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Sounds daunting compared to my limited experience:

Friend brings over MiniDV camera and a tape, and asks if I can transfer it to a PC.

"I don't know, but we can try!"

It took longer to rummage through the cabling collection for the right FireWire cable than to get it working, plugged straight into the front of a Q6600 box running Windows Vista or 7, with whatever software Microsoft included by default.

Even the tape transport controls worked perfectly from the GUI on the PC.

[interestica]

But your box had a FireWire port? There’s no good way to convert FireWire to current protocols/ports (eg USB).

Old macbook is just a cheap all in one solution with FireWire inputs and software processing g.

[ssl-3]

It had two FireWire ports -- one on the sound card, and one on the motherboard. IIRC, the one on the motherboard was used for the front panel connector.

And maybe I'm old-fashioned, but the last thing I think when I need to connect up some old gear is "I have just the answer! I'll buy a whole 'nother laptop!"

I mean: They still make PCIe Firewire cards in factories every day -- or at least, they once made enough of them that plenty are still kicking around for not very much money.

And it may be 2025, but they definitely do still make desktop computers (with industry-standard expansion slots, even!) in factories every day.