HELP new clueless user! I have just purchased the Hollywood DV-Bridge but I can't find the port on the back of my computer to insert the 1394 cable, I can only find a USB connection. Do an need to buy an external connector?
------------------
Check the manuals. Many computers do NOT have an IEEE1384 (aka Firewire or iLink) port as a standard item. You may need to buy card. Also, sometimes the port will be 6-pin, about 2x the size of the port on a camcorder.
You need a firewire card. Since you don't have one, you may want to return your Hollywood Bridge and get a DV.now.AV package with which you will be much happier in the long run, and for which this forum exists. Although if I was buying a new card today I would seriously consider the Pinnacle Pro-One, but we are talking significant price jumps. You can get a cheap firewire card for about $50 but it depends on what you are trying to do as to whether its worth getting one of the better cards. I have been satisfied with the DV.now.AV and don't think I would have been happy with less. Keep in mind that the DV.now.AV is really quite a bargain since it comes with a full version of Premiere (so does the Pro-One). I don't know what software Hollywod Bridge comes with, but the DV.now.AV has a breakout box like Hollywood Bridge plus a capture card that is far superior to the cheap 1394 cards.
The Pinnacle is supposed to be pretty good, but I wouldn't give my worse enemy a Pinnacle product! I'd only trade a DV Now.AV for a Canopus product (which I did in fact upgrade to the DV Storm).
My observation and experience with Pinnacle products is tht if you have mainstream gear that they developed for, you may be OK, but if you have a driver problem (common with Pinnacle) it can be a long wait for a patch.