JVC GRD-290 , Can any one help me and offer their support.....

T

teenagemaniac

Guest
Hello . I am thinking of purchasing a Mini DV JVC GRD-290. Does this camcorder have a firewire connection? I dont understand the "firewire" term and what it exactly means. If anyone has this camcorder, Is it supplied with firewire cable/card etc?

Thanks , Sean :lease: :thumbsup:
 
Yes that camera does have a firewire port - note the term "DV in/out" in the specification.

Firewire is a name coined by Apple ( and subsequently widely adopted) for a protocol which defines the means for high speed data transmission (not just video ) between any two pieces of apparatus. Sony (trying to be different) decided to call it i-link in their publications but it is all laid down in specification IEEE1394 - you needn't bother yourself with the detail it is sufficient to know that the terms "firewire" - "i-link" - "IEEE1394" - "DV port" - and sometimes just "DV" - all refer to exactly the same thing.

NO the camera will NOT be supplied with a firewire cable or card, if your PC already has etc. - see the private message I have sent you in reply to your earlier enquiry.
 
I'm considering the GR-D290 too.

No web reviews yet but it does seem to have everything I want at a great price. The comments from users seems to point to a bargain.

Anyone bought one?

JVC's site User guide here
 
I recently purchased a JVC GRD290 and after patiently waiting for some 7 weeks received it and at first sight thought it looked great. However, no matter how I try I am unable to transfer movies from the camcorder to my computer. I have followed the JVC instructions but using USB it shows no sign of allowing me to view my film on my PC although I can view still photos taken. Being of the OLD school, computers and gadgetry are not my strong point. JVC support centre seems a waste of time, no answers to e-mails sent. Can anyone offer me ideas on how to overcome this problem?
 
I wish the camcorder makers would stop putting USB ports on their cams :mad: . To put it simply, they are a complete waiste of time if you want to edit the video on a PC or Mac! All it is good for is transfer of still images and web cam type uses.
To get the full 100% quality video onto the PC you need to use firewire (aka iLink, DV port, ieee1394). If your PC already has the port then just get a 4 pin to 6 pin firewire cable (or 4 to 4 if useing a laptop) for under £10. There is no point buying expensive branded cables as they will offer no advantage, just make sure it is 1.8m or less in length.
If no firewire port on the PC then you can install a PCI card (or PCMCIA card for laptop) onto the motherboard with the ports. This will cost under £20 online (£20-£30 for PCMCIA card) and will almost certainly include the cable.

Mark.
 
I went for a Sony myself. Just too many horror stories for JVC from places like here and long term JVC fans (which concerned me more).

I'd say USB is a massive no-no for most camcorders with XP. I read up loads on camcorders and it looks like Firewire (i.Link/IEEE-1394) is the best way to go. The tight gits at Sony only include a crap USB cable too. USB seems to be a bit of a joke with camcorders from what I've read.

I have also found a few minor niggles (XP's fault) with Firewire whilst using Nero (capture) and eventually settled on Windows's own capture ap Movie Maker (which is part of XP) which I have found to be excellent and very easy to use. Once I get the file (make sure you set it to grab it in AV high quality in options) I then use NeroVision Express to make or DVD of the file -or whatever you want.

Like everything with PCs there are always going to be minor problems when connecting anything. So take you time and get help if stuck.


Back to JVC, I really did do my homework and although I'm sure the 290 is a fab machine I'm not sure that would be the case a few years down the line. I could find no other camcorder that did what the JVC does for the price. That's for sure.

Do you have Firewire? Worth getting. I got a card (which came with a free cable) from www.ebuyer.com (quickfind 60573). The included cable was very short so you might consider 88038. You could also try www.svp.co.uk or maybe the AVForums Shop

Firewire is the way to go.
 
Oh, and you'll find lots of comments at Ebuyer when you click on the 'reviews' (with gold stars).

Read every one of them.
 
Thanks to all for your advice. I have now ordered a Firewire and hope this then sorts out the problem with my JVC GRD290.
 
After purchasing a 1394 Firewire card off E Bay I :clap: am delighted to say it worked first time and I am now able to transfer my JVC GRDV290 films onto my PC with no problems. Thank you for advice
 
I went for the JVC GR-D290 because of all it's features.
It's my first camcorder and I'm very pleased with it.
 
I also just purchased this Camera and it's terrific...It;s got a remot, memory card , Usb & Firewire connection Anddddddddddd......a video light should you need it.

Great features & easy to use ..and it has wide screen for the new TV's that are out...Great buy.

Regards

Joe
 
An added bonus is that the GR-D290 also supports pass-through which has allowed me to transfer all my old VHS recordings direct to PC for editing and then saved on DVD.
 

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