Even although it’s nonetheless attainable to seize previous videotapes with a really current Mac working Sequoia, doing that with FireWire (IEEE 1394) requires a number of adapters to 2 several types of requirements: one from FireWire to older Thunderbolt and one other to newer Thunderbolt. Even although it’s certainly attainable (as I’ve illustrated in prior articles), I’ve found that for across the mixed complete worth as these adapters, an previous Mac can do the job higher, with a number of benefits. Ahead are a few of these benefits, particularly for many who should seize many aged videotapes whereas getting different work completed on a distinct (probably newer) laptop. Later I’ll cowl safety points and two options.
- Using an previous laptop frees your newer, trendy laptop if in case you have different work to do on the brand new one, whereas the previous one captures videotape natively to the DV25 format for additional processing, as coated in lots of previous articles coated forward.
- Some (however not all) miniDV tapes that sound excellent on a camcorder causes horrible audio dropouts (or perhaps a silent seize) when captured on a contemporary Mac utilizing the a number of talked about adapters, though those self same miniDV tapes seize high quality (with the entire clear audio) to an previous Mac with native FireWire working High Sierra (macOS 10.13).
- There is happily deck transport management over FireWire from the video seize apps that run on High Sierra (macOS 10.13) on older Macs with FireWire, sadly not with the the few remaining video seize apps through transformed FireWire I’ve examined that run on Sequoia or Sonoma on extra trendy Macs which lack native FireWire.
- There is happily the choice to seize on to an exterior drive with the FireWire video seize apps that run on High Sierra (macOS 10.13).
ABOVE: The previous however higher iMovie for High Sierra happily permits for deck transport management, whereas with the most recent model for Sonoma and Sequoia now not does. As indicated in prior articles, our solely intention of utilizing iMovie is to seize the uncooked and unadulterated interlaced video information (50i or 59.94i), together with each fields, for later processing: de-interlacing to 50p or 59.94p, upscaling, and many others. See my article Review: Canopus/Grass Valley ADVC110 analog to digital converter with micro-TBC to capture VHS and other analog videotapes to seek out the «secret places» of those uncooked and unadulterated interlaced video information captured by iMovie or FCP through FireWire.
Considering these video seize applications for High Sierra enable capturing the native DV25 file on to an exterior drive, and contemplating that even High Sierra helps the APFS file format, there isn’t a drawback to seize on the previous laptop after which «sneakernet» that exterior drive to a different extra trendy machine for the remainder of the method, as coated in different articles linked under.
Related articles on this subject by Allan Tépper
Ideal previous Mac for this goal
Ideally, the previous Mac ought to have a local FireWire port (IEEE 1394) and run High Sierra (macOS 10.13). Fortunately, most of these older machines are far more modular than trendy Macs and simply enable increasing the RAM and/or changing the inner magnetic spinning onerous drive in favor of an SSD.
The previous Mac I’m utilizing for this goal
The previous Mac I’m utilizing is a 17″ MacGuide Pro from 2010, matte however not but nanotexture, which again in 2018, I had helped my Dad add the above enhancements. At that point, we expanded the RAM from 4GB to 8GB (the utmost allowed on that 2010 machine) and changed the inner spinning magnetic drive by an SSD. My Dad doesn’t want this machine any extra since he departed Planet Earth in 2020.
Force improve the working system to Sequoia?
No, not for this goal. Even although it’s certainly attainable to pressure improve Sequoia on unsupported Macs, it could be counterproductive to do this now that we all know that the video seize software program that runs on Sequoia —though some nonetheless enable capturing DV25 over FireWire, those I’ve tried now not enable deck seize over FireWire, which is essential for a lot of native DV25 codecs together with D8, miniDV, DVCAM, DVCPRO 25 and HDV. Even with out deck transport controls, the DV25 códec can also be excellent for color-under analog codecs like 8mm, Hi8, Betamax, Betacam, MII, S-VHS, VHS and U-Matic as coated deeply in Review: Canopus/Grass Valley ADVC110 analog to digital converter with micro-TBC to capture VHS and other analog videotapes.
Security on High Sierra (macOS 10.13)
Even although Apple now not affords safety updates for High Sierra (macOS 10.13), that doesn’t matter in case you use this devoted Mac offline (not linked to the Internet). If you could join it to the Internet, then it is best to know that for customers of High Sierra (macOS 10.13), Mozilla Firefox has a free and protected resolution:
Firefox version 115 is the final supported Firefox model for customers of macOS 10.12 (Sierra), macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) and macOS 10.14 (Mojave). If you have got been utilizing Firefox on these macOS variations, you may be moved to the Firefox Extended Support Release (ESR) channel by an software replace.
If you go to the Firefox obtain web page at https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/new/ and you might be utilizing macOS 10.12 (Sierra), macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) or macOS 10.14 (Mojave) you may be prompted to obtain Firefox Extended Support Release (ESR) so to set up the most recent Firefox 115 ESR model.
Mozilla is offering vital safety updates via the Firefox ESR channel up till the tip of ESR model 115, August 2025.
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None of the above corporations has not paid for this text. Some of the producers listed above have contracted Tépper and/or TecnoTur.LLC to hold out consulting and/or translations/localizations/transcreations. So far, not one of the producers listed above is/are sponsors of the TecnoTur, BeyondPodcasting, CapicúaFM or TuSaludSecreta applications, though they’re welcome to take action, and a few are, could also be (or could have been) sponsors of ProVideo Coalition journal. Some hyperlinks to 3rd events listed on this article and/or on this internet web page could not directly profit TecnoTur.LLC through affiliate applications. Allan Tépper’s opinions are his personal. Allan Tépper is just not accountable for misuse or misunderstanding of knowledge he shares.
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