Re: S cable into AJA io OR just go firewire directly?

Hey David,

OK, let's be real here. If you're using a VX2000 and a MacBook (not MacBook Pro), preserving the highest quality of the image possible is NOT crucial, and budget is a HUGE issue.

You can't add a capture card to a MacBook. You can't add any SATA or Fibre channel external hard drives to capture to (no card slot in a MacBook). The only thing you can add is a Fire Wire external drive and it can conflict with the Io which is also using the FW bus (you may have some success with this however, search the posts here and on the FCP forums - but its not recommended).

So the reality for you (unless you upgrade your equipment - Pro series Mac, Fast hard drives, etc), is that in your case I recommend you just capture through Firewire directly (unless your camera/deck has component or SDI (probably not S) video out, then capture through to Io).

If you capture directly to your MacBook through it's own Firewire port, then you may need to disconnect your Io while capturing. Then reconnect it afterwards, so you can use it to connect your external monitor and decks.

The video you capture will look good (considering the camera/source) and will likely be more than acceptable for your needs