Problems Capturing from Video 8

PeterWright wrote on 8/23/2008, 9:33 PM

I am trying to capture a lot of old footage from a client, using the same Video8 camera it was recorded on, through an ADVC-300 converter.

I am getting a lot of frame instability - a bit like losing the old vertical hold on a TV, then it sorts itself out for a while, then breaks up again, dropping a few frames.

The strange thing is that throughout the instability, the picture in the B&W viewfinder is rock solid stable, so it must read the tape differently than the feed to the video out port.

I've tried changing leads, wiggling every connection etc. Any other thoughts or ideas?

Comments

johnmeyer wrote on 8/23/2008, 9:58 PM

I assume that you are talking about either standard analog 8mm or Hi-8 tape, and not Digital8. If so, I have seen similar things, in one case due to bad tape and in the other case a faulty camera which had to be sent in for repair.

So, I would try to troubleshoot this in a logical manner. First thing is to find a blank tape and record some new video using this camera and then capture that. Same problem? Then you've got a bad camera.

Second, try to find another camera or 8mm deck and playback one of the tapes on that. Same problem? Then the tape or the camera on which the tape was recorded is bad.

Third, feed some live video through your ADVC-300 converter just to make sure it isn't acting up. Same problem? Then your ADVC-300 (or the cables) have a problem.

Hopefully it isn't the tapes themselves, but I had about ten tapes from a client that had this problem, and I spent about ten hours editing around all the glitches in order to have something that was watchable. Fortunately, I was able to get about 30 seconds of good video between glitches, and the glitches only lasted about 1-2 seconds, so in most cases, the final result didn't suffer much.

PeterWright wrote on 8/23/2008, 10:15 PM

Thanks John. I'm pretty sure it's the camera - the ADVC-300 checks out fine.
I've been checking the local papers for a possible replacement - nothing this week.

This is the old analogue Video 8, not Hi-8.

Do you know, incidentally, if Standard Video 8 will playback with a Digital 8 camera? I know Hi-8 will, but wasn't sure about Video8.

johnmeyer wrote on 8/24/2008, 11:27 AM

Do you know, incidentally, if Standard Video 8 will playback with a Digital 8 camera? I know Hi-8 will, but wasn't sure about Video8. As with anything that I haven't actually done myself, I have to add a disclaimer: I could be wrong. However, having said that, I am 99% certain that Digital8 camcorders will play both standard 8 and Hi8 analog video tapes.

JJKizak wrote on 8/24/2008, 11:43 AM

Check the edges of the tape with a magnifier for a very tiny fold-over. This would again indicate the camera is at fault.
JJK