Question:
Hi, I have a digital camcorder JVC GR-D73U, which has Firewire output. Is there any good free software for video capturing using FireWire? 
Answer:
The best FREE software is Exsate DV Capture Live. Exsate DV Capture Live is a program for capturing DV video from IEEE-1394 Firewire and for recompressing to video formats in realtime. Sometimes after recording footage with your digital video camera you just want a video file to playback. Dealing with an editing app is more trouble than its worth. Exsate DV Capture Live imports video from a DV cam and automatically saves the footage as DV AVI, AVI with any audio/video codec or ASF. Options include video timestamping, full tape import and scene-by-scene capture and encoding. One of the slickest features is the option to append the current footage to an existing file, automating the process of combining multiple tapes. It is the only free DV capture program that allows you to capture from the middle of a tape, and the feature to capture an interval is very useful. |
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Step 1. Find a FireWire connector on your computer, which allows you to transfer information from camcorder. Connect your camcorder to PC via Firewire cable.
Tip: In case your computer doesn't have FireWire:
a) If you have a portable computer you need A FireWire CardBus Card: A credit card sized connector that fits into the PCMCIA slot on you computer and has 2 FireWire ports to allow you to connect to FireWire devices.
b) If you have a desktop computer you need a FireWire PCI Card and a PCI slot on your computer, which gives you either 2 or 3 FireWire ports.
Step 2. Download and install Exsate DV Capture Live:
Click here to download Exsate DV Capture Live
Step 3. Launch Exsate DV Capture Live (Start -> Programs -> Exsate DV Capture Live -> Exsate DV Capture Live). Choose a folder where you want to save all your videos. Click Next.
The program has a wizard-like user interface:
Step 4. Enter a new project name. Click Next. Choose capture mode:
* capture from the beginning to the current position of a tape;
* capture from the current tape position to the end of a recording;
* capture a whole tape from the beginning to the end;
* capture any given timecode interval;
The program automatically operates your camcorder - frees you from some annoying operations to control your camcorder each time before capture: rewind a tape, search for the beginning of a recoding, etc.
Step 5. Select an output file format: DV AVI, AVI or ASF.
Also, select how to display DV date/time stamp - detects recorded DV date and time stamp and automatically imprints it on a video frame:
* Once a day;
* Once an hour;
* Every scene;
You may check the option to capture to multiple files (detects scenes and writes them to a single file or to the multiple files).
Click Next, choose compressors, optional codec parameters, etc. Press Next.
Exsate DV Capture Live allows to perform realtime recompression to AVI or ASF formats - recompresses captured video to an AVI file with any DirectShow or VfW compressor installed on your PC including DivX (AVI) or to the Window Media ASF file (WMV) on the fly.
Step 6. Ready to start.
You can change properties. Click the button DV Capture Live at the bottom of the screen, and click Preferences from the drop-down menu. Here you can change DV Date Stamp:
Finally, check the appropriate option you prefer:
* automatically rewind a tape after the capture;
* automatically shutdown a PC after the capture;
Click Next, Next. Done!
Now, Exsate DV Capture Live captures video and audio from your camcorder (using FireWire interface) to digital multimedia format you have specified.