[Rich-M]

Originally Posted by worldcreator

This is mainly for my laptop, for which it seems I can just use a PCMCIA card; as was suggested by accat13/Rich-M. Thanks by the way...

My question about a converter- which could be used for both desktop and laptop was to see if anyone here has used one of these. Everyone seems to have an opinion, but I guess no one has ever actually used one.

I know for a typical PC desktop you can just add a firewire card in an expansion slot. This is a situation where that would not be possible.

In any case I'm just going to use the PCMCIA card for myself (but probably a different brand as I've never heard of "Rosewill" from the Newegg site). And maybe later I'll find someone that has experience with a "converter".

pEaCe

Rosewill is a Newegg brand name is all but actually your idea of sticking to brand name here is a good one as I have had these no name generics not work. But please understand as I believe you do this is not a converter. It is a pci card that simply does both usb and firewire and the pcmia slot on a pc is the same as a pci slot in a desktop is all.
This is a good brand:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...ECH-_-15158006
Out of curiosity, why can't you do an addon card on the desktop?

[pvc_]

do you by any chance have an iLink port on your laptop? Those iLink ports are essentially the same as firewire.

[Rabee]

All IT experts whom i know deny the fact of the presence of a converter from USB - Firewire. Maybe because firewire moves bits faster than USB so there isn't that efficient converter; even if there is such a thing it will slow the INFO transfer greatly. If your desktop didn't come with a FireWire port then purchasing a FireWire card will solve it for you (just like graphic,sound cards, etcc..) For laptops i think that a card can be inserted on those deep rectangular pockets which come from the sides of the laptop, (i have forgotten it's name) will give you a FireWire port.


UPDATE: There isn't a converter for the cable which has the Big FireWire port, however in your case, camcorders have small FireWire ports which are available in the market. By the way they are really CHEAP, just like a normal cable. Maybe the 119$ that is posted includes specialized software for video editing or such stuff. But, if your Camera is digital, and saves on a chip,(not on a tape) then you don't need that one which is posted.
If you didn't notice that type of cable is similar to the one that we use on mobiles.(new ones)

[accat13]

As a cautionary note.The only reason I pointed out the Rosewill Pcmcia card is because it contained both 1394a 4 pin and 1394a 6 pin firewire. You didn't specify which was required.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowIm...0PCMCIA%20Card