Video analysis software products, like ASTAR and competitors, are best used with a miniDV camcorder connected over FireWire. The Firewire connection provides a "live video feed" from the camera or from the camera's miniDV tape to the computer allowing the software to view and capture it directly.

During the last several years there has been a significant trend by the camera manufacturers to allow the video files to be captured and created within the camera and storing them locally within its memory, such as SD/SDHC cards, flash drives, hard disk drive and DVD's directly. This trend makes it simpler for the home consumer to capture events removing the need to have video capture software on their computers, but more time consuming for the sports coach since most do not support provide a live video feed to the computer via DV (Firewire) port or Web Conferencing (video streaming) via a USB2 port allowing the video analysis software to capture and create the files inside the analysis software.

Without a DV or Web Conferencing capability, the video files created within the camera then can be transferred to the computer via a USB port and using the analysis software's "import" function to bring the files into the software.