If you use a firewire connection between both devices you dont require USB video streaming software, although you will still require to have some form of video capture programme on the PC like for example "windows movie maker" or one of the many others. (Nero particularly good!) By the way "firewire" is also the dvi output socket on your camcorder and the connection is also known as IEEE1394, with the PC's being a 4 pin type and the PC (if desktop) nearly always a 6 pin version.