Is there any sense to struggling with USB?

[Nowhere]

I'm trying to connect a Sony DCR-HC14E miniDV camera to PC running WindowsXP, using USB. I'll just say it's...problematic. I don't see the camera itself in my computer, the list of possible devices in capture program supplied by Sony is empty, the only thing that sometimes works is USB streaming preview. Is there any point in trying to get this to work or should my relatives (you didn't thought that I could have the money for DV camera? ) just buy Firewire PCI card and be done with it? (cheapest VIA will be ok?)
Also, the Sony's software looks...uhmm...bloatwarish, so - what else do you suggest? Note: these people want only to record videos from DV to HDD/CD/eventually DVD. add some music or comment, sometimes some very slight editing, not much really.

[traveller]

USB 2 or USB 1.1?

[UtwigMU]

Add firewire card.

[Dr Mordrid]

USB 2.0 can keep up with IEEE-12394 for bursts, but not for continuous throughput even with an el 'cheapo IEEE-1494 card . As such I'd use the latter for video devices.

Dr. Mordrid

[Brian Ellis]

Firstly, as traveller asked, which version of USB? V. 1.1 is hopeless for video but v. 2.0 may just be adequate provided your camera link is the only USB device on your computer.

IEEE-1394 is the only sure way to go and this is not expensive (~€30 will buy you a decent card). I use a cheapo VIA 1394 card with zero problems.

A good entry-level software for capture, editing and authoring CD/DVDs is Ulead VideoStudio (you may get an old version of this bundled with your 1394 card if you shop around and this will entitle you to a downloadable upgrade for next to nothing). It'll do everything you need.

[Nowhere]

OK, Firewire in, everything works.

And Ulead VideoStudio came with the card (simplest version only for creating VideoCDs). Too bad it's not adequate for my relatives - no English skills at all...so they ended up using MS stuff in XP and burning the result with Nero.
And one thing here...optimum way would be to use DV for editing and saving and then putting in the Nero (enough disk space there and why waste time on encoding to wmv and then decoding), but...Nero has problems with opening/analyzing such file for recording...