Converting Hi8 to ????

wonka001 wrote on 10/15/2011, 6:17 PM

I have a couple of dozen Hi8 video tapes that were originally recorded on a Sharp Viewcam. The Sharp has long since died and I now want to convert them to something I can read in and edit. My question is should I get any cheap, used Hi8 camera, should I get a "decent", used Hi8 or should I look for a Sharp Viewcam? Any recommendations as to what to get ?

I understand that no matter what I get, I may have issues if the heads on the "new" camera are not tracking the same as the heads on my old Sharp. I just want to try to get these tapes converted to avi or some other format that I can then edit.

TIA
Bill W

Comments

Tollkuhnator wrote on 10/15/2011, 11:56 PM

I can't tell you the specific model numbers, but a used Sony Digital 8 camcorder may be able to read your Sharp Hi-8 tapes and convert to a DV stream through an IEEE 1394/Firewire connection, assuming your computer has this interface.

I have a Sony TRV460 that I've used over the years that now occasionally requires a smack or two on the side to make the tape align and play properly.