about borrowing a less fashionable computer from someone else then.

Tiddlypeeps

bhickey wrote: »

I think she'll need to think about borrowing a less fashionable computer from someone else then.

... thats mighty helpful of you :rolleyes:

They use iMac's in the lab in her college. The software they use will only run on a Mac. The ones in her college are insanely slow and about a million years old, so she got a mac book.

bhickey

Tiddlypeeps wrote: »

... thats mighty helpful of you

Well this drip feed of info does make it difficult you know :rolleyes:.

Anyway so now we know that she has to use a Mac 'cause that's the only platform the as-yet-unidentified software runs on and she has to work directly with the tapes from the camera. Her own Mac has no firewire so really I think it'd be best to borrow someone else's Mac that does have firewire.

Tiddlypeeps

I just didn't really see how the extra information was relevant. I don't actually know what software she is using, or what type of camera she has. I would have mentioned it by now if I did.

Borrowing someone elses Mac isn't an option. She could just go back to the lab and use the slow as hell iMac's and throw the Mac she bought in the bin I guess. It's not just for a once off that she needs it, it is something she will be using regularly.

I just want to know is it possible to convert USB output to Firewire input. Khannie mentioned a Firewire hub, would this work and where can I get one?

bhickey

Tiddlypeeps wrote: »

..... and throw the Mac she bought in the bin I guess.

Well maybe not in the bin but something drastic anyway.

I just want to know is it possible to convert USB output to Firewire input. Khannie mentioned a Firewire hub, would this work and where can I get one?

From what I can see, no device exists that will reliably do what you describe. So, as far as I can tell, she needs to use/buy/borrow another Mac with Firewire built-in. She is not the first and will not be the last Macbook buyer stuck like this.

jumbone

I'm assuming that its a DV camera if it uses tape and firewire.

Could she not upload the footage to an external hard disk using the iMac in college and then edit it on her own mac?

Also, there are 2 types of firewire port as below. Check if she can use a computer with either of these as a simple cable is all that is needed



Also, does she need the footage in uncompressed DV? I ask because some dvd recorders have i.link inputs and she would be able to burn dvds of the footage that way. Maybe this would be useful for an offline/online editing situation.

Also, is the software final cut pro? Its the most well known mac editing suite so i' guessing it is

Tiddlypeeps

She just called me and said she is going to get a firewire card for her pc and then just transfer the files over to the mac that way. Bit of a pain but it seems there is no easy way.

Thanks for all the help.