How import Hi8 8mm Movies?

[netmation]

Hopefully someone can give me some tips to get me going here. I purchased VideoStudio X8 Ultimate and connected a old Sony Digital 8 Recorder DCR-TRV480 from the DV port to a USB on the computer. Went into VideoStudio X8 into Capture and getting nothing from Capture Video or DV Quick Scan. I realize nothing is this easy. Using Windows 8.1, do I need to load drivers first? Went to the Sony web site and they said drivers are in Windows 8.1 and they say I should use PlayMemories software. I assume I don't need this since I am using VideoStudio. Can someone provide a few tips as to how I can get my camera recognized by VideoStudio and start importing my old 8mm tapes into VideoStudio. Is Capture / Capture Video, the proper command that should allow me to capture these movies once I get the video recorder recognized? Much appreciated.

[asik1]

Have you used your DV before?
How do connect the DV to USB???
You need a DV port in your computer.

[Ken Berry]

While asik is correct in his questions, I think we have to suspect this is perhaps the first time you have been confronted with this problem, and so might need some more explanation than what appears in his what seem to be rather abrupt questions.

Coincidentally, I happen also to have that exact Digital 8 Sony (TRV 480E). The E indicates it is set to PAL video, but nonetheless it operates exactly the same for NTSC North American video. And as is inherent in asik's response, it is an old technology which depends on a video format called DV/AVI. Moreover, DV/AVI depends on another technology developed mainly by Sony (and Panasonic) called Firewire. The latter is quite different from, and faster than, USB 1.0 and 2.0 and it uses different cables. The TRV 480 has a USB port, yes, but that was really only for transferring still photos taken by the camera, or at most, low quality streaming video.

DV/AVI on the other hand, in its time, was one of the highest quality standard definition video formats. It was largely lossless, unlike mpeg formats, but it was large, taking about 13 GB for an hour of video. But it was easy to edit, and then easy to convert into DVD-compatible mpeg-2. (DV/AVI was not a DVD-compatible format.)

But the way of transferring the original DV/AVI from the camera (in your case the TRV 480) to your computer was via Firewire. Your camera also has a small 4 pin Firewire port apart from the mini USB port, and you have to have a Firewire cable and, as asik has indicated, a Firewire port on your computer -- either as a Firewire card or PCI card. Unfortunately, very few computers these days have either. I happen to have several older computers with such ports, so I can still capture using Firewire. (There is another format called HDV which is a high definition format, which also requires Firewire, but I will leave that aside for the moment -- though it too has been my major format for high def video in the past.)

At one time I recall there was something called a Firewire to USB cable, but I don't know if you have one of those or even if they still exist. And in fact even at the time (ten years or more ago) it was highly questionable whether they actually worked to capture DV/AVI.

But by the sound of it, whatever connection you have is not being recognised by VS X8. If you have the correct cables and card in your computer, sometimes this is only a matter of restoring what is called a legacy (i.e. old) DV driver since more recent Windows have updated the DV driver which comes with it, and older cameras etc aren't recognised. But again I have to stress the Firewire cable and card are essential. So to go back to asik's question, we have to know exactly what equipment you have apart from the TRV 480.

On the positive side, though, I can assure you that if you have the right equipment and driver, your TRV 480 is exactly what is required to convert your old analogue 8mm and Hi8 video to digital format. In fact, that is precisely why I bought my own TRV 480 ten or twelve years ago!!

[netmation]

Ken,

Thanks so much for your great email. This gives me more ideas on what I need to do. From your email and a bit more research I am going to try these two solutions. I need to wait for the cables to arrive from eBay though before I will know if I will have success. Any thoughts as to what solution, of the two I describe below, will provide a better conversion of my 8mm movies? Am I on the right track, and hopefully getting the correct cables?

DCR-TRV480 DV port to Computer Firewire Connection
I purchased the following Firewire iLink 6-4 Pin DV Video Cable on eBay…
http://www.ebay.com/itm/130850954550?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT
Plan to try to import the video straight into VideoStudio X8. I have an older computer which has the port though not positive the port works with Windows 8.1 drivers. When I bought this computer I was initially running it on WinXP.

DCR-TRV480 DV port to Panasonic DVD Recorder DMR-EZ485V
I purchased the following Firewire iLink 4-4 Pin DV Video Cable on eBay…
http://www.ebay.com/itm/140917081729?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT
Plan to write the videos straight to a DVD. Then copy the DVD contents to the PC and edit in VideoStudio X8.

Thanks Al

[lata]

Hi

I would opt for the direct connection from camera to pc rather than via a DVD which would entail an extra render / conversion.

I would assume X8 will give the option to capture to DV.

I am sure Ken will reply to confirm this.

You could always try both options to see which you prefer

[skier-hughes]

DO NOT write to dvd and then edit and make a movie, you will be losing much needed quality.
Capture to the pc, as a dv.avi file, edit and then share out in whichever format you want to.
You may find you need to use the legacy firewire driver, but it is easy to switch to,
http://myvideoproblems.com/ProblemPages ... tureW7.htm
Is for win 7, but the process is nearly the same.