Advice on Sony video camera DCR-TRV 355E

[alanball]

hi all

My old Sony vide8 analogue video camera has packed in and I need to replace it so that I can capture some old tapes. Does anyone know if the Sony DCR-TRV 355E will play analogue as well as digital Hi8 and video 8 tapes.

Thanks

[Ken Berry]

Hi Alan. I am surprised you did not do a Google search. My own revealed, as number 1 on the list, a return from Sony Corp saying it is a "Compact Digital8 Handycam with DV In, Video8 & Hi8 playback compatibility". And that, as far as I am concerned, answers your question. But FWIW I have the DCR-TRV480E which I use to transfer my analogue Video8 tapes to digital DV format via Firewire. And I couldn't be happier with the results.

[alanball]

Hi Ken,

thanks for that, I did Google the camcorder, but I must admit after reading the info I was not sure that is what it meant, (perhaps it was too late at night for me ) but thanks for confirming it. We have one advertised on TradeMe here in NZ, but looking at Amazon in the UK they have one advertised at around 250 pounds which I was surprised at.

Thanks again

[Ken Berry]

I would have thought 250 pounds to be inordinately expensive, especially if I assume correctly that it is second hand. I paid a bit over A$500 for mine around 5 or 6 years ago now, and it was brand new... How much is the one advertised in Trade Me? I have just done a search there for it and got no responses... though I saw a DCR-TRV120E for NZ$225 which will do the job. Price OK too if, as the owner suggests, it is 'near new'.

BTW, was your confusion over some gobbledegook concerning digital 8 and analogue 8 tapes? If so, it is just that. When Sony brought out the Digital 8 camcorders they also brought out what they called special 'digital' tapes for it for filming in DV format, which is of course digital. Those new tapes were much more expensive. But in fact, the old analogue 8 tapes also worked just fine in the camera, so it was no more than another bit of Sony sleight of hand...

[alanball]

Hi Ken,

yes it did flummox me a bit. The one on Trademe is a starting bid of $80 but depending on who is looking they can shoot up very quickly and I don't want to pay too much. The auction is at 2.58 today, and I have missed out on a couple of camcorders over the last couple of months, so we will see. I down loaded the manual from Sony and it looks quite a complicated camera.

[Ken Berry]

See my added comment above re another model which can also do the job... I was searching further when you responded... And I have found mine at least to be no more complicated than any more modern camcorder... Just much bigger and heavier!!

[alanball]

Thanks Ken I will keep a watch on the DCR-TRV120E, must have missed that one last night. How is the weather down in you part of the country? nice and sunny here but a cool southerly.

[alanball]

me again Ken, just did a search on the DCR-TRV 120E

http://www.avforums.com/forums/camcorde ... v120e.html

Seems as though there may be a problem playing back tapes recorded in LP, which I think most of my may tapes would be on our trips overseas, so may be best to look at getting mine repaired if possible.

How many Videostudio users do you think there would be in NZ? I went to a product demo in Auckland when Version 10 came out and there must have been 120 or more people there.

[Ken Berry]

Weather here is fine and lovely today. Temperature is 13.5 degrees though was colder during the week. The Tararuas behind town are covered in snow, and we had a big dump of it earlier in the week which was lovely.

As for VS users in NZ, I really have no idea, nor any idea how you could make an estimate...

As for LP mode, I know mine will play it back, but then again I never did many of my analogue tapes using anything but standard play... so it was never really a factor for me.

[skier-hughes]

LP can differ from make of cam to make of cam and also unfortunately from one model to another of the same make.
It is best never to use LP, but with very few tape cams around now it is less of a problem.
It is going to be a suck it and see problem I'm afraid, if these cams are selling so well, if it doesn't work you should be able to get your money back by reselling.

[alanball]

Hi Graham,

Thanks for you comments, you are right about the resale I will keep watching to see what comes up but I may be better off putting $95 into a quote for getting my camcorder repaired.