Hi

LS directed me to this thread, I'm located in Norway so I'll be happy to have a look at the tapes if you are interested.

Image showing up in search but blue screen with some audio in playback could be an indication of tape path alignment having gone bad on the recording camcorder over time which did happen with these camcorders though hard to know for sure without testing.

The original camcorder not turning on is not at all unexpected as the Sony camcorders from that time period have electronic components (surface-mount electrolytic capacitors) that were not well made from the factory and go bad over time, it pretty much happens to all of the Sony 8mm models from the end of the 80s to around 1994.

Thank you for this input. I got a tip about a guy in the UK, and have been in touch with him regarding these tapes. I really hope they can be recovered. But, in case I find more tapes I would be interested in your Norwegian contact. I'm located in the south/east region. Feel free to send me a message.

Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and expertise.

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@lordsmurf - Thank you for this input. I got a tip about a guy in the UK, and have been in touch with him regarding these tapes. I really hope they can be recovered. But, in case I find more tapes I would be interested in your Norwegian contact. I'm located in the south/east region. Feel free to send me a message.

Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and expertise.

I would be hesitant to send these from Norway to UK, which is why I purposely didn't suggest anybody in UK to you.

@Cath, hodgey is my contact here. I'd strongly suggest him in this exact scenario.

LS, for everyone's information why would you be hesitant to send tapes from Norway to UK?

I often don't have one-size-fits-all advice because it quickly turns into one-size-fits-none advice.

We live in a world of constants and variables.

Constant example = Some form of TBC is required for analog tape conversion. No exceptions to this rule. Be it minimalist TBC(ish) from certain DVD recorders, or actual line/frame TBCs. Even hodgey's vhs-decode project has TBC baked into it. It's non-fungible.

But then we have many, many variables.

Shipping tapes internationally is always risky. It's a variable. I've rarely accepted international tape conversions because I don't want to see memories be lost from mail mishaps. We can always replace gear, or replace commercial tape releases, but we can't replace one-of-a-kind tapes.

Within-country mail is almost always fine. International is where risk enters, because it's generally subjected to altitudes (oxygen changes), temperatures, humidity, x-ray, magnetic scanners, etc. No amount of wrapping it will help, and may in fact just make matters worse. And that excludes all the human error. For example, customs agents are rarely the brightest bulbs in the room. I've seen these goons dismantle items to "find drugs", harming the item in the process.

It's a variable that must be weighed on a case-by-case basis.

Also note: I've infrequently been criticized (from the peanut gallery) for "changing my mind". But that's a simpleton view. They want one-size-fits-all(none) advice, which is what those low-end YouTubers provide. Not case-by-case. I realize that these matters have nuance. That's a skill you get after doing tape transfer work for 25 years (and a professional level, including for major studios). In this specific scenario, I only suggest international shipping as a last resort, or because an error demands more experience.

"Fun" fact: The studios would sometimes ship tapes to me, internationally, and always with an express courier. It wasn't perfect. Tapes would sometimes be "lost" for months, trapped in the postal system, where tracking was worthless. Nobody truly cared about the tape contents (emotionally speaking), we were all employees trying to archive history. But I can image how agonizing that would be to somebody losing their only copy of precious family memories.

I very much want to see this lovely woman recover those "only recording I have of my late grandparents". Without hassle, without heartbreak.

I do share your concerns, but when searching for help I was also searching for this "gut feeling" - finding someone who cares about the content. Finding this forum has been great, and I was referred to this guy in the UK. Since I've already made an agreement with him, I will honor that agreement (which was made shortly before learning about the Norwegian member of this forum. I'm sure they would have been an equally good choice!).

I have colleagues in the UK which I will ask to bring the tapes from/to Norway, using within-country mail in the UK.

Fingers crossed, I really hope this will work out and that I can view the content again!

Thank you again for all help and knowledge sharing.

If he's flying, be sure he doesn't check the tape(s) in luggage. Stow them in a carry-on.

That is the plan :-) Thank you

Re: PCM audio. FWIW, it was rarely found on consumer gear, and was recorded on a separate portion of the scan from the typical audio/video and the RCTC time code/data code. Typically a way to dub additional audio on a tape without messign with the existing video/audio. The Sony EV-S7000 VCR is a high end consumer unit that can play and dub PCM audio.