8MM-PC conversion/Video Casette-PC Conversion

Hi guys,

I have been pondering this for a long,long time but i really want to give it a go,we have 1000's of hours of tape,as do many people stowed away,gathering dust,they date from the early 90's right up until 2008,when we went digital.

What i am looking for is something that allows me to EASILY convert from 8MM film and/or large video casettes to the PC,then i can go about getting them edited. What i would like to know is where can i get such stuff,how much it roughly costs for good quality equipment and whether it involves taking the PC apart to install hardware,i would also like to know if it is easy to setup and use etc.

Any help,at all would be gratefully recieved.

Cheers,
Mark

 

I am assuming "8mm film" you actually mean "8mm tape" such as Hi8 or standard 8.
If so and you have a working camera for this format and it has the right connections, then this item may well fit the bill.
http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?TabID=1&criteria=usb&ModuleNo=221190&C=SO&U=Strat15

Just plug it into a USB port, no doubt install some software as well.

 

Also, if your current miniDV device as AV pass trough (RTM) you'll just need a cable.
8mm fed into DV via cable and DV into PC via firewire, simples.

 

Hi Bill,

Thanks for that,will take a look in a minute,yeah we have a working Hi8-Std 8 Cam.....its a Sony Handycam of some description,we currently just use stills for vids as we aren't one o' them pro camera crews!

Cheers,
Mark

 

In addition to the above you asked about converting cassettes to PC. I didn't put my VCR cassettes onto the PC but I do have a DVD recorder. I connected the VCR player to the DVD recorder by SCART and then copied the the cassettes onto the DVD recorder's HDD and then onto DVD.

There's an awful lot of abbreviations in that paragraph!

HTH

 

Hi Orion,

We have a DVD recorder stored somewhere,perhaps i should get it working

Cheers,
Mark

 

Could really do with one of those,any chance of a link to one,Ralph? As Video will no doubt be extint in a few years time

 

Some here, please note that the silver Bush is only a dvd player & not a recorder.
http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/s...1&langId=-1&searchTerms=vcr+combi&Submit=GO+>

 

Think i'll have to hold back,tipping the piggy bank upside down isn't working! Thanks for the link and advice though,bookmarked.

 

So u admit to pirating PSOV material, bad bad bad boy

 

8mm FILM

.......

 

Traditionally it was done by projecting the image into a prism and having a video camera videoing from another facet of the prism. I would imagine that it is now done by using a high speed scanner. The expense of such a machine probably accounts for the cost of the service.

Regards

 

I quite agree, many people transfer video tapes(copyright or otherwise) to dvd because it is a more modern & versatile format. Tapes degrade with time & vcr's wear out & becoming more difficult to replace. It's no different to people copying or ripping cd's for personal use or backup. Why do people come on here with their silly jobsworth comments, are they so perfect?

 

Try this, a bit expensive though.
http://www.rutlandproductions.co.uk/8mm_cine_film.htm

Also found this on Ebay, http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vivitar-Cine-or-35mm-slide-to-Video-Converter-boxed_W0QQitemZ300371720077QQcategoryZ11722QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp4340.m263QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DSIC%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BIEW%252BFICS%252BUFI%26otn%3D10%26ps%3D63

or this, http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/OPTEX-Slide-C...y_VintagePhotoAccessories?hash=item3efaadb12e

 

Not so, any UNAUTHORISED copying is illegal, ask karl Jauncey what he thinks

 

Actually, that's quite cheap but is, in effect, similar to using a projector and camera. With well exposed films these methods are capable of quite good results but don't expect the sort of thing you see on the better archive programmes. Many of these services don't transfer any sound track, so it's best to ask if that's what you want.
To get that sort of quality expect to pay £10 plus for a silent 50' reel, double that for sound film. The more expensive ones scan each individual frame rather than running it in real time hence the need to double the cost for sound film.
The various projection boxes to point your camera at won't be particularly good but, perhaps, better than nothing.
I've got 6000' of film to get transferred by scanning. Lottery win required I think!