Hey back to the past.. do you remember the Hi8..? at DVinfo.net

Arthur Abramov · April 13th, 2010, 12:35 PM

I have some old tapes to capture, i have the camera , its sony video Hi8 CCD-TVR408e , does anyone know how to i capture the footage to my comuter, the camera does't have any firewire nor usb of course not its onld, ,, its has S-Video out, AV out, so

how.... ?

Thanks.. :)

Andrew Smith · April 15th, 2010, 05:37 AM

Analogue capture, my friend.

If you can only ingest footage in digitally, you could always use a video deck which has a firewire port in it (connect to the computer) and play the tapes through the analogue inputs on the deck .... which converts it on the fly to firewire data that is correspondingly fed in to your computer.

Hope this makes sense.

Andrew

Jonathan Jones · April 15th, 2010, 06:39 PM

Hi Arthur,

I'm thinking you have a few options to choose from depending upon what works best for your situation.

If your old Hi8 camera still works, you could simply connect the S-Video and audio output jacks to a computer using a capture card or AV/DV converter. You could go low-end such as the affordable USB dongles like Roxio's "VHS to DVD" converter that captures into a highly compressed video format (around $60), or you can look at some of the mid-range firewire based devices such as the Grass Valley/ Canopus models, usually ranging from $150 - $400, or even consider some of the more fully featured high-end devices that can go for $500 and upwards of a few thousand dollars (but are likely beyond your needs). Many NLEs will "see" the incoming signal and allow you to import the footage directly into it.

If your Hi8 camera is no longer working, you can also look for a dedicated D8 deck to play back the tape and ingest it into your NLE, but these may be hard to come by and can be rather costly.

You can also look for a used, but functioning D8 camcorder that is backwards compatible with analogue Hi8. It is important to note that many D8 models are not backwards compatible and will not be able to recognize the signal on the cassette. The last backwards compatible model that I believe was produced was the DCR TRV-480, which went out of production around 5 years ago. You can still find them around, but often at higher prices than they were when new, simply because they are probably the easiest way to digitize analogue Hi8 tapes. The camera digitizes it on the fly while playing back the cassette, and most NLEs can recognize the firewire signal from the camcorder, giving deck control to your NLE interface, just as it would be with any standard DV or HDV tape-based camcorder.

Hope this helps.

-Jon

Adam Gold · April 18th, 2010, 09:33 PM

Another potential complication is if the cam really is a TRV408E, as he says, it's PAL, which will cause further issues with NTSC equipment...

J. Stephen McDonald · May 7th, 2010, 05:48 PM

My ME Hi-8 tapes from May of 1989 to April of 2001, almost all play back without glitches. I have two working Hi-8 camcorders and a full-sized Sony Hi-8 editing VCR, but never use them for playback. The reason is that my little Sony GVD-200 Digital8 mini-VTR does a better job. Its time-base corrector is superior and it does an on-the-fly A to D conversion to the DV CoDec, when playing the analog tapes. It transfers them directly by FireWire to a computer.

The Hi-8 playback I get, looks better than what I saw 21 years ago from the camcorders. The dual-function it has, by playing both analog and digital recordings, make it an indispensable part of my equipment. It cost $600. (U.S.) new, but you might find some less-expensive used ones. It's as solid as a brick and very dependable. It uses and charges NP-F series batteries, as an alternative to a plug-in power supply. It doesn't come with a remote controller, but can work with one from most Sony camcorders and VCRs. It is ideal for use as a stand-alone recorder with an SD video camera that has S-Video, Composite or FireWire outputs. If you want to archive your old Hi-8 recordings on digital tape, you can record them on it using Hi-8 cassettes in the Digital8 format or you can send them by FireWire to a DV camcorder or VCR, to record in that format. I often do combinations of all these things and trust the tape recordings more than I do any computer HDD or digital disc. I record new things only in HD video, but the content of my old material is SD and analog and is important to me.

You could use an analog capture card (my Windows Media Center computer has one built-in, along with S-Video and L/R audio jacks), but the quality isn't as good as from the GVD-200 over FireWire. I also use AVS Video Capture to import my S-VHS recordings over S-Video into my computer. I have a JVC HR-DVS3U dual-deck DV/S-VHS VCR, but I have to first re-record the S-VHS recordings onto DV tape internally, before I can export them digitally to a computer.

The GVD-200 will directly link with any DV camcorder or VCR by FireWire, as the Digital8 CoDec is the same. If you could borrow a GVD-200 or rent one somewhere, it would be better than having to buy one, unless you continually need to tap into your archives, as I do. There was also a more expensive Digital8 VTR that had a viewscreen, but I don't think it's still made by Sony.

Jonathan Jones · May 7th, 2010, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J. Stephen McDonald

The reason is that my little Sony GVD-200 Digital8 mini-VTR does a better job.

