FireWire
A high speed digital connector (similar to USB) that can transfer high-definition high speed audio and video, as well as powering connected devices. Most commonly found on digital camcorders and increasingly on newer TV's.
The FireWire, iLink or IEEE 1394 is a connector that simultaneously carries digital audio and video. Developed by Apple, the FireWire connector is common on digital camcorders and computers used for video editing. Slightly smaller that a USB connector, FireWire has superior data transfer rates than USB 2.0, and can provide up to 45 Watts of power to connected devices.
The FireWire connector has three types:
- 4 pin - Used on some Sony devices (e.g. the first generation of PlayStation 2) this connector is known as iLink, and has a the same data transfer rate as the 6 pin connector but does not transfer power.
- 6 pin - The most common FireWire connector this uses four pins for data and two pins to transfer up to 45 Watts of power.
- 9 pin - An upgrade implemented by Apple in 2003, this connector supports the FireWire 800 protocol, and can transfer up to 786.4 Mbit/s.
4 and 6 pin FireWire connectors support the FireWire 100 (98.3 Mbit/s), FireWire 200 (196.6 Mbit/s), and FireWire 400 (393.2 Mbit/s) standards, and the newer 9 pin plug supports the FireWire 800 standard, which at 786.4 Mbit/s is significantly faster than USB 2.0's 480 Mbit/s.
Advantages of Firewire
- Provides some of the highest connection speeds available.
- Carries audio and video in the one cable - you now only need the one cable to connect to your TV.
- Supports high-definition digital video at the highest transfer rates.
- Common on all digital camcorders.
- Unlike USB, FireWire connectors don't require a computer CPU to operate the connection, so FireWire connectors can be implemented in any number of 'dumb' devices.
Disadvantages of Firewire
- Licence restrictions and hardware costs mean that the FireWire connector is more expensive for a manufacturer to implement than a USB connection, so despite it's superior connection speeds, FireWire is generally not found on the cheapest devices.
- Not as common as USB.
- Unlike USB, FireWire comes with several different physical plug types (4, 6, and now 9 pin) which are not compatible (though 9 pin devices are backwardly compatible with 6 pin plugs).
- FireWire connectors are found on all Apple and Sony computers currently produced, but computers from other manufacturers generally require the addition of a dedicated card to support FireWire devices.
Want to know more?
To learn more, visit the Apple FireWire website.
For more information about other connectors see here.