MiniDv vs Digital8 curiousity

[Chris Barcellos]

I loved the huge 4" display on the 720. This is dopey, now that I have the GS120, the VX2000 and the FX1, but I find myself, with what I ve learned over the last few years, wanting to see if I can tweek this thing a little bit. Maybe we sholud organize a Digital 8 only, challenge. :)

[Jean-Francois Robichaud]

I have a TRV-240 that hasn't seen any use since I acquired a GL2 last year. Initially I had another D8 model, one of the first ones released in 99, but when it got stolen the TRV-240 was the replacement. I used my D8 cams extensively from 1999-2004, to shoot new material and to convert my older analog 8mm tapes. I never had any problems with them.

These days, I think it could make a great crash cam.

[Bob Grant]

TRV-320 here (PAL), great camera, survived an east to west trip across China a few years ago, still has sand from the Taklamahan in the EVF. Bought as a factory second, LANC port never worked but so what.
It's done 1000s of hours work as an A->D converter for capturing VHS (very cheap and good converters the old D8s, TBC and DNR).
I bought a cheap Sony WA for it and a very dinky Sony mic but for travelling it gets the job done and at the price I wasn't going to ruin a holiday if it got nicked.
I too am a great fan of the D8 format, I've never liked the feel of those 6mm tapes, so far I've had one snap in my DSR-11. Never had a single dropout on a D8 tape, can't say I've captured many DV tapes that didn't have at least one 'sparkler' in them.

If Sony ever build a 3 CCD 16:9 D8 camera, I'll buy one. Yeah I know it'll never happen, still we can dream.

[J. Stephen McDonald]

Originally Posted by Bob Grant

TRV-320 here (PAL), great camera, survived an east to west trip across China a few years ago, still has sand from the Taklamahan in the EVF. Bought as a factory second, LANC port never worked but so what.
It's done 1000s of hours work as an A->D converter for capturing VHS (very cheap and good converters the old D8s, TBC and DNR).
I bought a cheap Sony WA for it and a very dinky Sony mic but for travelling it gets the job done and at the price I wasn't going to ruin a holiday if it got nicked.
I too am a great fan of the D8 format, I've never liked the feel of those 6mm tapes, so far I've had one snap in my DSR-11. Never had a single dropout on a D8 tape, can't say I've captured many DV tapes that didn't have at least one 'sparkler' in them.

If Sony ever build a 3 CCD 16:9 D8 camera, I'll buy one. Yeah I know it'll never happen, still we can dream.

Bob, I've had 7 Sony or Canon camcorders with Control L/LANC and I've never been able to get complete communication or control between any two of them. Some seem to have no functions with that control feature. It doesn't seem likely that all those models would have some individual flaw that blocked the function. As far as my experience with it is concerned, it just ain't what it's cracked up to be. I have two Sony digital VCRs with LANC and I've never bothered to even try it with them. I'll have to see if I can orchestrate a synchro-edit between them with LANC for an analog A/V connection. The FireWire between them won't pass workable synchro control either, although they work perfectly with a computer on FireWire.

About that dream of a 16:9, 3-CCD (CMOS) HD Digital8 camcorder-----don't
give up on the idea. More and more people are going to recognize the problems and limitations involved with disc and HDD recording-----DVDs that fall apart after 3 years, rather than 100 years as promised, for example. Video tape is going to look better and better. There may be such a demand for continued production of tape-based camcorders, that a new Digital8 cassette that holds 3X more tape, may emerge. This cassette would be analogous to the large DV type, but have extra sturdiness in both the wider, thicker tape and the shell mechanism. HDigital8 tape would roll at 2X of present speed and the heads would spin at 2X, or the same as DV. Twice as many tracks that were longer than those of HDV and a 70% higher recording signal frequency than SD, would provide for a 100mbps HD format at high-end consumer prices. This big cassette (90 min. for HDigital8) wouldn't be too large to fit a specially-shaped camcorder, only slightly bigger than an HC1. They could sell millions of them to an awakened public, that demanded even more quality for home video than HDV can provide. The semipros and indy producers would go wild for it. And it wouldn't have to be M-PEG encoded, but would have it's own intraframe CoDec. That translates to much easier and quicker editing, on a lower budget than HDV requires. Of course, it'd be backwardly-compatible with Hi-8 and Digital8 mini cassette recordings and could play them and record in SD-Digital8 on them.

HDigital8 would be a fulfillment of the DVC100HD CoDec that has languished since it was specified, 15 years ago. Actually, this tape format is exactly the one Sony first wanted and described, so the main work in developing it has already been done.

Since this is all just a dream, no point in doing things halfway.

[Zack Birlew]

Well, this all begs the question of why this hasn't been done. Is there some limitations we don't know about? Are they saving this for the next generation of HDV? Economical issues? Laziness?

Many questions that most likely will go unanswered by officials. Still, nice topic and good discussion.

[Chris Barcellos]

Maybe we need a Digital 8 section of our own. :)

I got the Dig 8 (TRV720) out after discussion started. I remembered that I was having trouble with zoom slide last time I used it. (Can't really call it a rocker). No matter what you did, something would push zoom to full telephoto . I opened opened up lid to tape module on which slide is located, and noted a broken spring floating in it. Just removed it, and buttoned it back up. Though slide no longer automatically returns to zero position, I can manually set it there, and not have it drift.

Does any one know a site to get parts for these consumer models

[J. Stephen McDonald]

Originally Posted by Chris Barcellos

Maybe we need a Digital 8 section of our own. :)

I got the Dig 8 (TRV720) out after discussion started. I remembered that I was having trouble with zoom slide last time I used it. (Can't really call it a rocker). No matter what you did, something would push zoom to full telephoto . I opened opened up lid to tape module on which slide is located, and noted a broken spring floating in it. Just removed it, and buttoned it back up. Though slide no longer automatically returns to zero position, I can manually set it there, and not have it drift.

Does any one know a site to get parts for these consumer models

Chris, for this specific problem, with a spring and slide mechanism, try visiting the largest, oldest and friendliest clock repair shop in town. These people have all sorts of odd and delicate parts for such mechanisms and know how to figure out a fix for them. Actually, I think you just made an improvement in your zoom control. I'd prefer that mine didn't spring back to the tight end when I lifted my finger off it. I've never had a zoom control on any other camera that didn't stay where I'd put it.

Might that we be blessed with a forum for Digital8. I believe many closet Digital8 users would be drawn out of hiding by it. Digital8 pride! It's interesting to learn how many people from high echelons of the profession, use these low-budget camcorders for various purposes. Dependability is the one thing I hear most about them. Digital8, the videotape format, is like a gifted student from a backwoods community. If she had been given an opportunity and a scholarship, she could have become a world leader. Unfortunately, she's cooking fast-food at a roadside diner. Her youthful vigor and hopes still stir within, but for how much longer in this environment?

[Jocelyn Deguise]

I'll probably digitize my old "vacation/birthdays/cottage" tapes and drop them on DVD. I know it will take a few DVDs... but they are so cheap.