Just to clarify the difference between true FireWire, and Sony iLink hardware...
In a nutshell, Sony's "iLink" was a stripped-down version of Apple's FireWire. The MAJOR difference is, iLink devices use the host CPU for processing power, while actual FireWire devices have their own built-in processor. Logically, the iLink devices are parasitic to the host CPU, while FireWire devices are not...