I have an apple iBook and I found these firewire ports... But I have no idea what they do! Please help!
2007-07-07 12:00:49 · 3 answers · asked by Bill K 2 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Add-ons
FireWire, originally created by Apple and later standardized as IEEE-1394, actually preceded USB and had similar goals. The difference is that IEEE-1394 was originally intended for devices working with lots more data -- things like camcorders, DVD players and digital audio equipment. IEEE-1394 and USB share a number of characteristics and differ in some important ways. Here's a summary:
Like USB, IEEE-1394 is a serial bus that uses twisted-pair wiring to move data around.
However, while USB is limited to 12 megabits per second, IEEE-1394 currently handles up to 400 megabits per second.
USB can handle 127 devices per bus, while IEEE-1394 handles 63.
Both USB and IEEE-1394 support the concept of a isochronous device -- a device that needs a certain amount of bandwidth for streaming data. This mode is perfect for streaming audio and video data.
Both USB and IEEE-1394 allow you to plug and unplug devices at any time.
Most digital video cameras have an IEEE-1394 plug. When you attach a camcorder to a computer using IEEE-1394, the connection is amazing. With the right software the computer and the camera communicate, and the computer can download all of the scenes on the tape automatically and with perfect digital clarity. As prices fall, home video production will become trivial!
2007-07-07 12:05:07 · answer #1 · answered by ladeehwk 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Chances are that you don't have a firewire port on your laptop. You haven't specified how old your laptop is; most new laptops from Dell, Sony and Apple have firewire ports on them, older ones usually don't. If you post the make and model of your laptop (e.g., Dell Inspiron 6400, Sony Vaio C Series, etc) it would be easier for someone to be able to help you. Alternatively, you could just go to your laptop manufacturer's website and try to look at the specifications for your model to see if it has a firewire port.
2016-05-21 00:16:09 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
In general, they are used to connect to video cameras and/or hard drives. They are quite fast (faster than USB2, in fact) but not as popular.
2007-07-07 12:04:01 · answer #3 · answered by Kasey C 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