I have some HDV tapes that were recorded a few years ago on a Canon XH-A1 in HD. I no longer have that camera (or any HD camera) to recapture the footage from.

My question is...Can I use a SD camera (JVC) (firewire) and capture the footage in SD?

No. If the tapes were shot in HD they will not play back on an SD cam. All you will get is a blue screen.

Thank you for the reply, Adam.

Also be aware that even an HD JVC may not play back Canon HDV. They're two different flavors. Don't know enough about JVC playback modes to be sure.

JVC HDV won't play on Canon, I've tried. Sometimes Sony works, but not for all flavors.

Since Dearl wants to ingest SD, it might be possible if it was recorded in DV. The standards should match. Easiest way to check is try playing the tape in camera before you commit on renting (if that is what you are doing).