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aeropl · Apr 26, 2008, 12:55 AM

I need to convert some movies (old home videos on hi8 and vhs) from analog (composite cable) into digital format using my new MB Pro. I bought a Eyetv hybrid but I have just read that it converts into mpeg2 format which is compressed and not great for editing. Since there are so many capture devices that are Vista compatible, will these work under Boot Camp? I would like to make sure before I spend the money. Will the movie files be available on the boot camp drive in OS X?

On a related note, does it matter which port (Firewire, USB, or Expresscard) the capture devices uses? Are they all compatible with Vista running in Boot Camp?

ghporter · Apr 26, 2008, 07:24 AM

When you install Windows using Boot Camp, you're just making the machine a dual-boot machine. In that situation, when you boot into Windows, you're BOOTING WINDOWS. Windows then runs NATIVELY on your hardware, and everything (EVERYTHING) is available to Windows, including all the ports. You just have to install the drivers that are included on the Leopard disc. (Sorry for the extra emphasis, but you're not running "under Boot Camp"; it's a utility to allow your Mac to dual boot, not some emulator or other dodge.)

There are at least as many XP compatible capture devices on the market as there are Vista compatible devices, and they're likely to be as affordable, if not less expensive. And XP isn't the resource hog Vista is. Given the choice between the two, I'd take XP (for the foreseeable future). But whichever Windows version you choose, ALL of your Mac's hardware will work under that OS.

aeropl · Apr 26, 2008, 09:49 AM

Thanks for the clarification. The reason I asked about Vista is that I already have a copy of Vista Business. Now I have to go to the Genius Bar because the Vista dvd is not being recognized and Apple Support couldn't figure it out.

msuper69 · Apr 26, 2008, 05:52 PM

I'm surprised Apple Support would even talk to you about a problem installing Vista as Apple does not support Windows in any way, at least not officially other than supplying the drivers necessary for the Mac hardware to be useable under Windows.

ghporter · Apr 26, 2008, 08:19 PM

A Mac should read any CD or DVD-even a Vista disc. If it's not reading it, it's probably the disc, though. These drives they put in Macs tend to be not too forgiving of dirt, fingerprints and so on. Unless the OP has made the disc work in some other machine, that's what I'd suspect.

aeropl · Apr 27, 2008, 12:38 AM

Of course when I show up to the genius bar it works fine. This is after spending 30+ minutes on the phone with support trying various things. The drive must be finicky, as when I got home I had to I put the perfectly clean Vista disc in about 30 times before my computer finally recognized it. It really was a DVD drive issue rather than a Vista installation issue.

Anyway, I decided to go with EyeTV device anyway so I can stay in OS X. Thanks again for the comments.

forumhound · May 2, 2008, 10:11 PM

Hi there, let me expand this post a bit if you will: where is firewire support under windows using a mac/intel? I can't figure that out...I run parallels desktop and its not even a configuration option. Seems like firewire is the capture protocol of choice, so it's strange that I can't do that on the windows side. Any help would be appreciated! thx.

ghporter · May 3, 2008, 10:59 AM

Parallels and Fusion virtualize external connections, and I don't know whether either of them do anything like a good job with Firewire. Parallels 2 is really bad at USB and I managed to miss the inexpensive upgrade to version 3 so I'm sticking with that. It doesn't look like Parallels even supports Firewire; at least I can't find anything about it in poking around in my own version 2 installation. There isn't any mention of "IEEE 1394" or "firewire" in the documentation, either.

The OP was talking about booting into Windows, and in that case you just use the normal peripheral management scheme built into Windows. Firewire is "the capture protocol of choice" because it's very good at streaming data, while USB is better at file transfers.

forumhound · May 4, 2008, 01:17 AM

hi gh, thanks for that. Version 3 of Parallels handles usb okay, but is annoying as it asks everytime u plug in connection and wants to know if u want to use it in windows or osx, and the window is always underneath all others, so if u dont know this the system appears hung. poor design i guess. but u are correct, there is no fw support there, and even when i boot windows i can't see it either, but let me look closer. I dont get it, as fw seems just as important as usb and the network, so why its not there is just baffling. cheers,
FD