Do you find yourself with a bunch of old 8mm or Hi8 video tapes even though you don’t have the camcorder any more? So what can you do to playback and relive the wonderful family memories buried in those tapes?
Here are several options you can consider:
- Borrow an 8mm or Hi8 camcorder from a friend or relative for temporary use. Do make sure the camcorder is in good working condition so it doesn’t damage your irreplaceable video tapes.
- If you can’t borrow a camcorder, buy an inexpensive Hi8 or digital8 camcorder that has ability to also playback analog Hi8 and 8mm tapes back.. You won’t find these at Best-Buy or in Costco (camcorders on the market today record to mini-DV, DVDs or hard drive). You will have to search for them on eBay or Craigslist.
Buy a Digital8/Hi8 player such as this Sony Digital8 player from Amazon. It plays back regular 8mm, Hi8, and also Sony’s Digital8 formats. You can hook it up to your TV, sit back, relax and marvel at how time flies… If you are pretty technical, you can even hook it up to a DV-savvy PC to digitize the video, then burn it on a DVD.
- Last but not least, transfer your Hi8 tapes to DVD by using a professional video transfer service. Prices have dropped, and if you are converting your family’s entire tape collection, ask for a volume discount.
While all the above options allow you to playback the video, at some point – the earlier the better – you want to digitize your 8mm or Hi8 tapes because these tapes are made of magnetic media which will degrade with time. Read our article here on: What is the shelf life of my video tape?
If you decide to choose option 4, and have your video tapes transferred professionally and preserved on DVD, please call us at (617) 332-3300. We use only professional equipment. Our fair prices include cleaning the tape, creating a DVD menu, scene selection, and a finished professional-looking DVD case.
