The first I read about the firewire ports being not covered under warranty was from an irate Canon camera owner so I wouldn't be in a rush to dump on Sony over this.
Then again it was Sony who came up with the dumb idea of using a 4 pin connector against the advise of the IEEE commitee, their response to Sony saying what to do when the device couldn't power a 1394 device was simple, leave the supply pins disconnected on the standard six pin connector. And guess what, any of the pro Sony kit does exactly that.

Still in the last few months we've had to repair a PD170 and a J30 (6 pin connector) due to toasted firewire, oops sorry Sony site, should say toasted iLink port.

Buying a VCR is the only way to go. Mine stays pretty much permanently connected. Highly recommend the M15, it's a bargain. If you've got the money the M25 is very smick but you pay a lot. Also buy good firewire cables. The cheap ones are a disaster waiting to happen. If it's got a 6pin connector on either end it's painfully easy to have the cable twist and short 12V to signal and goodbye something. Sony make some of the best firewire er iLink cables.

The only firewire interconnect I really trust to not fry something is 1394b, rock solid connectors, very fast. So far 100% reliable even talking to 1394a devices apart from the very early Sony VCRs.

Bob.

I've been using the 4-pin firewire port on my Sony VX-1000 since 1995 and it has worked every time. Go figure.
Burt

This has been discussed previously. The answer was to interpose protection: http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/forums/ShowMessage.asp?ForumID=4&MessageID=559342iLink & protection[/link]

Farss:

(1) What is "smick?" I assume it means "clever" or "slick" but is is a Cockney-type word?

(2) How often does a firewire failure happen? You mentioned the PD-170,but you have lots of cameras there, constantly being plugged and unplugged, yes? I'm just trying to get a real-life feel for the likelihood of such an event with my two cameras.

from vx1000 thru to v1p, and have used firewire on all of them - extensively on the 1000 (still going strong, used as a 'student' camera), a lot on the 170, and a little on the v1p - i bought a dsr11 fairly early on, and now an m15... which i heartily recommend if you're serious about your business / hobby.

just be conscious of how you're connecting things, it's usually thoughtlessness or brute force that fu's firewire ports - as i'm sure bob will testify to, especially on rental equipment.

and yes, it is a pretty crappy design and implementation...

leslie

I have the HC3, HC7, and the HV20.

I have had the HC3 for 2 years now and haven't had a SINGLE problem with the firewire port (I don't hot plug and I make SURE the 6 pin connector is in right... a wee bit of force and you can put them in the wrong way).

Both the HC3 and HC7 have VASTLY superior builds and quality levels compared to the HV20... had the 20 for a year and already it's falling apart.

I would be more apt to say that your problem would be more at the COMPUTER end rather than blaming it on the cam.

this summer, my kiosk ran a total of 14 HC3, and 8 HC7's in the most brutal conditions you can imagine. In one experience, the cameras were subjected to about 80 seconds of 280 mph constants, not peaks. Peaks in the 325 range. Exposure to freezing on many occasions.
In addition to those cams, we also used HV20 (failed) HV10 (failed) Panasonic SD1 (failed) and the Samsung sumthing 10 (failed).
Not a single firewire or other related problem. We did have a camera take a 50' fall and crack the tape door, but no firewire problems. We're not dismounting on the Macs, and we're not releasing the hardware on the PC's, we're just plugging/unplugging, and often going from cam to cam for dubs.

It's your workflow/cable/computer.

When my first ADVC100 popped, it took out everything else on the firewire chain too. The PCI card, and three drive enclosures. I was standing in the same room but that's all the contact I had with any of it at the moment.

The second ADCV100 popped as soon as it was energized. Nothing but the new 1394 card was in the chain, had to replace it a second time.

At this point I just try to minimize my risks by not using many 1394 devices, but I still keep a DSR11 connected at all times to my PC at work. I think some gear is just crap and the more of it you have connected the better your chances that one part will fail.

Rob Mack

One of the main problems is the design of the cam,not just sony, but Canon and most others too.
My issue was not the cam failure per se' but as spot said an external issue in the chain. I never figured out if it was the cable or the card(junked them both) but before hand it took out both my FX and my A1s ports.
The biggest iisue is the the manufactures put the firewire coard on the cams mainboard.(Used to be separate on many cams.)bottom line is if it were sparate the repair would be like 200 bucks Vs 1500 hundred per cam.
This info came from a very experienced tech who repair these cams alll the time. cost to manufacture less....cost to us Lots!

i now do like many and use a cheaper hc3 cam that pretty much stays connected all the time and is used for capture.

Spark guard:

http://www.gdbint.com.au/Product.aspx?pID=373

I have to wonder what good the device listed above could do versus just touching the metal shell of the firewire connector to metal on the intended host before plugging it in.

Before adding this comment I discovered this interesting paper on firewire damage. The author puts nearly all the blame on a couple of factors:

(1) cheap cables
(2) worn out connectors
(3) twisting on the connector while connected
(4) inserting a connector backwards.

The author also mentions ESD (electrostatic discharge) as well as a variety of other possible failure modes, but it seems to me that the four situations above account for most of the problems.

That paper is exactly in line with our experience. ESD accounts for very few failures. Cable problems account for most.

The cheapest cable will not fail just sitting there. It fails when you move it around. Use your camera as a VCR and it's very likely everytime you change a tape the firewire cable is twisted and strained. This is moreso on the smaller, cheaper cameras. The people who buy the cheaper smaller cameras are less likely to have the funds to buy a VCR.

Bob.