Can an iSight be plugged into a modern Television?

Question

I've never really played around with firewire that much. Will firewire cameras work if plugged into firewire ports in tvs? I know DV camcorders work just fine through that port but are firewire webcams compatible?

Answer 1

Hello SuRoot,
To your broader question of will iSight work as a FW camera, the answer is "Yes" as long as the iSight receives 25Volts DC through the FW cable. Here's a cable example:
http://www.1394store.com/eshop/product.asp?dept%5Fid=62&pf%5Fid=0814C%2D05
The difference between camcorders and iSight is that the camcorders are powered either by a battery or by a plug-in adaptor. The iSight relies on the power to be supplied by the computer: through the flat,pointed one-end, FW cable.
If the TV powers the iSight, it probably would work, but I doubt that that is the case.
Here is a typical cable that you would expect to connect a camcorder to the TV (6-wire to 4-wire):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005NIMR/ref=pdbxgy_textb/103-0183606-4799069?ie=UTF8
If this is the cable you plan to use from the iSight to the TV, no power will be supplied to the iSight and it won't work.
Any camera or camcorder needs power. Apple designed the iSight to only have one cable, supplying both power and data.
Hope this helps.
Respectfully,
Bill Gallagher