MacBook = no iMovie for most camcorders?

Question

Level 1

40 points

MacBook = no iMovie for most camcorders?

Most consumer camcorders in the field NOW use Firewire 400 (miniDV). And people are buying them up like hotcakes even still because now they cost so little (around $200.)

I didn't see the keynote, but just who are the new MacBooks being targeted at? *Is the average MacBook customer really going to spend more on their camcorder than they do on their computer?* This doesn't make sense to me.

Any suggestions for matching a Firewire camcorder with the new MacBooks? I was hoping to upgrade my G4 laptop, but I definitely am not ready to buy a new camcorder to go with it! (I have a nice Sony miniDV camcorder)

Posted on Oct 14, 2008 3:51 PM

Reply

Answer 1

panamax

Level 1

0 points

Oct 14, 2008 8:03 PM in response to JeffP.

I've asked myself the same question. I'd love to buy a new MacBook but I'd need a solution for my Sony camcorder (other than buying a new camcorder). I had already ordered a MacBook if this questions wasn't unresolved.

Reply

Answer 2

Oct 14, 2008 8:15 PM in response to JeffP.

The only way to solve this is to get a USB hub that has firewire ports... Thats the only thing i could think of.

Reply

Answer 3

Oct 14, 2008 8:30 PM in response to JeffP.

There seems to be a lot of panic in these discussions right now. I have the fire wire camera and drives and can't believe there'll be no solutions. Apple has been an innovator.

I'm going to wait for some reviews to see what's up. So far I've read most of what's here and it really isn't much more than guesswork.

Reply

Answer 4

lenn5

Level 4

2,537 points

Oct 14, 2008 8:33 PM in response to John DeNeef

All of the external drives I use have both Firewire and USB2. 2 OWC and 2 WD.

What brand of drives has firewire and no USB2?

lenn

Reply

Answer 5

panamax

Level 1

0 points

Oct 14, 2008 10:30 PM in response to Stalemate

@Stalemate:

Are you sure that it is possible to use a USB hub to connect a DV-camera? I am not sure if this is possible. My DV-camera (Sony) has a USB port, but iMovie doesn't detect the camera if it is not connected via Firewire.

Reply

Answer 6

Oct 14, 2008 10:48 PM in response to panamax

Whoomp, Never mind then. I thought it would work... Im guessing that with the New Macbooks it can work, but i guess this is Steve Jobs way of saying if you want to video edit with the Pro.

Reply

Answer 7

Onu Marx

Level 1

45 points

Oct 14, 2008 11:36 PM in response to JeffP.

They started killing DV video editing already year ago with the launch of iMovie '08 that is processing DV with half of resolution. I hoped that they will fix it in next release, but now it looks quite sure that it won't happen.

Reply

Answer 8

Oct 14, 2008 11:52 PM in response to lenn5

lenn5 wrote:
All of the external drives I use have both Firewire and USB2. 2 OWC and 2 WD.

What brand of drives has firewire and no USB2?

lenn

Several actually. Besides some of us paid extra to get firewire, because it is much faster than USB and now we must downgrade?

Reply

Answer 9

Oct 15, 2008 2:22 AM in response to Onu Marx

What a way to shoot themselves in the foot. I work in an Apple reseller - most people come in and buy a Mac so it just works. Great. Many of them buy MacBooks.

It's not so great when they find their 3 month old $300 camera doesn't work. Nice going Apple.

Reply

Answer 10

JeffP. Author

Level 1

40 points

Oct 15, 2008 5:20 AM in response to Onu Marx

Onu Marx wrote:
They started killing DV video editing already year ago with the launch of iMovie '08 that is processing DV with half of resolution. I hoped that they will fix it in next release, but now it looks quite sure that it won't happen.

Reminds me of when they jumped the gun on DVD technology by including DVD read-only drives in the iMacs.. Turns out everybody "on the ground" was just getting into ripping and burning. Apple nearly missed the mp3 boat, but soon recovered with the "Rip, Mix, Burn" campaign followed closely by the development of the iPod.

I hope they come to their senses in this case, too. AVCHD camcorders are costly and don't always play well with macs. The audio device industry relies on Firewire heavily as well. USB is fine for mice, light storage and digital cameras, but it lacks the robust reliability Firewire offers for streaming media like video and audio.

Reply

Answer 11

Oct 15, 2008 6:11 AM in response to JeffP.

It seems that our view of the "consumer" MB is far different than Apple's. You and I have been around for a long time and have the equipment that Apple seems to consider to be "pro" now.

In another post I talked about buying a small foot print. Lack of FW is a problem because I really prefer the small size.

The thing is that those converting from windoze don't have that stuff, and don't know what we're talking about.

Reply

Answer 12

JeffP. Author

Level 1

40 points

Oct 15, 2008 7:10 AM in response to John DeNeef

Well, anyone who's bought a consumer miniDV camcorder within the last 10 years most likely has a need for Firewire.

Reply

Answer 13

Ziatron

Level 5

4,186 points

Oct 15, 2008 1:20 PM in response to panamax

The old MacBook Pro shipped without FireWire 800 for a short while before it was added back. So wait for Firewire to be added back.

If you are doing video, FireWire is a must.

All analog to digital video converters use firewire. Look at the Canopus ADVC300. Audio and Video go in, FireWire comes out.

http://www.canopus.com/products/ADVC300/index.php

Firewire is also used for target disk mode, which is essential for one of the Mac's coolest features: the Migration Assistant.

Reply

Answer 14

JeffP. Author

Level 1

40 points

Oct 15, 2008 2:21 PM in response to Ziatron

Ziatron wrote:
The old MacBook Pro shipped without FireWire 800 for a short while before it was added back. So wait for Firewire to be added back.

That's because the Intel chipset at the time did not support Firewire 800. I haven't heard anything about Intel backpedaling on Firewire support.

Reply

Answer 15

Oct 15, 2008 3:23 PM in response to JeffP.

Being a long time Mac-only user, I am not very familiar with PC laptops, but I do know that in the past, and maybe even currently, not many have firewire connectors. How have they been connecting their DV camcorders to their laptops?

Reply