Hank, there are some new video grabbers for notebooks in the market which you possibly can locate through google.
These are tiny "soap-boxes" connect to the RCA cable ouputs of your Hi8. May be a little adaptor is needed, but that's what you probably got already years ago with your camera. These grabbers run about $150.-
By the nature of video, you need your notebook to have USB 2.0 supported in order to cope with volume and the speed of the grabbed video data. When your 5150 should need that as an extra Card-Bus card (don't know about it's native capabilities), you'll spend some $25.- extra. The support of USB 2.0 in turn needs to have WinXPs SP1 installed.
do you have a fire wire connector on the back of your 5150? my 5100 has one. use it to connect to your camera. otherwise you will need to use the USB connector.
Hi8, 8, and Super VHS have either RCA, or super VHS or both as an output. Firewire/I-link simply wasn't available some 6 years ago. HDDs to record with video speed were rare and large and by size and capacity wouldn't fit a notebook.
Video grabbing was analog. Both --current MiniDVi cameras as well as firewire-- is digital technology however.
Either technology, Hi8 and firewire are Sony inventions. If there were a solution, Sony would have a product... There is no way however.
Hence the recommendatation to use a USB 2.0 grabber which accepts analog video and converts it into digital data.
I wasn't aware that they were both Sony inventions ... Anyway, there should be some "Di8" camcorders which uses DV technology but Hi8 tapes, and they can playback analog Hi8 tapes while streaming out via their FireWire ports.
They probably cost much more than a low-end USB 2.0 capture solution, though.
Yes, I think few of these hybrids exist, but Hank has a Hi8 Cam and his tapes. So no choice anymore.... In between I've found out that his notebook (5150) has both, USB 2.0 and firewire built in. I have my Inspiron 8200 (now converted to Latitude C840) withfirewireand bought myself a mini-DV camera to stay up to date. Since my Hi8 hangs around . The difference in quality is big, I wouldn't like to go back. But, that's for taping current vacations and other good times. I'm 63 now however and during my lifetime I went from 8mm -> Super8 film, -> VHS/C -> Hi8 -> DVD tape. In total 100s of hours.... And in fact I want to view everything I've ever filmed or taped from DVD now. Also my wife should be able to view all these common remembrances alone without needing assistance. That's the very best reason to convert everything onto one common media. Hank may be in a very similar situation.
Yes you're right,I was mistaken. I've just asked "google" and found the following....
Apple has FireWire, everyone has IEEE 1394, but only Sony and its partners have i.LINK. Since FireWire belongs to Apple and IEEE 1394 doesn't belong to anyone, Sony developed the i.LINK name to identify their brand of 13-94-compliant digital video. Consumers are assured that all i.LINK products are designed to work easily together whether they carry the Sony name or not.
I really thought that Sony invented the wheel under the name "i-link". In fact i-link (oops ...i-LINK) looks to be just Sonys trade-mark or may be flavour of Apples FireWire. Since I don't own shares of either company, I've no problems to appreciate that as a fact.
Sorry Apple, I' ll never make that statement again and ignore your glory. ...promised !
Wow. Thanks everyone for all the info. I've managed to find something online. It's something called Pyro. It's about $160. I haven't checked at Best Buy yet though.
Yes. I'm really looking to convert all my Hi8 tapes to DVD so my wife and other relatives can watch them without having to hook up the camera to the TV.
Revolvah
32 Posts
0
December 12th, 2003 21:00
flortep
114 Posts
0
December 13th, 2003 13:00
Hank, there are some new video grabbers for notebooks in the market which you possibly can locate through google.
These are tiny "soap-boxes" connect to the RCA cable ouputs of your Hi8. May be a little adaptor is needed, but that's what you probably got already years ago with your camera. These grabbers run about $150.-
By the nature of video, you need your notebook to have USB 2.0 supported in order to cope with volume and the speed of the grabbed video data. When your 5150 should need that as an extra Card-Bus card (don't know about it's native capabilities), you'll spend some $25.- extra. The support of USB 2.0 in turn needs to have WinXPs SP1 installed.
nice grabbing, flortep
Message Edited by flortep on 12-13-2003 04:47 PM
loyukfai-new
114 Posts
0
December 13th, 2003 16:00
I doubt if his Hi8 camcorder has a FireWire connection.
More info here and here.
randy41
46 Posts
0
December 13th, 2003 16:00
flortep
114 Posts
0
December 14th, 2003 08:00
loyukfai, you doubt correctly...
Hi8, 8, and Super VHS have either RCA, or super VHS or both as an output. Firewire/I-link simply wasn't available some 6 years ago. HDDs to record with video speed were rare and large and by size and capacity wouldn't fit a notebook.
Video grabbing was analog. Both --current MiniDVi cameras as well as firewire-- is digital technology however.
Either technology, Hi8 and firewire are Sony inventions. If there were a solution, Sony would have a product... There is no way however.
Hence the recommendatation to use a USB 2.0 grabber which accepts analog video and converts it into digital data.
flortep
loyukfai-new
114 Posts
0
December 14th, 2003 16:00
I wasn't aware that they were both Sony inventions
... Anyway, there should be some "Di8" camcorders which uses DV technology but Hi8 tapes, and they can playback analog Hi8 tapes while streaming out via their FireWire ports.
They probably cost much more than a low-end USB 2.0 capture solution, though.
flortep
114 Posts
0
December 15th, 2003 06:00
Yes, I think few of these hybrids exist, but Hank has a Hi8 Cam and his tapes. So no choice anymore.... In between I've found out that his notebook (5150) has both, USB 2.0 and firewire built in. I have my Inspiron 8200 (now converted to Latitude C840) with firewire and bought myself a mini-DV camera to stay up to date. Since my Hi8 hangs around
. The difference in quality is big, I wouldn't like to go back. But, that's for taping current vacations and other good times. I'm 63 now however and during my lifetime I went from 8mm -> Super8 film, -> VHS/C -> Hi8 -> DVD tape. In total 100s of hours.... And in fact I want to view everything I've ever filmed or taped from DVD now. Also my wife should be able to view all these common remembrances alone without needing assistance. That's the very best reason to convert everything onto one common media. Hank may be in a very similar situation.
Have a nice tape, flortep
TDunn
379 Posts
0
December 15th, 2003 13:00
Apple invented firewire.........................TD
flortep
114 Posts
0
December 15th, 2003 16:00
Yes you're right, I was mistaken. I've just asked "google" and found the following....
Apple has FireWire, everyone has IEEE 1394, but only Sony and its partners have i.LINK. Since FireWire belongs to Apple and IEEE 1394 doesn't belong to anyone, Sony developed the i.LINK name to identify their brand of 13-94-compliant digital video. Consumers are assured that all i.LINK products are designed to work easily together whether they carry the Sony name or not.
I really thought that Sony invented the wheel under the name "i-link". In fact i-link (oops ...i-LINK) looks to be just Sonys trade-mark or may be flavour of Apples FireWire. Since I don't own shares of either company, I've no problems to appreciate that as a fact.
Sorry Apple,
I' ll never make that statement again and ignore your glory. ...promised !
flortep
loyukfai-new
114 Posts
0
December 15th, 2003 16:00
hank27
2 Posts
0
December 16th, 2003 11:00
Wow. Thanks everyone for all the info. I've managed to find something online. It's something called Pyro. It's about $160. I haven't checked at Best Buy yet though.
Yes. I'm really looking to convert all my Hi8 tapes to DVD so my wife and other relatives can watch them without having to hook up the camera to the TV.
Thanks again.