I didn't even realize those were still being made and sold. Good to know. Thanks for the helpul info.

-Jon

Bill Koehler · May 10th, 2010, 12:19 AM

I'm stunned...

Sony | GVD-200 Digital-8 Walkman | GVD200 | B&H Photo Video

Andrew Smith · May 10th, 2010, 12:36 AM

Oh wow. I can remember hiring one of those once. Particularly for the DV firewire out.

I'd totally forgotten about it.

Andrew

J. Stephen McDonald · May 11th, 2010, 02:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Koehler

I'm stunned...

Sony | GVD-200 Digital-8 Walkman | GVD200 | B&H Photo Video

It's odd that B & H doesn't mention that the GVD-200 plays analog 8mm and Hi-8-recorded tapes and does an on-the-fly A/D conversion, outputting through FireWire to another digital recorder or a computer. This has become its key feature for many users. Too bad it doesn't play HDV. They have (or did have) another model for that, that costs a lot more money.

Steve Rusk · May 12th, 2010, 05:44 AM

I'm wondering how well a computer old enough to not have USB or firewire will handle video files, assuming you find a suitable capture card. Something that old might require so many upgrades that you would be better off getting a new PC or taking your tapes to a video transfer service.

Robert Turchick · May 12th, 2010, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J. Stephen McDonald

It's odd that B & H doesn't mention that the GVD-200 plays analog 8mm and Hi-8-recorded tapes and does an on-the-fly A/D conversion, outputting through FireWire to another digital recorder or a computer. This has become its key feature for many users. Too bad it doesn't play HDV. They have (or did have) another model for that, that costs a lot more money.

I used to work for a company that does transfers on a fairly large scale. I kind of gathered about 250 of the GVD-200's and about 100 of it's mini dv brother the GVD-300. We also had GVD-1000's that have a monitor and the GVHD-700 which does mini dv and HDV. I think there were other versions too like the 800 and 900. They aren't cheap but if you've got a lot of tapes, they are worth having!

Shaun Roemich · May 13th, 2010, 12:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J. Stephen McDonald

Too bad it doesn't play HDV

Different size tape, different size heads... 6mm vs. 8mm.

J. Stephen McDonald · May 14th, 2010, 03:04 AM

I was just minding my own business and a B & H pop-up ad for it appeared on my homepage. They also have the GVD-800, with a viewscreen, for a few hundred more bucks.

Arthur Abramov · May 15th, 2010, 03:51 AM

I think I'll just go to a studio that deals with old tapes and ask them to capture it for me, gracias a todos .

April 13th, 2010, 12:35 PM	#1
Arthur Abramov Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: new york, Israel Posts: 136	Hey back to the past.. do you remember the Hi8..? I have some old tapes to capture, i have the camera , its sony video Hi8 CCD-TVR408e , does anyone know how to i capture the footage to my comuter, the camera does't have any firewire nor usb of course not its onld, ,, its has S-Video out, AV out, so how.... ? Thanks.. :)

April 15th, 2010, 06:39 PM	#3
Jonathan Jones Trustee Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Healdsburg, California Posts: 1,138	Hi Arthur, I'm thinking you have a few options to choose from depending upon what works best for your situation. If your old Hi8 camera still works, you could simply connect the S-Video and audio output jacks to a computer using a capture card or AV/DV converter. You could go low-end such as the affordable USB dongles like Roxio's "VHS to DVD" converter that captures into a highly compressed video format (around $60), or you can look at some of the mid-range firewire based devices such as the Grass Valley/ Canopus models, usually ranging from $150 - $400, or even consider some of the more fully featured high-end devices that can go for $500 and upwards of a few thousand dollars (but are likely beyond your needs). Many NLEs will "see" the incoming signal and allow you to import the footage directly into it. If your Hi8 camera is no longer working, you can also look for a dedicated D8 deck to play back the tape and ingest it into your NLE, but these may be hard to come by and can be rather costly. You can also look for a used, but functioning D8 camcorder that is backwards compatible with analogue Hi8. It is important to note that many D8 models are not backwards compatible and will not be able to recognize the signal on the cassette. The last backwards compatible model that I believe was produced was the DCR TRV-480, which went out of production around 5 years ago. You can still find them around, but often at higher prices than they were when new, simply because they are probably the easiest way to digitize analogue Hi8 tapes. The camera digitizes it on the fly while playing back the cassette, and most NLEs can recognize the firewire signal from the camcorder, giving deck control to your NLE interface, just as it would be with any standard DV or HDV tape-based camcorder. Hope this helps. -Jon __________________ "Are we to go on record, sir, with our assertion that the 'pink hearts, yellow moons, orange stars, and green clovers' are, in point of fact', magically delicious?" - Walter Hollarhan before the House Subcommittee on Integrity in Advertising - May, 1974

April 18th, 2010, 09:33 PM	#4
Adam Gold Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Woodinville, WA USA Posts: 3,467	Another potential complication is if the cam really is a TRV408E, as he says, it's PAL, which will cause further issues with NTSC equipment... __________________ "It can only be attributable to human error... This sort of thing has cropped up before, and it has always been due to human error."

