Probably a simple answer but here goes...

[russtobin]

I've got an Imac with 2 thunderbolt ports - can these be used as an input to get Digital Video into the Imac?

If not how do I best get DVi from my Camcorder into the Imac?

Used to be so simple with the MBP and it's firewire port....

Many thanks in advance for any replies.

 

[thats all folks]

if by DVi you mean DV over Firewire, you just need a Firewire adapter.
http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MD464LL/A/apple-thunderbolt-to-firewire-adapter

if by DVi (DVI) you mean HDMI, you need capture hardware,
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...dlkulsdzminrec_Ultrastudio_Mini_Recorder.html

if you are looking for a replacement for an external analog to DV converter,
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...HBOLT_Intensity_Shuttle_with_Thunderbolt.html

 

[russtobin]

if by DVi you mean DV over Firewire, you just need a Firewire adapter.
http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MD464LL/A/apple-thunderbolt-to-firewire-adapter

if by DVi (DVI) you mean HDMI, you need capture hardware,
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...dlkulsdzminrec_Ultrastudio_Mini_Recorder.html

if you are looking for a replacement for an external analog to DV converter,
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...HBOLT_Intensity_Shuttle_with_Thunderbolt.html

[doublepost=1481386316][/doublepost]Thanks for the reply.

I have a Digital Camcorder with a mini DVi connector that I'd like to connect to my Imac which has 2 Thunderbolt ports.

Looks like I'll need a Thunderbolt to Firewire adapter and then possibly another adapter for firewire to DVi - starts to get a little expensive and complicated.

So much easier with a PC.....

 

[thats all folks]

not sure how this is complicated. you need a FireWire cable regardless. all this adds is the Thunderbolt adapter. I'll guess that what you keep calling DVi is a reference to Sony's i.LINK connector? that is just a 4 pin FireWire connector (the FW400 signal, no power). so you need a 4 pin to 9 pin FireWire cable. the last MBP sold with FW400 (6 pin) was in 2008. so if you have one of those cables, things have changed since then.

 

[russtobin]

Not too complicated if I can get away with just the one adapter but it's still somewhere in the region of £30 i gotta spend. Getting digital video into a £2k machine shouldn't require an Apple adapter.

Maybe Apple incorporated Thunderbolt in order to sell adapters

 

[thats all folks]

Not too complicated if I can get away with just the one adapter but it's still somewhere in the region of £30 i gotta spend. Getting digital video into a £2k machine shouldn't require an Apple adapter.

Maybe Apple incorporated Thunderbolt in order to sell adapters

between 1986 and 2016 the number of interfaces, formats, standards and protocols used to store and transfer digital video has grown and evolved widely. DV (and it's variants) are just one small piece of that. no mass produced consumer computer that I'm aware of has ever natively accepted a digital video input.

FireWire is not a 'video' transmission protocol, rather a general purpose isochronous serial bus interface that will gladly move any type of data which can fit into it's bandwidth limits. it works well for DV encoded video and basic transport control but that is not it's specific purpose. that FireWire was left to wither and die was a shame (the spec had already been written to extend it to 3200Mb) but USB 2 won the day. that and the decline of tape for video storage (and with it the need for 1 to 1 real time transfers) meant FireWire's days were numbered.

DV and tape have been on the decline since the early 2000s. so rather than lamenting the loss of a now obsolete interface, be happy that a mere $30 adapter will let you natively connect to a 20 year old camcorder to the newest computer.

 

[bcave098]

Not too complicated if I can get away with just the one adapter but it's still somewhere in the region of £30 i gotta spend. Getting digital video into a £2k machine shouldn't require an Apple adapter.

Maybe Apple incorporated Thunderbolt in order to sell adapters

I imagine you didn't read the specs first. Apple doesn't hide what ports their computers have or that FireWire was replaced with ThunderBolt (many) years ago. Technology evolves, but if you want to keep the same peripherals, you'll need adapters.

 

[russtobin]

Just one question guys....who else of any real significance incorporates Thunderbolt??

 

[CWallace]

So much easier with a PC.....

Unless your PC was a Sony, I'm not aware of many that had FireWire, much less the four-pin type. So you would have needed an expansion card and those were all 9-pin ports, usually, so that would have required an adapter, as well.

Just one question guys....who else of any real significance incorporates Thunderbolt??

I have used high-end HP, IBM (Lenovo), and Dell PCs and laptops that had Thunderbolt. It's a really flexible architecture so it's not uncommon on high-end machines (which Macs are).

 

[thats all folks]

Just one question guys....who else of any real significance incorporates Thunderbolt??

significance to what? it's available on many workstation class PCs. it's a common connection on pro level audio and video interfaces, it's used on a wide variety of storage products, and other uses as well...

Thunderbolt is just a PCIe extender so anything that can interface through that can be done with Thunderbolt.

 

[russtobin]

Significance to the average user! Fact is I can't buy a cable to connect one consumer product to another.
[doublepost=1481405733][/doublepost]

Unless your PC was a Sony, I'm not aware of many that had FireWire, much less the four-pin type. So you would have needed an expansion card and those were all 9-pin ports, usually, so that would have required an adapter, as well.




I have used high-end HP, IBM (Lenovo), and Dell PCs and laptops that had Thunderbolt. It's a really flexible architecture so it's not uncommon on high-end machines (which Macs are).

Erm.... my PC definitely has a firewire connector...

 

[bcave098]

Significance to the average user! Fact is I can't buy a cable to connect one consumer product to another.
[doublepost=1481405733][/doublepost]

Erm.... my PC definitely has a firewire connector...

As I said technology evolves. Apple's not a company that dwells on legacy. They make an adapter so you can use your old tech with today's Macs. Remember that ThunderBolt is a standard created by Intel and Apple and is increasingly common (especially ThunderBolt 3).

 

[thats all folks]

Significance to the average user! Fact is I can't buy a cable to connect one consumer product to another.

Fact is the average user/consumer is not using a DV tape camcorder.

Erm.... my PC definitely has a firewire connector...

but no PC made in the last few years has. hmm, just like one often discussed fruit company.

all choices have consequences. you are now facing the consequences of one you made. or you can just keep waiting for the world to come to you...

 

[russtobin]

Don't get your point - my PC has a firewire connector - you doubting that??

 

[bcave098]

Don't get your point - my PC has a firewire connector - you doubting that??

The important questions: how old is the PC? And is it built in?
I checked a major PC maker's site, Dell, and none of the desktops I saw can be configured for FireWire. They do have a StarTech brand IEEE 1394 PCI card though (for $70).

I'll say it again: technology evolves. Otherwise we'd still be using SCSI and serial ports.

 

[thats all folks]

Don't get your point - my PC has a firewire connector - you doubting that??

true, you are not getting it. so go use your precious PC. really though you just want to grumble and whine. check out http://macdailynews.com/ a home for the malcontent.

 

[monokakata]

I've done this any number of times in the past, most recently with a fairly high end (but older) Canon camcorder. Honestly, you just need two things: a Thunderbolt to FW800 adapter, easy to find from Apple, and then a FW800 to FW400 4 pin cable (Monoprice is a good source). That's all you need, so long as we're not talking about software. It's not a lot of money, and allows you to do exactly what you need to do.