Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Pro 5

The first step in capturing your source material is to connect your capture device to the computer through a FireWire cable. Final Cut Pro can capture and control a variety of NTSC or PAL camcorders and decks using just a FireWire cable. You can also capture other video formats using a third-party capture card or analog-to-digital converter with FireWire output.

FireWire 400, also called IEEE-1394a, has two types of connectors. The smaller 4-pin connector usually attaches to a camera or deck. The larger 6-pin connector goes into your computer's FireWire port. Independent FireWire drives typically use a 6-pin-to-6-pin connector. FireWire 400 transfers data at 400 Mbps. The newer FireWire 800 is a higher-bandwidth version capable of transferring data at up to 800 Mbps. This cable uses 9-pin-to-9-pin connections, but you can also get 9-pin-to-4-pin and 9-pin-to-6-pin cables to work with other FireWire devices.

You can also connect your camera or deck to a separate video monitor or television set, or through a VCR, just as you would if you were screening a tape. However, this is not necessary because you can simply use the preview image area within the Final Cut Pro Capture function.