Apple Final Cut Pro 6 - Manual (Page 181)

180 Part III Setting Up Your Editing System
FireWire 400
FireWire 400, also called IEEE 1394a or i.LINK, is the consumer and professional standard
for formats such as DV, DVCAM, DVCPRO, DVCPRO 50, DVCPRO HD, and HDV. FireWire is
an inexpensive and easy way to capture and output high-quality digital video using a
variety of camcorders and decks and is capable of data rates as high as 400 Mbps.
Standard FireWire cables can be up to 4.5 meters long.
There are two kinds of FireWire connectors: a 4-pin connector (typically found on video
equipment such as camcorders or decks) and a 6-pin connector (used for computer
equipment). However, some newer video equipment uses the 6-pin connector, and
some video interfaces use the 4-pin connector. See your equipment’s documentation
for more information.
FireWire 800
FireWire 800, also called IEEE 1394b, is the next generation of FireWire after IEEE 1394a,
a higher-bandwidth version capable of data transfer speeds of up to 800 Mbps.
FireWire 800 is also capable of supporting cable distances of up to 100 meters.
In addition to the standard 9-pin-to-9-pin FireWire 800 cables, 9-pin-to-4-pin and
9-pin-to-6-pin FireWire 400 to FireWire 800 cables are also available to connect older
devices to a FireWire 800 interface.
Note: FireWire 800 is commonly used to connect hard disks and other data peripherals
to your computer, but this connector is rarely used to connect video devices.
SDI
Serial Digital Interface (SDI) is the standard for high-end, uncompressed digital video
formats such as D1, D5, and Digital Betacam. Many devices can send both video and
audio data through a single SDI connection.
FireWire 400 (4-pin)
FireWire 400 (6-pin)
FireWire 800 (9-pin)
BNC connector