need advice on buying a new camcorder, mini dvd? hi8? DVD?? how do we view our hi8 tapes ?

Question

dont really want another 8mm camcorder but we dont know how to view our 100 + tapes otherwise/????

Answer 1

to view your Hi8 tapes, you just need the AV cables and a VCR (and blank tapes)

you hook it up and record to vhs tape , that way you back them all up on vHS and can later convert to DVD.
For info on how to backup to your PC, look into a firewire cable> http://ebooks.interkeys.com/howto/8mm_hi8_video_format.htm

Answer 2

It sounds like you like to just shoot and watch, so a dvd cam might be better, however, if you would like to edit and add effects, transitions, etc. to your videos, then go with minidv, also the quality is better. As for your tapes, some miniDV cameras have a analog to digital passthrough that you could connect one end to your computer and the other end to your 8mm camera and put them on the computer, then edit and burn to DVD. this gives you flexibility in getting exactly what you want. But then again, 100+ tapes is a lot, so if I were you, Id probably send them to a video company to have them made into DVDs, although again, you could save money by doing yourself, but it will take a LOT of time. Hope this helps!

Answer 3

I agree with your dilema, nobody really makes an 8mm deck anymore, and your only other choice is thru an 8mm camcorder.
Which by the way run rampantly cheap on Ebay, so the good news is you can still get them cheap. Your only other possiblity
is to Transfer the 8mm onto DVD. Either invest in the equipment to do the transfer yourself, or pay someone else to do it.

Answer 4

Go with Mini DV

DVD camcorders only take DVDs that last about 30 minutes each.

The others you mentioned are still ANALOG camcorders that are pretty much obsolete.

So Mini DV is your best best. It is digital and the quality is great.