Also, Hi8 is an analog format. What digitizer are you using to capture the video -- and is it being captured over FireWire or USB?

Thanks. I'm using a USB digitiser I bought from Amazon. It works well. All of my other tapes are just fine.
This is what I am using: "DIGITNOW! Convertidor de captura de vídeo USB" (I'm in Spain).
https://www.amazon.es/gp/product/B078H54QDR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'll look at the above links.

Many thanks.

Clean your heads and capstan.

If that doesn't cure it completely, you may need an ADVC300.

It looks like a tracking error.

Best bet is to try to resolve the error at the hardware level, but if you must, you may be able to try something like Neat Video to clean it up. Always try before you buy.

@JohnAsh I saw similar problem throughout one of my captured VHS tapes when I captured it a second time, only one tape had that problem, I put it down to magnetic age deterioration as It didn’t have that issue several months earlier, when I initially captured it. None of my other V8 or VHS tapes had this problem , so not a hardware issue for me. I had the first capture so I used that in the project.

If you capture using firewire instead of using USB you will get a better quality file in a fixed standard DV25 format, I've done both, regretfully I also did earlier captures with USB devices.

See link ...

https://www.vegascreativesoftware.info/us/forum/captring-hi8-video--118422/#ca739378

Thanks for all the input!

I'm actually happy with the input/capture device. All the other tapes I've captured have been excellent captures. As good as I could expect. So it's the one tape that's damaged and I don't think I can do anything else about it apart from trying the post-capture suggestions above.

I meant also to ask about stabilisation. The camera, as far as I can remember, would have not had any stabilisation so hand-held shots are rather shakey. Would application of VP17 inbuilt plug-in help, I wonder?

Always grateful for all the help on this forum!

If it's just one tape, look for edge damage. If it's wavy or crinkly, you're probably SOL this time.

Stabilization requires cropping and zooming in on the image, and when you're already only capturing around 320x240 resolution, you don't really want to do that if you can avoid it. It'll stabilize, but likely into a blurry mess.

Actually, having captured a number of tapes, I am pretty pleased with the quality and, as you say fr0sty, I doubt they will benefit from stabilisation as most of the footage is remarkably high quality and pretty steady for the most part. VP reports that the captured media has a resolution of 720x576.

I have borrowed a second camera and it's coping better where there is some damage or other problem.

Thank you for all the advice and support. A great forum!

@ JohnAsh, I value Musicvid post(s). He is no fool when it comes to these issues. He has been on this form since 2016. I'd bet in this line of work MUCH longer.

I agree that you should first CLEAN the unit properly. If you are using a consumer grade unit, well..... garbage in, garbage out, (in general). After cleaning the unit as suggested, I would recommend patching your player through a TBC, (Time Based Corrector), of some sort. I had had GREAT success transferring tape to digital using a TBC. I can't tell you how many copies of copies of copies I have saved using a TBC. If your just doing one tape, might not be worth your $$$. If your looking into more pro work like some of us do on this form, well, I can't live without my TBC and a commercial Tape Unit. Hope this helps.