# Connecting firewire camcorder to usb port **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 16, 2009, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connecting-firewire-camcorder-to-usb-port/521476 "2009-12-16T14:32:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Call_Me_Shirley)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connecting-firewire-camcorder-to-usb-port/521476/1 "2009-12-16T14:32:10Z")
My friend got a new laptop that only has USB ports, no firewire or even PCMCIA slots. How can he get video from his camcorder with a firewire connection on to that computer? I haven’t been able to find any firewire - usb adaptor, and given what I know of the two formats it seems unlikely that there is such a thing. Is there maybe a DVD burner that you can plug a firewire camcorder directly into or something like that? I know some DVD recorders will take a firewire input but that just gives you a DVD you can watch on your TV, not a digital file that you can edit with Movie Maker, right? Any help appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![pan1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e495f1/32.png) [@pan1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pan1)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connecting-firewire-camcorder-to-usb-port/521476/2 "2009-12-16T14:50:29Z")
No such animal as a USB-firewire adapter. Are you sure there’s not even an ExpressCard(smaller than PCMCIA) adapter on the notebook - you can get firewire cards for those. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Call_Me_Shirley)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connecting-firewire-camcorder-to-usb-port/521476/3 "2009-12-16T15:02:40Z")
> [@pan1](#): > > No such animal as a USB-firewire adapter. > > Are you sure there’s not even an ExpressCard(smaller than PCMCIA) adapter on the notebook - you can get firewire cards for those. Don’t think so, [here are the specs](http://www.shopping.hp.com/shopping/pdf/vm114ua.pdf) of the laptop. Seems like a pretty nice laptop, I’m floored by the lack of ports. (Warning: pdf) Any other ideas? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connecting-firewire-camcorder-to-usb-port/521476/4 "2009-12-16T15:12:31Z")
> [@pan1](#): > > No such animal as a USB-firewire adapter. Yes there is: [http://www.pixela.co.jp/en/products/tv\_capture/pix\_uvcd\_u1w/spec.html](http://www.pixela.co.jp/en/products/tv_capture/pix_uvcd_u1w/spec.html) I don’t know how well it works. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connecting-firewire-camcorder-to-usb-port/521476/5 "2009-12-16T15:20:18Z")
This notebook is the[bottom of the line in that series](http://www.jr.com/hp/pe/HP_G71340US/). IO is limited to the basics. Does the camera use removable media cards of any kind? ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Call_Me_Shirley)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connecting-firewire-camcorder-to-usb-port/521476/6 "2009-12-16T15:42:24Z")
> [@astro](#): > > This notebook is the[bottom of the line in that series](http://www.jr.com/hp/pe/HP_G71340US/). IO is limited to the basics. > > Does the camera use removable media cards of any kind? No, MiniDV. Actually I think I just talked him into buying a new camcorder. ---
**Author:** ![pan1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e495f1/32.png) [@pan1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pan1)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connecting-firewire-camcorder-to-usb-port/521476/7 "2009-12-16T15:44:32Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Yes there is: [http://www.pixela.co.jp/en/products/tv\_capture/pix\_uvcd\_u1w/spec.html](http://www.pixela.co.jp/en/products/tv_capture/pix_uvcd_u1w/spec.html) > I don’t know how well it works. That’s a DV to USB port DV is not the same thing as firewire. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connecting-firewire-camcorder-to-usb-port/521476/8 "2009-12-16T16:50:24Z")
> [@pan1](#): > > That’s a DV to USB port > > DV is not the same thing as firewire. Yes it is. ---
**Author:** ![pan1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e495f1/32.png) [@pan1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pan1)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connecting-firewire-camcorder-to-usb-port/521476/9 "2009-12-16T17:02:49Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Yes it is. Darnit, he’s right. That cable is probably exactly what you’re looking for - if the camcorder has the same plug. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Call_Me_Shirley)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connecting-firewire-camcorder-to-usb-port/521476/10 "2009-12-16T18:00:59Z")
> [@pan1](#): > > Darnit, he’s right. > > That cable is probably exactly what you’re looking for - if the camcorder has the same plug. That website looks 5 years old, and I don’t see any way to buy it. Seems like it would be problematic anyway. USB can’t guarantee the transfer rate.