Firewire monitoring workaround?
 

As a few us probably know, I'm one of those afflicted by Sony's dread fried firewire syndrome, looking for a way to at least view my FX1-E (aka Pal) footage through a computer--have access to a nicer monitor than my own this weekend, wanted to know if there was any way I can work around this problem and at least look at my footage on a monitor via some other output/input--PS. the place I'm housesitting has some kinky S-Video to USB port wire if that helps at all.

thanks in advance for any advice, my knights:)

PS Is everyone absolutely sure that a Sony NTSC HDV (such as an HC3) camera can't download FX1E footage to the computer?

Hi Betsy,

When you say view your footage through a computer, do you mean as if you were capturing it, or that you just want to use a monitor as a tv?

If the computer has analog capture ability (depends on the system you are using), you could hook up through the svideo or rca outs of the camcorder and view your video in the capture window of the NLE.

If you have a spare camera with a functioning firewire port, you could hook up as FX1 svideo-out to svideo-in of the spare. Then firewire-out from the spare to the computer. Most cameras have an analog to digital converstion function that will convert the signal passing through.

If you just want to use the monitor as a tv, it would depend on the inputs that the monitor has. Many newer monitors have svideo inputs, for example.

The Z1 would be able to play your footage for capture. It is switchable from NTSC to PAL. The other HDV models I don't know...

Good luck,
Vito

Thanks Vito:) Looks like the monitor doesn't have any newer inputs but I'll try to run my fsx1 thru a regular SD cmcorder and see if that does anything...