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General discussion

How can I transfer 8mm video to PC

Apr 6, 2011 8:52AM PDT

I have an old Handycam Video8 CCD-TR82 (1994). I want to transfer the video shot on the 8mm tape to my PC (eMachines T5226, Vista Home Premium).

Can I do that? If I can, what do I need to make that happen (cables?,
software?, converter?)

Any help appreciated!

Discussion is locked

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8mm video from that camcorder
Apr 8, 2011 10:50PM PDT

is analog. The camcorder came with an AV cable that let you connect to a TV for viewing. Instead of connecting to a TV, connect the cable to an analog/digital converter. The A/D converter connects to the computer.

The low-end external USB connecting units include those from Roxio, Hauppauge and many others. Elgato is another worth looking at.

If your eMachines T5226 has a working firewire port, a better option are either the ADVC55 or ADVC110 from Grass Valley - Canopus.

There are several makers of PCI "TV tuner cards" that can be installed - assuming your computer has available expansion slots.

All this stuff comes with some sort of (useless) software - even MovieMaker can capture, edit and render video imported this way...

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Two Possiblities
Apr 10, 2011 1:38AM PDT
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I have no opinion of the
Apr 10, 2011 2:40AM PDT

two options you provided. I use Canopus / Grass Valley firewire-connecting stuff... or the AV-passthrough on one of my HDV camcorders. Perhaps someone else reading this board has an opinion.

Another option is to pay someone with the right equipment to do the transfer for you. A local video transfer service may be available.

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How about converter
Apr 10, 2011 2:04PM PDT

You can try to download some free converters and then convert the video to the format compatible with pc.

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hardware not software
Apr 12, 2011 7:18AM PDT

Avanano, my question is about hardware not software. My comcorder only has a/v outputs. My computer does not have a/v inputs. Thus I need a piece of hardware to get the videos from the camcorder to the pc. It seems my best bet is the easycap (a/v to usb cable) It may or may not work. But I found one for only 10 bucks on Amazon so I think it's worth a try. If it does transfer the video, previous responses have indicated that the video should be able to be edited in Windows Movie Maker. We shall see...