Apple Final Cut Pro 5 - Manual (Page 1681)

330 Part IV Settings and Preferences
Video devices vary greatly in their adherence to FireWire specifications for device
control. For this reason, there are several versions of the FireWire protocol you can use
for device control and capture in Final Cut Pro:
 Apple FireWire: This is the default.
 Apple FireWire Basic: This is a simplified device control protocol for camcorders and
decks that aren’t compatible with the complete Apple FireWire protocol. Using this
protocol doesn’t affect the quality of captured video or audio.
 DVCPRO HD FireWire: This protocol is used with Panasonic DVCPRO HD devices.
For more information about changing the FireWire protocol that Final Cut Pro uses, see
“
Editing a Preset ” on page 308 and “ About Device Control Presets ” on page 323.
After you connect a DV camcorder to your computer, switch it to VCR mode. You can
record to a camcorder from Final Cut Pro in Camera mode, but to do so, you need to
turn off device control in Final Cut Pro, which limits your control during output.
Using Serial Device Control
Nearly all professional VTRs support serial device control. Serial device control sends and
receives timecode and transport control data. A 9-pin serial connector is usually used
for serial device control. Each pin can carry a separate signal, although typically only
four pins are used (two for transmitting data, and two for receiving data).
Professional video and audio decks may use one of two serial interfaces:
 RS-232: Found on older, more inexpensive equipment. RS-232 is functionally similar
to RS-422, but it’s not used as frequently.
 RS-422: This interface tolerates greater cable lengths than RS-232. It’s more widely
used by facilities where video decks are in a different room than the editing bay.
RS-422 connector