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General discussion

Transfering Analog 8mm and Hi8 to Digital

Apr 26, 2005 1:41AM PDT

I have both 8mm and Hi8 tape that I would like to transfer to digital. Do any of the Digital MiniDv camcorders have built in converters? I need a new camera and thought this would be a better investment than buying the Pinnacle converter and a new camera.

Discussion is locked

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Some do this. It's called pass-through.
Apr 26, 2005 1:54AM PDT

What they sometimes have is a Video input that you play your old tape on your older Hi8 camcorder which is connected to your spiffy new camcorder and the result is seen on the firewire to the PC or MAC.

Bob

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You can use a standalone DVD Recorder
Apr 26, 2005 2:43AM PDT

I did just that to start digitizing the collection of 8mm and Hi8 tapes I recorded of my kids over the years.

I have tried the computer capture approach using an ATI All-in-Wonder card and found it to be unreliable, inconsistent and time consuming. It requires a lot of CPU power to capture and a lot of time to put the final digital video on DVD.

The Panasonic DMR-ES10S DVD recorder ($188 from Bestbuy) made the task super easy. Simply connect the Hi8 camcorder to the DVD recorder with S-video (or composite video)and audio cords, put a blank DVD-R disc ($0.32/each) in and start recording. Two hours later, the analog video is digitized and put on a DVD. The whole process can be run unattended. Highly recommended.

If more tweaking is needed, one can record the 8mm tape to a DVD-RW or DVD-RAM disc and edit it on the computer with any DVD movie editing tool. Even a freeware program like DVDShrink will be able to trim unwanted parts off the DVD.

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Nelson

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8mm and Hi8
Apr 27, 2005 2:15AM PDT

You can get Sony Digitial 8 cameras they will play your older tapes and record digital video on 8mm tape and do the passthrough of analog to digitial.
Mini DV cameras will also do this as Bob said, but not all have this feature so you have to be carefull if you buy one.
There are many stand alone units DVD and DVD-VCR combos the will take analog inputs, some even have hard drives and work like PVR.
Sony has a stand alone/USB DL DVD burner. John

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Analog 8mm tapes taken 1998
Feb 10, 2006 8:32PM PST

My old Sony created many tapes---the camera cost $700+ in 1998. I used 8mm tape. I forget the model number.

Camera stolen--replaced with new trv280

The old tapes will not play on trv280.

I suspect that the 1998 recordings were ANALOG.

And my new camera is DIGITAL.

I have been told that the "old 8mm" and the "old analog" tapes will not play on ALL Sony cameras available today.

So, I am looking for a Sony that will play my tapes, regardless if they were Analog or digital or HI8 or 8mm.

Is the trv480 the way to go? Has anyone had experience with this model?

terencepau@aol.com

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I don't know about the Sony cameras, but my guess is that
Feb 11, 2006 4:05AM PST

you need to check eBay to find a camera that will play back your tapes. Those should be very inexpensive. Be sure the seller has a good feedback rating.

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protecting old 8mm footage
Feb 12, 2006 5:15AM PST

This should be a warning to all of us who have a lot of footage in the old 8mm format. That footage will only be available for playback as long as your 8mm camera is functioning. For insurance, it should be copied to a VHS backup which will insure that you will have access if your camera playback fails. Then transfer the old 8mm stuff to digital. I have a Sony HC32 which has a convenient AV passthrough, which allows analog signal into the camera via RCA type jacks (camera comes with a camera docking station with access to all the various connectors), and realtime digital output via firewire to computer for capture. Once in the computer, it can be burned to DVD for permanent storage. Now you will only have to worry about the day when they no longer support the DVD standard. By the way, most camera shops will be glad to transfer old 8mm tapes to dvd for a hefty price. Much cheaper to do it at home while you can.