[Simi-Steve]

Like many that have posted befor me, I want to transfer alot of Hi8 home video to my computer. The original Canon A1 camera used to record said video is tired and when it playsback, the video has little bendy bits or distortion at the very bottom of the screen.

I was thinking I might rent or buy a high end deck that had a built in time base corrector. I only want to do this once and want the best quality transfer posible ( within a reasonable price of corse ). I live in the Los Angeles area. I googled local rental houses and didn't have much luck finding a high end unit with TBC. It seems the only people left with a need for Hi8 decks are dad's trying to transfer their home videos befor they turn into dust. I saw a Sony on ebay with built in TBC and Digital Noise Reduction for about $4oo. plus shipping. A little pricey for a one time deal, not to mention it may be just as tired and worn as my camera.

Does anyone have an opinion on what I can do?

Also, I plan to use my Canopus ADVC 100 for the A/D conversion. I'm guessing it's about 6 years old. I wonder if there's any reason my Panasonic GS 400 DV cam would do a better job?

Last, I'm going to buy a big external drive to dump all the video on. I've got about 30 2 hour tapes. I plan to transfer now & edit later so I'll want a drive with archive quality. Any suggestions?

I wasn't sure where to post this thread, seems others posted similar threads here. Thanks, Steve.

 

[Chevypower]

The best solution is use a Digital 8 camcorder. Don't even rent one. Buy a used one, then sell it when you're done. It will output your Hi-8 footage through firewire with the DV codec, you won't need to buy a video capture card, it will be digitized in the most immediate way you could get without having to rely on composite RCA cables or cheap S-video plugs... there just isn't a better way.

 

[Simi-Steve]

Thanks for the reply. So you think the advantages of the digi 8 outway the Time Base Correction and Noise reduction I could get from a higher end deck?

 

[Chevypower]

I have a DCR-TRV480, and it has TBC and DNR
http://www.sonystyle.ca/commerce/ser...ductId=1001056

I would think every D-8 camcorder would have the same, but just check and make sure. I haven't even played with the settings to turn them off or on, just left it at default settings (which are probably on). I have a PAL D-8 camcorder also, but I don't even know the model number of that one to see if it has TBC and DNR. The old big Hi-8 editing decks, I know one feature was to have multi-track PCM audio recording, and other functions would obviously be insert editing, jog/shuttle, audio dubbing etc. I don't think there would be any benefit to a D-8 camcorder for capturing. But that is my opinion. The last of the pro decks was Hi-8 only, meaning it will stay analog all the way to your computer's capture card. There was a portable D-8 deck (video walkman), but think of that as a camcorder without the lens.

 

[Simi-Steve]

Awesome, I never would have guessed a digital source would have a TBC. Using a digital 8 camera sounds like it really would simplify the process. Thanks for the advice. Steve.