You've shot that wonderful video of your daughter's birthday. Now, how can you get it into the computer to do some snazzy editing and perhaps produce a VCD or two? If the video is on that MiniDV or Hi8 tape, how can you possibly move it out of there into the computer? Seems tough. Well, let this article help you.

Analog or Digital?
The first thing you want to do is to determine if your video is in digital format (MiniDV, Digital8, MicroMV, Digital Tapeless, DVD) or analog format (8mm, Hi8, VHS-C). If it is in digital format, which is increasingly popular these days, you will need to transfer the video to the computer using a Firewire card. If it is in analog format, you will need an analog-to-digital conversion device to do the transfer.

Firewire Cards
A Firewire card is the channel through which video from your digital camcorder can enter your computer. A Firewire cable runs from your camcorder DV output port to your computer's DV input port. Due to the extremely fast transfer speeds that Firewire achieves, the digital video will be transferred with almost zero loss in quality. Most computers do not come with Firewire cards - if you are lo
ing for one, I'd highly recommend the Belkin FireWire card which retails for less than $35 online.

If you want to find out what factors to consider when purchasing a quality Firewire card, you can check out my article on choosing the best Firewire card.

Analog-to-Digital Conversion Devices
An analog-to-digital conversion device converts video from analog format to digital format. These type of device is well suited for the following video editing scenarios:

• You have video shot by an analog camcorder and wish to convert it into a digital format.
• You have some old VHS tapes which are growing dusty and you wish to convert them into a digital format.

If you are in either of the above scenarios, I highly recommend you get an analog-to-digital conversion device to help with the time consuming work. One product that I've had excellent experience with is the USB Instant DVD from ADS Technologies.

This is is a neat little device that has ports to allow analog video input from your analog camcorder or VCR. It outputs the converted digital video via a USB cable into your computer's USB port. You will definitely want to check out my full review of USB Instant DVD.

Conclusion
Well, I hope this article has given you some insight into the process of capturing video into your computer. The main point is to always remember what video format you're dealing with. If it's digital, go with Firewire and if it's analog, use an analog-to-digital video conversion device.

Gary Hendricks runs a hobby site on digital videography. Visit his website at http://www.desktop-video-guide.com for tips and tricks on buying digital camcorders, as well as shooting and editing great videos.