capture via repeater: sound like trouble? at DVinfo.net

Michael Pace · June 29th, 2006, 12:38 PM

Imagine if you will... a small editing room at a college. You have 3 XP-Pro computers where students cut video on a program like Vegas. You have one pro Panasonic mini-DV VTR that has firewire/1394 in/out.

The question: Can i-- via firewire-- go out of the VTR into a 3-way firewire router/repeater and thus feed each computer a firewire signal from the one deck?

I'm not trying to do anything funky like simultaneous capture on multiple machines-- i'd just like to have each computer be able to capture off the deck, one at a time, without having to jockey connections around every time.

XP identifies anything that is connected to its host machine, so what happens when it identifies 2 other PC's and a deck connected to it?

Chris Hocking · June 29th, 2006, 07:03 PM

As far as I know, you can't split a firewire signal like that. It's not a limitation of firewire, but more of the computers operating system; no OS's support it.

An alternative would be to use a Firewire Switch.

Michael Pace · June 30th, 2006, 08:47 AM

that's what i actually suspected Chris--
thanks for steering me towards the switcher

MRP

June 29th, 2006, 12:38 PM	#1
Michael Pace Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: La Florida Posts: 68	capture via repeater: sound like trouble? Imagine if you will... a small editing room at a college. You have 3 XP-Pro computers where students cut video on a program like Vegas. You have one pro Panasonic mini-DV VTR that has firewire/1394 in/out. The question: Can i-- via firewire-- go out of the VTR into a 3-way firewire router/repeater and thus feed each computer a firewire signal from the one deck? I'm not trying to do anything funky like simultaneous capture on multiple machines-- i'd just like to have each computer be able to capture off the deck, one at a time, without having to jockey connections around every time. XP identifies anything that is connected to its host machine, so what happens when it identifies 2 other PC's and a deck connected to it?

June 29th, 2006, 07:03 PM	#2
Chris Hocking Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 595	As far as I know, you can't split a firewire signal like that. It's not a limitation of firewire, but more of the computers operating system; no OS's support it. An alternative would be to use a Firewire Switch.

June 30th, 2006, 08:47 AM	#3
Michael Pace Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: La Florida Posts: 68	that's what i actually suspected Chris-- thanks for steering me towards the switcher MRP