Is there a cost effective way to transfer my DV tapes to PC?
 

I have a canon GL2 camera.
I currently transfer the tape to the PC through the cameras firewire port.

Are there consumer level tape decks that I can do this?

Last time I looked they were all very high end.

You can always buy a cheap consumer DV camera to do your transfers if you'd like to save your GL2. I bought a ZR70 that crapped out on the recording side, but still works on the tape setting, so I use it to transfer all my tapes to my PC. It's not as responsive as a dedicated tape player, but it does the job.

Absolutely - the most cost-effective way to digitize material over the long haul is with the cheapest DV camera you can find that offers FireWire (don't they all these days?). I do the exact same thing for DV material that I plan on using simply as DV codec source files.

Hi8 tape problem
 

I'm a newbie to video and want to transfer my old Hi8 tape to my Mac. In previewing them on my broken canon some tape looks fine others jump around like it's out of sync. Is it possible with another used Hi8 camera this will go away or is it recorded into the tape. I hope I don't need to buy a Hi8 deck to get the controls to fix this.
jbechdel@comcast.net

Get a Sony Digital 8 camera. Most will play and convert Hi8 to digital and transfer them to computer by firewire.

Get a Sony Digital 8 camera. Most will play and convert Hi8 to digital and transfer them to computer by firewire.

Make Sure You Get the Right Digital8 Model
 

Many of the Digital8 camcorders will play back Hi-8 recorded tapes, but a few will not. Some of them have analog-to-digital passthrough, where they will take an analog signal input, convert it to digital form and pass it out on the FireWire or i-Link port, without having to re-record it on digital tape. Check the specifications of any model you might buy, to determine if it will do what you want.

Actually, I've found that my Digital8 camcorder and VCR do a better job of playing back my Hi-8 tapes, than my Hi-8 camcorders and VCR will do. It's because they have good, built-in time-base correctors and clean up the irregularities that develop with analog recording. Sony makes a nice Digital8 mini-VCR, the GV-D200, that does all these things very well. I paid $600. for mine, 6 years ago, but you might be able to find one cheaper now or buy a used one.

Regarding the original poster, who wanted to play back DV tapes, there is a very solid JVC DV VCR, that may cost no more than $650. to $700. It is the HR-DVS3U and it is a dual-deck model, with an S-VHS VCR as well as the DV unit inside. It's full-sized and a real workhorse. If you want to convert old VHS and S-VHS tapes to digital form, import them over FireWire to a computer or to a DVD recorder, it's the right model for the job.