You use a 1394 cable to connect a digital video deck, a digital camera, or a transcoder (connected to an analog video deck) to a PCI or PCMCIA 1394 board in your computer, or directly to a 1394 port at the rear of a Macintosh system (see Connecting a 1394 Cable).

1394 cables are categorized by the number of pins in the connector at each end of the cable (see 1394 Cable Connectors). The following three types of 1394 cables are available:

Before connecting a 1394 cable, you must determine the type of 1394 cable you need. For example, you might need to connect a digital camera that has a 4-pin connection to a Macintosh system that has a 6-pin connection. In this case you would need the 4-pin to 6-pin cable (see 4-Pin to 6-Pin Connection).

When you purchase a PCI board or PCMCIA board, you usually receive at least one type of 1394 cable; however you might have to purchase an additional 1394 cable to match your needs. The documentation that comes with your equipment explains the locations of cable connections and how to connect the cables.