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Reference
What Makes Up Video?
Video is made up of an electro-magnetic signal that that can travel through electronic devices like cables, antennas, satellite dishes and TVs. Sent from its source, video has a certain amount of information in it that makes up the video picture. However, when that signal travels through a sending device it can also pick up additional information from other electro-magnetic sources. This is what is called interference or static (for those of you who use bunny-ear antennas on your TV, you know what I mean). What makes the difference between Analog and DV video is the way the video signal is interpreted on the sending and receiving ends of all that electro-magnetic communication. Analog Video
Analog video is what we consider "raw" video. All the information that makes up the video picture is pumped through the sending device. On the receiving end of that communication, all the data (original and added information) is received without question and is interpreted into a video picture on your TV or camcorder screen. So, if your VCR cables are lying next to a power strip, or your Hi8 camcorder tape is old and worn, you will have added or changed data that will degrade your video picture.
DV Video
Digital video is encoded video. This means that the device that is sending the video signal has changed the video data into electronic language ('computer speak'), which is a combination of zeros and ones. The same extra data can be picked up through the sending device (cable) but on the other end the digital receiving device is still only looking for distinct zeros and ones. Once it collects this digital data the device displays a clear, unchanged video picture for you.
RCA Cable
The most common set of cables that connect your VCR, DVD player or other video device to your TV is called RCA. It consists of three connectors: Red for the right audio channel, White for the left audio channel and Yellow for the video channel. Both ends look the same. All of the current Hi8/VHS-C camcorders and many of the DV and D8 camcorders have these RCA connections. |
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Firewire Cable
The special cable that connects your DV or D8 camcorder to your computer is called a Firewire cable. It is also known as an iLink or IEEE 1394 cable. This cable transmits digital data of both audio and video to your computer and can also send the same data back to your camcorder when you want to output your project back to tape. In addition to sending video data, it can also send commands from your computer to control the play buttons of your camcorder.
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| Most cables have one four-pin end and another six-pin end. Some cables have the same on both ends. Your camcorder will always connect to a four-pin and your 1394 card in your computer will most often use a six-pin. If you use this cable to connect your computer to an external 1394 drive such as another hard drive or a CD burner, you will use a cable that has a six-pin connector on both ends. |
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1394 (Firewire) Port
This port is a special connection on the back or front of your computer for connecting to 1394 devices (ie: DV camcorders, external 1394 drives). Usually you must install a 1394 card yourself, but many new computers are coming with 1394 ports already built in. Most often the port is a six-pin connection for connecting to a Firewire cable. Sometimes, it might be a four-pin connection on computers that have a front port for hooking up specifically to a DV or D8 camcorder. |
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