Digitizing Old Video8 and Hi8 tapes

[Tom Wolsky]

I think dubbing the tapes is a good solution. It gives you a digital master tape, and there is no further loss in capturing. You can also hold the disk captured media as a second archive.

All the best,

Tom

Class on Demand DVDs “Complete Training for FCP7,” “Basic Training for FCS” and “Final Cut Express Made Easy”
Author: “Final Cut Pro 5 Editing Essentials” and “Final Cut Express 4 Editing Workshop”

[Isaac Brillant]

Thanks –
And dubbing to any old miniDV camcorder would be fine?

Incidentally, I’m not sure why this is, but I AM able to play the analogue tape using the Log & Capture in FCP, and watch it in the preview. But underneath the playing video, it says “waiting for timecode” – which I assume doesn’t exist, and it wont capture.

thanks!

[Ken Jones]

Doesn’t your Digital 8 camcorder have a firewire jack? A few years ago I borrowed a Digital 8 camcorder and dubbed all of my 8mm and Hi8 to MiniDV over a firewire cable. The dubs looked perfect. I then captured the MiniDV tapes to FCP.

[Jason Brown]

I just helped my dad do something similar…looking for lowest cost solution…I was able to figure out a tweak using available equipment…your gear may not have same functionality, but this worked. (I was using AVID DV, but same would work for FCP)

Using a DCR-TRV22 Sony MiniDV camera, you run the source (VHS or hi8) into that camera…it has a throughput function (your camera may not), doing a real-time convert to DV basically doing what a capture card would be doing.

Then turn off deck control…and do a live capture

-Jason

[Michael Pfost]

Under “Device Control” try the setting “Uncontrollable Device.”

Also, if cost is not an issue — make sure you have a good capture device and save the video as ProRes 4:2:2. You’ll have excellent results.

For Digital8 you can capture directly on a PC with one of many utility programs. I don’t believe this option exists for OS X.

[Steve Eisen]

[Isaac Brillant] “I’m assuming it’s impossible to go from a Digital 8 camera to an HPX170 through the RCA jacks, and dub onto a P2 card?)
“

This is not possible with the HPX-170. It does not have any INPUTS. Only output.

Steve Eisen
Eisen Video Productions
Vice President
Chicago Final Cut Pro Users Group

[Bret Williams]

Yes, they do. Should be able to capture both formats via DV firewire directly into system. If you still want a tape backup, output to firewire deck, p2 card, whatever.

No reason to capture to pro res at all. DV is DV. You’re just going to eat up 4x the drive space. You might want to edit in a pro res sequence in the future, but no reason to capture DV as pro res.

[Jeremy Doyle]

[Isaac Brillant] “Incidentally, I’m not sure why this is, but I AM able to play the analogue tape using the Log & Capture in FCP, and watch it in the preview. But underneath the playing video, it says “waiting for timecode” – which I assume doesn’t exist, and it wont capture. “

As was mentioned earlier, in your capture window under the capture settings tab, change to uncontrollable device and it will stop “waiting for timecode”. Then all you have to do is hit capture now and you won’t have to bother with dubs.

[Isaac Brillant]

Hi,

Thanks for replying. My camera does have a firewire jack (Its the Sony DCR TRV 510). It will play in FCP, through the firewire jack, but FCP won’t record it. Says “waiting for timecode” and then if I hit Capture Now, the image goes gray.

Or was your point that I can transfer from Digital 8 to a miniDV camera using a firewire instead of an RCA cable? I guess I’d need a firewire cable that has the very small prong at the end for going into the camera. I’m not sure what the term is for it. I think it’s called iLink?

I can also physically connect it via firewire to my HPX170, but nothing happens…

[Isaac Brillant]

Thanks everyone – I’ll try out all these options and will let you know what happens!