Hi8, Video 8, D8, Digital 8, 8mm - What's the difference?
Video 8 or 8mm videotape was introduced by Sony in the 1980s. The format was used in the Handycam and yielded similar quality to that of VHS and Betamax. 8mm or Video 8 (as it is also referred to) was a huge success mainly due to the smaller size and portability of the Sony Handycam.
Overtime, two more variations of 8mm were released. The successor to 8mm videotape was Hi8. The Hi8 format yielded higher resolution and improved audio in the form of PCM stereo. The higher resolution of Hi8 was comparable to S-VHS (Super VHS).
The final upgrade to 8mm was Digital 8 (D8). Digital 8 was introduced in 1999. While Digital 8 was recorded on the same 8mm tape stock, it was quite different. Digital 8 camcorders record a digital signal (DV codec) on an analog tape. In order to achieve this, the tape runs twice as fast. Thus, a 120min 8mm tape would allow you to record just 60min of Digital8 video. The recording quality is of Digital 8 is comparable to MiniDV.
8mm and its successors all suffered from tape DROPOUT...The small head drum of the cameras were more susceptible to the effects of tape dropout where magnetic particle are eroded from the tape surface.
The good news is DVD Transfer companies like Audio Video Workshop of Redwood City, CA can help relieve some of these dropouts by transferring the analog tapes to digital using a Time Base Corrector (TBC) in the preocess. AV Workshop can transfer all of these 8mm tape formats to DVD. AV Workshop can convert Hi8 tape to DVD, Video 8 tape to DVD, and Digital 8 tape to DVD. Furthermore, they can create digital computer files for you to share or edit on your computer. Digital files like AVI files or Quicktime files (DV Codec) offer excellent uncompressed video quality as well as unsurpassed compatibility for use in a multitude of video editing applications such as iMovie, Adobe Premiere, etc...
By digitizing your 8mm, video 8, and Digital 8 tapes you will protect them from degradation and natural hazard. For more info about having your video tapes converted to digital, call Audio Video Workshop today! 650-369-4366
http://av-workshop.com/video-to-dvd-transfer/
Audio Video Workshop
650-369-4366
703 Woodside Rd., Suite 8
Redwood City, CA 94061
