And why do I need or want one? I've seen a lot of topics about Kona cards, AJA, Blackmagic, etc...

But what are these suckers and what exactly do they do? The reason I ask is because when editing at home or work, I don't have one and don't understand their purpose.

I'm a total noob when it comes to this stuff and even some people at work can't explain it in terms that I understand. My guess is that they don't know either?

The Kona, Blackmagic, etc. are dedicate hardware (pci) cards that allow you to input and output real time component, composite, SDI, HD-SDI, S-Video, analog and/or digital audio to and from your editor and to and from broadcast video decks or video sources. Specific functions depend upon the card of course.

Thanks Rick! I've been scratching my head for quite a while trying to understand this stuff.

Is this something I need in addition to my firewire cable if that's all I'm using for input and output?

If you're just editing DV or HDV via firewire the answer is no. If you need SDI or component inputs/outputs then the answer is yes.

Big thanks guys!

Unless of course you want to feed a professional production monitor.

If you're just editing DV or HDV via firewire the answer is no. If you need SDI or component inputs/outputs then the answer is yes.

If I'm just editing DV and HDV via firewire, is there a specific firewire card I should look for? I remember some posts about the Canopus ACEDvio card being a good choice, though that was quite awhile ago.