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Old Sony Handycam Hi8 tapes...need to get it on my MBP!

C

chadi

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 20, 2007
74
7
Canada eh?
Hey Guys,

I have some old tapes that have footage on them from my Sony Handycam which has RCA's and S-Video out only. No firewire / usb out. I want to know what the easiest way to get that data onto my MBP would be.

I imported it a number of years ago on my old PC with an ATI AIW Radeon (which I don't have anymore anyway) but it's missing sound...so I figure I may as well just get it all off these tapes once and for all so I can buy a new camcorder and get rid of this old clunker.

Any advice would be appreciated,
Chad
 
You'll need an analog to digital (AD) converter. That could be a DV camcorder, a Digital VTR or an actual converter such as those offered by Canopus ( http://www.canopus.com/products/videoconversion.php ).

You'll connect your old Hi8 camera's analog outputs to the AD converter then connect the converter's Firewire output to your Mac. Depending on what software you're using for capturing, you'll probably need to make some settings adjustments in that software as well. For example, if you use FCP, you'd set Device Control to "Non-Controllable Device" and use "Capture Now."

FWIW, the best thing you can do when capturing analog footage is to route the signal through a Time Base Corrector (TBC). The Canopus ADVC300 has a TBC built-in or you can ustilize a stand alone TBC.

-DH
 
So I could in effect just go buy a new camcorder and run my old camcorder through it...will I take a large quality hit? The quality of the old footage isn't all that great to begin with.

I don't have enough footage to warrant a large investment, also because I don't see when I would need to do this again in the future. If I can make a new investment and accomplish my goal at the same time...well that would suit me just fine.

Thanks,
Chad
 
chadi said:
So I could in effect just go buy a new camcorder and run my old camcorder through it...will I take a large quality hit?
Click to expand...


With any analog footage you'll take a generational quality hit. More so without a TBC than with one. You could look into renting or borrowing an AD converter with TBC for your purposes, but if your budget is tight, many inexpensive DV camcorders will suffice.

-DH
 
chadi said:
Hey Guys,

I have some old tapes that have footage on them from my Sony Handycam which has RCA's and S-Video out only. No firewire / usb out. I want to know what the easiest way to get that data onto my MBP would be.

I imported it a number of years ago on my old PC with an ATI AIW Radeon (which I don't have anymore anyway) but it's missing sound...so I figure I may as well just get it all off these tapes once and for all so I can buy a new camcorder and get rid of this old clunker.

Any advice would be appreciated,
Chad
Click to expand...

The easiest way to load those tapes would be to find a working Digital8 camcorder. Those can play back analog Video8 and Hi8 tapes and send the signal out through i.Link / FireWire.

That's easier than hooking up another device for the A/D conversion, and cheaper than finding a TBC or an A/D converter with built-in TBC.

On second thought, I just looked up what people on CL are trying to get for those and it appears as though people think they're sitting on gold.
 
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