Product Description

The FireConnect 4300 Kit is a 3-port, 400Megabit/sec 1394/FireWire host adapter for PCs and Macs that provides plug-and-play connectivity for FireWire devices. The kit includes award-winning MGI VideoWave 4 digital video editing software for Windows that provides the ability to capture, edit, produce and share your video in one application. The card is hot-pluggable and provides isochronous data transmission that guarantees bandwidth to your audio and video streams for uninterrupted data. Connect up to 62 daisy-chained external FireWire/1394/i.Link devices with 1394 transmission rates of up to 400Megabits/sec - equivalent to 50Megabytes/sec. FireConnect 4300 is backed by Adaptec's world class reliability, compatibility and support.

Product Details

• Brand: Adaptec
• Model: 1890600
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 9.00" h x 2.50" w x 7.00" l, 1.40 pounds
• Networking: PCI

Features

• Hot-pluggable FireWire devices is a snap--you don't have to turn your computer off to connect and disconnect devices
• Included MGI VideoWave 4 software has powerful editing and special effects tools that make creating videos a breeze
• OHCI-compliant and can transmit FireWire data at rates of up to 400 Mbps
• Connect up to 62 daisy-chained external FireWire/1394/i.Link+ devices

From the Manufacturer

With the Adaptec 4300 Kit you get everything you need to get connected to the latest high-speed peripherals. Along with the Adaptec FireConnect 4300 FireWire PCI card you also get digital video editing software for Windows PCs. This easy-to-use software turns your FireConnect 4300-equipped PC into a powerful digital video editing studio. Eliminate outtakes, add transitions, create stunning title effects and more.

Enhance your computing experience with the blazing speed of FireWire.

Kit Contents

• FireConnect FireWire/1394/iLink PCI card adapter (AFW-4300)
• 6-to-4-pin FireWire cable
• Hardware installation guide
• CD containing:

• DV editing software for Windows
• links to latest Macintosh FireWire software and drivers

System RequirementsPC

• IBM-compatible PC, 266 MHz processor
• Microsoft Windows 98SE, 2000, ME, or XP
• Available PCI slot
• CD-ROM drive

• Mac OS 8.6 or later
• Power Macintosh 8600/9600 or later
• Available PCI slot
• CD-ROM drive

Supported Operating Systems

• Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition
• Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition
• Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
• Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
• Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional
• Macintosh OS 8.6
• Macintosh OS 9.0
• Macintosh OS 9.0.2
• Macintosh OS 9.0.3
• Macintosh OS 9.0.4
• Macintosh OS 9.1
• Macintosh OS 9.2.x
• Mac OS X 10.1.x
• Mac OS X 10.2.x
• Mac OS X 10.3.x
• Mac OS X 10.1.x Server
• Mac OS X 10.2.x Server
• Mac OS X 10.3.x Server

Warranty
Five year manufacturing and materials warranty

Customer Reviews

Easy to install, troublefree
I bought this card after trying another Adaptec card - the DuoConnect 3121 - which has Firewire and USB2.0 connectors.

My advise: if you run Windows 2000 - stick with the simpler 4300 Firewire card (this card). It is simple and easy to install. No drivers, and the extra software is only needed for cameras/DVDs (I use my card for my new scanner). I have had troublefree service from it so far.

The Adaptec DuoConnect 3121, on the other hand, looks very tempting on paper - but trying to install it on Windows 2000 is an absolute nightmare (if you already have other adapter cards). I had severe hardware conflicts - which caused operating system driver corruptions in the end - and lots of wasted hours.

This is where Adaptec support came in. They gave me really good support, and refunded my money when we couldn't get the DuoConnect 3121 working under Windows 2000. And I bought their AFW-4300 instead.

In summary: The 4300 is a good card. Adapter cards from other companies are cheaper than Adaptec brand down here, but the Adaptec support is worth the extra money.

Easy, Quick Installation, Video Software is OK
Installation was a snap. Installed the card, fired up my Windows 2000 machine, and there it was. No drivers to install, Windows took care of it. No drivers to install for my video camera (Sharp Digital Viewcam). Once I plugged in my camera, Windows 2000 loaded the default Microsoft DV driver, and that worked great. MGI VideoWave 4 SE software that comes with product could be a little better; (more effects, more video formats, etc) but overall, very good product. Total time to install product/software: 10 minutes. I run a Pentium II 350, with 196 MB RAM. It took about 45 minutes for the software to convert a 9 minute AVI file to MPEG. I recommend having as much memory and processor speed as you can have.

Works great under XP
Installed the Adaptec AFW-4300 card into a XP machine. XP recognized the card and installed the default drivers. Plugged in a Sharp Vl-NZ50 camcorder, started up the video editing software and in came the movies. No problems, no hassles. I'm not overly impressed with the MGI VideoWave 4 software, but I'm very happy with the hardware. I'm sure when I find the ideal video editing package, the hardware will still work fine.