The DV video format provides better audio and video quality than Hi8. DVĭV was introduced in 1999, and it’s a digital format created by multiple video camera manufacturers. However, some Hi8 players can play both formats. The Hi8 and Video8 video cassettes look exactly the same, but a Video8 player cannot play a Hi8 cassette. It records in an analog format like Video8, but it has better video quality. Hi8 format is an 8mm video tape format that was introduced by Sony in 1989. Video8 tapes also use an analog video format. A smaller form factor and superior sound made Video8 cameras very popular with consumers. Also, 8mm tapes have better audio quality than VHS tapes. Since they are a lot smaller than VHS tapes, the cameras that use 8mm tapes are also much smaller than the VHS cameras. 8mm tapes are 3.74 inches long, 2.46 inches wide, and. Video8 came out in 1985, and it was the first 8mm video tape format. Most of the VHS tapes I had were recordings of old television shows, but a few were family videos. VHS tapes record video in an analog format. VHS tapes are 7⅜ inches long, 4 1⁄16 inches wide, and 1 inch thick. The VHS format was introduced in the United States in 1977, and it’s the format that you play in a VCR.
So, I had to understand what I was working with. The time span over which these videos were made included different technologies that were introduced over time. The first thing I had to do was understand the different video tape formats in my collection. Understanding Video Formats Image by InspiredImages from Pixabay Here’s the process I used to convert my tapes to digital format. So, I just needed to get a few additional items. The most expensive piece of equipment I needed was a computer, and I already had that. So, I decided to do the conversion myself. Also, these services can get very expensive if, like me, you have a lot of tapes to convert.
However, these tapes were priceless, and I didn’t want to risk trusting them to someone who could inadvertently lose or damage them. You ship them a box of your tapes, and they send you the digital files after converting them. I initially thought about using one of the services that do the conversion for you. I can also make a perfect copy of the video just by copying the digital files, and sharing the videos is as easy as sending a link. Also, playing a digital video provides the ability to jump back and forth during playback instead of having to rewind and fast forward. Most sites say that tapes last 10-25 years, and most of our collection was in the middle or end of that range.Ĭonverting the tapes to a digital format would transfer these memories from a medium that was degrading over time to one that would probably last forever. Even the digitization process would shorten their lifespan. So, these tapes were degrading with each passing minute and the act of playing old tapes further damages them. The very act of playing and rewinding the tapes stretches the material and dries out the lubricant in the binder layer. Tapes can also degrade due to dust and bacteria unless they are stored in special containers, and the boxes in my attic didn’t qualify as special containers. This damages the color and detail of the video on the tapes. The magnetic charge that allows the tape to work degrades over time due to a process called remanence decay. This meant that a number of factors were contributing to the steady deterioration of the tapes. While these tapes were in different formats, they all used magnetic tape. These were priceless memories, and, after surviving multiple moves between apartments and homes, they were just sitting in my attic in multiple boxes. My wife and I had videos that went as far back as the 1980s and covered events like high school parties, prom, college events, our wedding, and the birth of all three of our children. The one I tackled first was taking my decades old collection of VHS, Video8, Hi8, and MiniDV tapes and converting them to a digital format. I scheduled a few weeks of downtime when I last changed companies, and I had a number of home projects that needed my attention.
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