Hi8 to PC thru Sony TRV33E
 

Hi
I have several Hi8 tapes I want to convert. I can get an Sony TRV33E for next to free. Would this unit be a good passthru unit? Its has "S" input and Ilink out and even mentions analogue to Digital conversion in the manual.

I also need to find a cheap working Hi8 unit, as my Cannon UC1Hi has gone up the spout. Probaly will cost more to fix than buying a new/second hand unit.

Anyone out there with some hi8 stuff they want to get rid of?

Sounds as good as any other solution you will get.

I actually do this sort of pass-through (and convert to FireWire / iLink) trick with my analogue devices as I get a bit of interference with the analogue inputs to my edit box. The digital conversion bypasses the issue altogether.

The only think to bear in mind is that you won't have the timecode, so you'll have to remain in the vicinity for your stopping of the capture.

Andrew

Thank you Andrew,
hope I get the camera tonight. There is someone else with the same idea as me.

If you can find a Digital8 camera or player (EDIT- THAT HAS Hi8 PLAYBACK!) you could work directly from the FireWire output. Some Digital8 devices will play back the analog Hi8 tape and send out the signal already digitized, but some Digital8 cameras didn't have this function. (For capture and editing purposes Digital8 is the same signal as Mini-DV, just recorded on the larger 8mm cassette.) I still use my Sony Digital8 recorder/player/monitor for a lot of live playback tasks for large meetings. It was originally (circa 2002) and still is a very handy device for a number of jobs and it will also playback analog tapes. You should be able to find a Digital8 device still in working order since they were more recent than Hi8 and they were in the same time frame as the TRV33e mini-dv camera that you mentioned, just make sure to find one that also has the analog playback capability.
Two things to keep in mind. If your original camera was at the far side of the tracking standard and the playback device you find is at the opposite end of the tracking standard, then you may have problems with playback.
Also I have found that if there are dropouts on the analog Hi8 tape you'll have better results using the drop-out-compensated analog S-Video output versus the FireWire out where a small dropout can cause a huge loss of signal that can last several seconds. If you have to use the S-Video out of the Digital8 playback device, then you would also need the analog to digital conversion device like the TRV33e mini-dv camera or a converter box like a Canopus.

Well, I just got the TRV33E, only cost me aprox $75 and is in perfect working condition. Extra batteries, leads, manual, 2 new tapes + cleaning tape. Hardly used
Have been looking for a Dig8, but allare NTSC, I need PAl.

Also my brother has a VHS-C camera with footage he wantts converted, so I can use the TRV on that as well.

Thinks I'll also give the camera a wirl, seems pretty good. At least editing will be ok, compared to this new AVCHD stuff!