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Table Of Contents
Chapter 3 Preparing to Capture
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Understanding Digital Video (DV)
DV refers to digital video that is transferred through equipment conforming to
the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Standard 1394.
This equipment (cameras, decks, cables, connectors, and processing boards) is
sometimes referred to as FireWire or i.LINK.
DV connections let you transfer digital data (both video and audio) directly
from a DV camera to a digital nonlinear editing system with no conversion
losses. DV technology simplifies the process of bringing footage from your
camera into your Avid editing application, and gives you high-quality video at
low lost.
For more information, see the following topics:
What Is IEEE Standard 1394?
What Is OHCI?
What Is IEEE Standard 1394?
IEEE 1394 is an internationally standardized, low-cost digital interface that
integrates entertainment, communication, and computing electronics into
consumer multimedia. IEEE 1394 is a hardware and software standard for
transporting data at 100, 200, or 300 megabits per second (Mb/s). Because it’s
a digital interface, there is no need to convert digital data into analog, resulting
in a loss of data integrity.
What Is OHCI?
The Open Host Controller Interface (OHCI) specification gives the operating
system a standardized way of interacting with the 1394 bus. An IEEE 1394
interface that conforms to this specification can provide a connection between
a computer and a DV camcorder that will operate in a standard way, using
driver software that is included with the latest version of the Windows XP
operating system.
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Avid software-only editing systems use a custom OHCI driver, rather than the
default Microsoft OHCI driver. Whenever you connect a new DV device
(camera or deck), Avid editing applications automatically link the device to
the custom OHCI driver.