why are the firewire not usable with this card other then for dv cameras that STINKS. there should be information in your sales pitch that
!!!!!THIS PRODUCT'S FIREWIRE PORT DOES NOT SUPPORT ANY DEVICE OTHER THAN DV CAMERAS AND DECKS WITH THIS SOFTWARE!!!!!!!!
well ive found out the hard way by connecting it and being out of luck and out a drive. PLEASE COME UP WITH DRIVERS FOR THIS DEVICE SO OTHER HARDWARE WILL WORK!!!!!
Whoa, thar!
I guess the ports are not usable for general FireWire stuff because FAST has chosen to implement its own Codecs in the hope of optimising quality and performance.
This is NOT uncommon - and was until recently the norm.
I'd agree that it would be nice to be able to use every FireWire card for general FireWire purposes but that is NOT the Fast card's intended function. It's not a general-purpose FireWire card; it's a video editing card.
I've looked at the specs and stuff on the web site about the product and it doesn't say anywhere that the product does support FireWire hard disk etc.
Of course, as you infer, it doesn't say that it doesn't - and, in my view, that is an oversight that ought to be speedily put right; and something similar should be stated on the pack and in the instructions if they don't say this already.
The bottom line is, do any cards act as high-spec editing cards AND general purpose FireWire cards and, as far as I can see, the answer is a big fat zero.
Specialist editing cards that come to mind that don't support general FireWire include:
The Canopus DVRaptor (and all other members of the Canopus DV family, including the latest - DVStorm)
The Pinnacle DV300 (and its replacement, the non-SCSI-equipped and cheaper DV200), plus Pinnacle's dual-stream offering, the DV500
Oh and the DV500's direct rival, the Matrox RT2000 their successor.
If you were told by someone in store that the Fast card can do general FireWire stuff, then take up your case with the shop.
If you find that you need general FireWire more than high-quality video editing, try to get a refund on the Fast card.
Then, replace it with a general FireWire card with your chosen editing package (Premiere 6; Ulead MediaStudio 6; Ulead VideoStudio 4; and MGI VideoWave 3.5 or 4 are the main contenders)- which will be using the general Microsoft DV Codec, with all its flaws.
But don't expect to get the same video quality or editing functionality that you can expect from the Fast dedicated video editing card or, indeed, from other dedicated editing cards.
Bob C
Might be possible to delete the dv.now drivers (which means no analog in and no FAST.forward) and allow Windows 98 (SE) or higher to install its default drivers. That may give you a standard firewire port, though not sure whether or not is would be OHCI. I hear Premiere 6 works with it using the default windows TI drivers.
I have not tried the above, but it is something to consider.
well the mac has firewire ports and has dule usage, camera capture and storage usage. why is it that mac can do it and now one else wants to. its a waste of space to get another pci card for device connections. there should be a warning for consumers to be alert. i have nothing against dvnowav but there is no documentation about this propitory software and thats what im angry about due to my computers limited internal space so now i have to take out a pci card and install my old firewire link for storage purposes which is why i got this card for monitoring my video on a tv instead of the computer. its just not a univeral card
Because Apple developed FireWire. WINTEL trails the MAC world in some areas.
A safe rule to follow when buying anything is that if a feature is not specifically supported in the ad copy, do not count on it being present. Ask competent authority if it is a must have (even if mentioned in ad copy). Generally speaking sales people in stores are not competent about all the products they have for sale.
caveat emptor!