May 7th, 2010, 05:48 PM	#5
J. Stephen McDonald Major Player Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Eugene, Oregon Posts: 909	I Use 21-year Old Hi-8 Tapes Regularly My ME Hi-8 tapes from May of 1989 to April of 2001, almost all play back without glitches. I have two working Hi-8 camcorders and a full-sized Sony Hi-8 editing VCR, but never use them for playback. The reason is that my little Sony GVD-200 Digital8 mini-VTR does a better job. Its time-base corrector is superior and it does an on-the-fly A to D conversion to the DV CoDec, when playing the analog tapes. It transfers them directly by FireWire to a computer. The Hi-8 playback I get, looks better than what I saw 21 years ago from the camcorders. The dual-function it has, by playing both analog and digital recordings, make it an indispensable part of my equipment. It cost $600. (U.S.) new, but you might find some less-expensive used ones. It's as solid as a brick and very dependable. It uses and charges NP-F series batteries, as an alternative to a plug-in power supply. It doesn't come with a remote controller, but can work with one from most Sony camcorders and VCRs. It is ideal for use as a stand-alone recorder with an SD video camera that has S-Video, Composite or FireWire outputs. If you want to archive your old Hi-8 recordings on digital tape, you can record them on it using Hi-8 cassettes in the Digital8 format or you can send them by FireWire to a DV camcorder or VCR, to record in that format. I often do combinations of all these things and trust the tape recordings more than I do any computer HDD or digital disc. I record new things only in HD video, but the content of my old material is SD and analog and is important to me. You could use an analog capture card (my Windows Media Center computer has one built-in, along with S-Video and L/R audio jacks), but the quality isn't as good as from the GVD-200 over FireWire. I also use AVS Video Capture to import my S-VHS recordings over S-Video into my computer. I have a JVC HR-DVS3U dual-deck DV/S-VHS VCR, but I have to first re-record the S-VHS recordings onto DV tape internally, before I can export them digitally to a computer. The GVD-200 will directly link with any DV camcorder or VCR by FireWire, as the Digital8 CoDec is the same. If you could borrow a GVD-200 or rent one somewhere, it would be better than having to buy one, unless you continually need to tap into your archives, as I do. There was also a more expensive Digital8 VTR that had a viewscreen, but I don't think it's still made by Sony. __________________ Steve McDonald https://onedrive.com/?cid=229807ce52dd4fe0 http://www.flickr.com/photos/22121562@N00/ http://www.vimeo.com/user458315/videos

May 14th, 2010, 03:04 AM	#13
J. Stephen McDonald Major Player Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Eugene, Oregon Posts: 909	B & H Now Has the GVD-200 On Sale at $479. (U.S.) I was just minding my own business and a B & H pop-up ad for it appeared on my homepage. They also have the GVD-800, with a viewscreen, for a few hundred more bucks. __________________ Steve McDonald https://onedrive.com/?cid=229807ce52dd4fe0 http://www.flickr.com/photos/22121562@N00/ http://www.vimeo.com/user458315/videos

April 15th, 2010, 05:37 AM	#2
Andrew Smith Equal Opportunity Offender Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 3,068	Analogue capture, my friend. If you can only ingest footage in digitally, you could always use a video deck which has a firewire port in it (connect to the computer) and play the tapes through the analogue inputs on the deck .... which converts it on the fly to firewire data that is correspondingly fed in to your computer. Hope this makes sense. Andrew

May 10th, 2010, 12:19 AM	#7
Bill Koehler Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: Alpharetta, Georgia, USA Posts: 760	I'm stunned... Sony \| GVD-200 Digital-8 Walkman \| GVD200 \| B&H Photo Video

May 10th, 2010, 12:36 AM	#8
Andrew Smith Equal Opportunity Offender Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 3,068	Oh wow. I can remember hiring one of those once. Particularly for the DV firewire out. I'd totally forgotten about it. Andrew

May 12th, 2010, 05:44 AM	#10
Steve Rusk Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Stuttgart Germany Posts: 63	I'm wondering how well a computer old enough to not have USB or firewire will handle video files, assuming you find a suitable capture card. Something that old might require so many upgrades that you would be better off getting a new PC or taking your tapes to a video transfer service.

May 15th, 2010, 03:51 AM	#14
Arthur Abramov Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: new york, Israel Posts: 136	Thanks alot I think I'll just go to a studio that deals with old tapes and ask them to capture it for me, gracias a todos .