FireWire vs USB

[AngelicLoki]

Statistically speaking, Firewire is much faster then USB. I would use it over USB any day, unfortunately USB is much more common.

[Shadow]

Originally Posted by AngelicLoki

Statistically speaking, Firewire is much faster then USB. I would use it over USB any day, unfortunately USB is much more common.

wow perfect post wish I would have said it first...no where is that props/give reputation button

[Kjallstrom]

Most of my data devices (external HD, TV tuner) are Firewire since they deal with video. My input devices (the ones that aren't Bluetooth, anyway) are USB. I consider it to have replaced SCSI (see my old Zip drive), while USB has replaced PS2, ADB, Serial, and Parallel ports.

I did notice a transfer performance hit when I upgraded my iPod from one of the old Mac-only Firewire versions to an iPhone, but that's a case where the compatibility of USB is more valuable.

Firewire isn't going to die for two reasons, already mentioned above: it guarantees the data throughput rate, so no video dropped frames, and it has the support of Apple (although they did pull it from iPods), who has deep pockets and a committed media-oriented userbase.

[tibbon]

This is a really poor question. It should be asked, "For what purpose?"

I see zero point in a 3gb/s usb mouse. However if I'm plugging in a Red 4K camera, then USB seems fairly awful.

In my mind USB is great for

-Consumer video/photo devices
-Most consumer printers
-Most consumer scanners
-Thumbdrives
-Slow harddrives used for backup.
-Syncing slow external devices (ipod, iphone)

Firewire is king for
-High bandwidth audio
-Portable RAID solutions
-Nonlinear editing of audio/video
-Situations where processor usage/lag is an issue (again video, audio with lots of edits)

It basically comes back to the IDE vs SCSI vs Parallel vs Serial type arguments. It's all about purpose. Back in the day there's no way I'd have had a CD-R over parallel or ide, SCSI was the way to go.

Do remember that there's other connectivity solutions such as gigabit copper, fiber, SATA, iSCSI, etc. Everything to its own purpose.

I use USB for my extra 500GB drives that I store mp3s and backup photos to. I use Firewire 800 drives (7200+ rpm) for storing RAW photos that I edit, video, and all of my protools and logic sessions. If I had a high quality film scanner it would be Firewire likely. My audio interfaces are Firewire currently but really PCI-Express solutions are the way to go in the long run for bigger installations.

At the end of the day you should do something only because it makes sense financially and what you will realistically use it for. Don't be afraid to admit that you're doing stuff for consumer purposes. We don't all need pro gear.

[Kjallstrom]

This article on the new Macbooks (Firewire is no longer in these models, thought it's still in the higher-end MacBook Pro) briefly summarizes the market shift that has hurt Firewire's popularity in spite of being architecturally superior for a lot of applications.

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...ontroller.html

[Hagan]

Aye, its been a while since I last looked in on this topic. As has already been covered by myself and others, Firewire is redundant for most peripherals and connections as its "too much bang for your buck".

However, that does not mean that it is a redundant technology, after all such high end cabling and data transfer rates ARE needed, even desired in various industries. After reading up on the recently updated Wiki page for Firewire, I've learned they use it in the F-22 "Raptor" aircraft, as well as in the Space Shuttle (And presumably, its eventual replacement). It seems the focus for Firewire has gone to a more Industy usage, rather than for the Home.

Firewire has its place in the grand scheme of things, and it'll provide the number crunching where it is needed. I have an external drive coming, and its got the option for Firewire (but only my latop has a Firewire port, dang it), and given the option, I'd rather use the Firewire than the USB, just to save time backing all my data up.

[XyberDAWG]

I love firewire, with it you can record HD video from your cable boxes (Many Cable Boxes support Firewire.)

USB is also great, simply because it is more common.

USB = VHS
Firewire = Beta

USB will probably win, where as Firewire is the greater format, but it just isnt as popular. Much live Mac vs PC. PC is still the more popular, but Mac is far superior.

(This coming from a PC fan who uses mainly USB haha)

[Jaraj]

USB has only takin the lead because it has been standardized into most rigs. Firewire still is optimal.

[Roxianna]

I think Firewire is better for data transfer, but for keyboard, mouse, headphones, microphone and the tiny missile launcher attached to my PC, USB rules.