Right now i have Sony Handycam Digital 8 and capture using a USB cord, I edit using Pixela Image Mixer and also have Windows Media Encoder. The Quality Is very poor, but i read i need to switch to a firewire, because usb sucks. Where can i get firewire and how much is it. Could someone please make a step by step guide on how to get the best quality with the stuff i have and/or anything else i need that I can download for free. Also if I got the best quality i could get, and put it on a vcd, would it even look close to as good as a dvd. Thanks for your help.

That really depends on what country you live in For the sake if universality, I'll say less than $25 from just about any PC component store.

Once you've switched to firewire, you'll notice an instant step-up in quality of your source material.

It depends on your definition of "close". Due to the technical specifications of VCD, the image won't be as crisp as DVD, but it will certainly be good quality. You can produce very nice looking VCDs from good quality source material, particulary in low action well lit scenes.

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Ok, so im probably going to get fire wire but is there anything else ill need for it to work, or is it like usb where it just plugs in. Also i dont really feel like throwing out 100 bucks for a good editing software. Does anyone know of any good editing software that you can download for free thats better than wmm2 or is wmm2 better than Pixela Imagmixer. And does wmm2 capture in avi and have can get good quality video.

Yes. On windows XP, just plugin and play with your camcorder. No driver installation necesary

Couldn't tell you what's better, but WMM2 is the best you'll get for free.

I believe WMM2 has the option of capturing and outputting in DV AVI. It cannot create MPEGs needed for VCD/DVD.

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I got my firewire on ebay for five bucks.

the pci card and the 6 to 4 pin cable? nice

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What does the plugin look like on the computer for firewire because i need to know if i need an adapter. Also will windows media encoder 9 turn avi files into mpegs. And im having a very diffuicult time downloading wmm2, can anyone else tell me how you did it.

Ok, nevermind im going to get an i.link cable and a firewire/i.link card adapter, and am going to stick with Pixela, unless the card i get comes with good software .