In 1990 I aquired my first camcorder which was a very advanced small Sony Video 8 with stereo sound, it proved to be a good investment and produced high quality footage for many years. Eventually it died a few years ago and my father in law gave me his very similar camera, as he had uprated, and this went on for a few years until it too passed away, on the day of the Coltishall farewell incidentally.
As we had aquired a new Sony Digital video 8, or rather our son had, we decided to stick to that and on moving house a couple of months ago, the other cameras were consigned to the tip.
Now here is the problem. I decided from the outset to keep all my cassettes as they were, rather than transfer them to video, but I’ve just found out that the new camcorder, while recording on the same cassettes, won’t play the old ones back.
So, help, I have 17 years of my life, with some stunning airshows, that I can’t watch for some reason, what do I do about it. What annoys me is that the old camcorders wouldn’t record but could still playback, it never occured to me that the new camera wouldn’t do the same.
I suppose that everything will be consigned to the tip very rapidly, but I would like to watch what I have previously recorded, how do I do this.
By: Old Fart - 1st March 2007 at 23:15
How many tapes are we talking about here?
I still have my old Video8 camcorder somewhere in the house… well Have two and a dead MiniDv as well as my new Mini Dv yes FOUR camcorders three “work”.
The old old Video8 took on a Harrier and lost, got coverd in the North Sea! the next works fine or worked fine last time I saw it I just upgraded to MoniDV then that went **** up just after the warntiee (or how ever its spelt ran out) the drive and heads are knackerd so in the long run it was cheaper to buy a new one.
I’m waffling I dont mind lending you my Video8 if you want to borrow it.
Nick
By: Ren Frew - 1st March 2007 at 13:22
Thanks for all your help, the type of camcorder that I now have is a Sony digital video camera recorder, DCR-TRV265E .
Unfortunately that is a ‘stripped down’ model, meaning they left out some of the circuitry in order to keep the price down. So yes, that includes the facility to play video8/Hi-8 tapes.
You can check the specifications for that model here…
Maybe you might consider selling it and buying another D8 that allows you the playback facility you require ?
By: Pete Truman - 1st March 2007 at 09:38
Thanks for all your help, the type of camcorder that I now have is a Sony digital video camera recorder, DCR-TRV265E PAL.
It might be worth contacting Sony for advice, unfortunately I tried that with Hitachi with regard to a Hi-Fi recently and the response I got was totally negative.
It would help if I could find the handbook but since my recent house move, the useless removal men jumbled every thing up and I can’t even find the toaster.
By: Ren Frew - 28th February 2007 at 13:43
Pete, I dug out this little piece of info regarding V8 playback…
“Digital8 equipment cannot record in analog Video8/Hi8 format, but some equipment offers playback compatibility with 8 mm analog recordings. Even so, there are limitations: audio playback is limited to the analog soundtrack — if present, digital (PCM) sound is inaccessible. Most Digital8 camcorders with analog playback also simultaneously digitize the analog footage into the DV format, sending the converted material through the camcorder’s FireWire interface. This facilitates easy, one-step uploading of analog 8 mm recordings to a Firewire-equipped computer. As Digital8 offers audio/video performance equal to DV, little if any of the original recording’s fidelity is lost due to the conversion process (although some contend that high-end Hi8 playback equipment looped through a DV encoder produces better results.)”
What is the exact model you have ?
By: Ren Frew - 28th February 2007 at 13:37
Problem is, recording all these video 8 tapes on to another format will take such a lot of time, and besides, the quality as they were, was so perfect, that is why I left them on their original cassettes in the first place. Perhaps I will end up buying back my old camera, as rescued from the tip, at a car boot sale.
Yip in which case I’d head to the car boot sale…:D BTW have a check in the menu settings of your camera just in case there’s a possibilty of v8 playback.
Incidentally quality can be retained (to a degree) if you copy the tapes via a video signal processor, obtainable from Jessops and the like. Bear in mind your old tapes will in fact have deteriorated a little over time anyhow.
By: Pete Truman - 28th February 2007 at 13:24
Problem is, recording all these video 8 tapes on to another format will take such a lot of time, and besides, the quality as they were, was so perfect, that is why I left them on their original cassettes in the first place. Perhaps I will end up buying back my old camera, as rescued from the tip, at a car boot sale.
By: Ren Frew - 28th February 2007 at 13:00
I was under the impression ‘D8’ camcorders could play both standard Video 8 and the improved ‘Hi-8’ versions ? Perhaps it depends on the model you have, but I was certainly sure that was how they were marketed when they came out?
A friend has a D8 so I’ll enquire with her as to playback issues. There are still standalone video 8 and Hi-8 players available on the 2nd hand market and I’d imagine you could pick one up on e-bay for buttons? We used to use them in telly land to record the output of mini-cams for various specialist shows that required them. Sony made a number of models and they are very compact and reliable.
The other thing you could do is buy or borrow a cheap Video 8 camcorder, again form the 2nd hand market and use it to copy your old tapes to a more modern format such as dvd or even good old vhs which won’t disappear quite as quickly as people think.
Alternatively look up ‘video services’ in the Yellow Pages or online, there are still plenty of places that will convert your footage for you. Local video/camcorder clubs are a good idea too. I happen to know a few people doing that kind of thing myself, but they tend to be in my neck of the woods.
Also note that you are unlikely to be in this kind of position on your own. The 1980’s and 1990’s domestic camcorder formats have fast become the cine film of the next generation. I keep hearing of loads of people needing their old 8, Hi-8 and VHS-C tapes converted onto dvd and mini-dv these days.
Almost worth clubbing together with others to buy a video 8 unit, or dare I day it, buy your own and tout your ‘conversion services’…:D
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February 28, 2007 at 12:24 pm