To obtain a video capture board to use with a non-Firewire camcorder, see the Links to Resources section of this tutorial.
Firewire cards are available for both desktop and laptop computers.
Some desktops and laptops are beginning to appear on the market that already include Firewire as a built-in feature. Video capture boards and Firewire cards will usually be bundled with software for capturing video. Most capture boards or Firewire cards also include video editing software that allows you to join together a series of clips, use transitions, add titles, and export the video in various formats. Screen shot of MGI VideoWave, a simple video editing program for Windows. Generally, you will have a video tape recorder or camera attached to the video capture card of the computer.