The FireWire port connects your camcorder to the PC.įireWire connections are ideal for video, since the signal stays digital throughout the transfer without any loss of image quality.ĭigital Video can take up a great deal of hard disk space. NOTE: If you have a FireWire connection on both your camcorder and PC then you do not need a video capture card.įireWire Almost all recently-manufactured camcorders have a FireWire port (also called IEEE 1394 or iLINK). Many video adapters for newer PCs already include TV-in.Īlso, some video capture equipment is now available as an external device that connects to the computer using USB 2.0, not an internal card.Īll of them have the same function: to take TV signals and turn them into files. The quality of the video depends on the video capture card, so you want to get a good quality capture card from a reputed manufacturer. The capture card digitizes a TV signal and creates a video file for playback and editing on the PC. Video Capture Cards Video capture cards let you record from an analog camcorder, VCR, or DVD player to the computer's hard drive. If you have a tape-based camcorder or an analog video camera, you will need to convert the analog video to a digital form which can be understood by the PC.įor this you may need some or all of the following equipment:

The first step in digital video editing is getting your video footage into the PC. This might help you to decide which components need to be upgraded. Useful documentation:Go through the documentation that came along with the PC, like user manuals and installation guides.Warranty issues: If you bought a PC recently, check with the manufacturer to see whether changing the hardware would affect the warranty.Let the Professional do it: If you are not confident about upgrading and installing new hardware yourself, call a professional.If you have an older PC, or you want the editing process to be as enjoyable and exciting as the finished product, you should consider updating your PC to optimize it for video editing.īefore starting on an upgrade program, consider this basic advice. Video editing is a resource hungry activity.

Make it easy for anyone to create professional looking digital video. These rapid strides in PC technology, in combination with advanced editing software like Video Edit Magic, Video Edit Magic 4.47 Configuring your PC forĮvery year we see computers with faster processors, bigger hard drives, and larger amounts of RAM at ever-lower prices.

Capture digital video to pc