Capturing analog Hi8 with Sony Digital8 handycam?

[packsnap85]

What is recommended for analog 8 capture using a digital 8 handycam that handles both? DV/FireWire transfer (winDV) or using the s-video out to a capture card (i-o data to virtualdub Lagarith codec)?

[latreche34]

Video 8 is best captured via S-Video, But there is a camcorder recommendation thread here just find it.

[packsnap85]

Thank you. I guess the DV export of video8 or hi8 would be basically using the camcorder as a capture card with technology that’s a little dated?

[latreche34]

Capturing video is not a modern thing, it is a 2000's task, so there is nothing outdated about the whole process, It is just DV and MPEG-2 are lossy formats and since modern hardware allows for higher bandwidth processing, capturing and encoding in real time is no longer needed, Capture first at high quality, then process later in high quality at a much lower frame rate than real time frame rate.

[lordsmurf]

He may mean DV, which is indeed a 1990s outdated tech, nor was it ever meant for conversion (only shooting). Not capturing in general, which is the 2000s task that we still perform.

[packsnap85]

Yes, I was referring to whatever conversion is going on inside the camcorder to get the Video8/hi8 recording into DV form.

On the other hand, for digital 8 or mini dv tapes, is the dv to FireWire connection still the best way to transfer the video?

[nicholasserra]

Short answer: It's way easier to just grab a firewire cam that plays analog and capture DV. You don't really need any gear. If you're not going for some kind of archival process then it's your fastest route to decent results.

I personally do both. I capture analog 8mm via s-video and full process with TBC to lossless. The older CCD cams work better most of the time for this. Then I do a second pass via a D8 cam and firewire to DV for a second copy.