Hi8 playback and capture colors not right?
 

Finally started the project to capture my Hi-8 family tapes. Thought I was rolling along well but have detected a sometimes pinkish and/or washed out color; worse on some tapes - maybe more on the latest ones I am capturing.

All Hi-8 tapes were originally shot on a Canon UCS5, vintage late '93, and now inop. I got a (used of course) Sony CCD-TRV65 for playback which is doing well except for the color issue, which seems to be worse with the ME (metal evaporated) than the MP (metal particle) tapes. The ME tapes were the first I shot with the Canon when brand new. Swapping out S-video cables has no effect.

However, when inserting same ME tape in my old Sony DCR-TRV110 using the S-video out, the vibrant colors are back with no pink or washed out problem. MPEG capture is through AIW 9600 with MMC 8.8.

The guy who sold me the CCD-TRV65 left a recorded tape in the camera. Same issue when playing it back...and it also has fuller color in the DCR-TRV110.

Does the CCD-TRV65 have a problem (capacitors, etc.)?

Concerning playback on the Digital 8 cameras but using the S-video out: Is that pure analog pass through from the heads, or does it get manipulated (analog to digital to analog out)? In other words, do I get the same Hi8 analog quality via the Digital 8 S-video out that I get on a Hi8 camera?

Any insights appreciated!

Regards

Do you have any examples of the pinkish/washed out color?

You get the same quality, the playback circuitry is very similar. I think the 110 lacks a TBC/DNR though, which the CCD-TRV65 has. The lack of TBC may lead to more horizontally jittery video. The TRV65 also supports Hi8/Video8 XR, which the 110 doesn't, but that's only relevant if the tapes were recorded in a Hi8/Video8 XR camera.

Thanks, hodgey. Actually the DCR-TRV110 does support Hi8, but as you say unfortunately has no TBC.

By examples do you mean a still shot or a video clip?

^ His point was it doesn't support the XR extensions that some analog models could record.

Based on the couple models I've used, Digital8 camcorders/decks always use a Analog-Digital-Analog path. But so does a Hi8 model with TBC/DNR enabled.

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/...=1#post2431845

Some day when I have time I will show the same frame from a Hi8 "raw" analog output.

Thanks, msgohan. OK got it but none of my tapes were shot with an XR camera.

So I understand correctly:
- Your are saying that Hi8 tapes played back on Digital 8 cameras and captured from the S-video and analog audio ports DO NOT have straight analog pass through, either with or w/o TBC on?
- Is above situation the same output one would receive from Hi8 camera playback with TBC on, or
- Is Hi8 camera playback better than Digital 8 analog playback for capture to MPEG?

Analog playback from the CCD-TRV65 and Digital 8 models via S-Video should appear identical. I have a CCD-TRV65 (purchased new) along with two analog compatible D8 models here and you can't tell any difference in the output. The D8 camcorders do not DV compress analog video sent to the S-Video port.

Gentlemen, forgot I had asked a similar question last year. If you look at the bottom of the thread below, Lord Smurf takes a different position on use of D8 for analog playback. Not trying to stir things up here but the dialog would help me decide on a Hi8 playback replacement. Your thoughts are appreciated.

http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/vide...html#post59662

After comments from NJRoadfan (quite some time ago, whenever it was), I've since found some D8 cameras play analog as analog. But the TBC processing is different. It's stronger, which can be both good and bad. The contrast also seems a bit harsher at times, with darker/crushed darks and lighter/blown highlights. The first D8 camera that I ever saw had obvious DV compression on the camera analog outputs, but I just do not remember what model that was anymore.

Technically all TBCs are A>D>A, but the D isn't digital compared to captured video. It's not the same.

Looking at the block diagrams for the Sony DCR-TRV840 that I happen to have laying around, the Hi-8/Video-8 playback path definitely does NOT go through the DV encoding circuit on its way to the video and audio output jacks.

For what it's worth, my observation was that they do A-D-A with no option to bypass the D step, but I meant uncompressed.