[bostongeek]

I am cross-posting this with another Mac forum, I hope nobody minds:

I have some 8mm and Hi8 tapes from a couple years back (weddings and such) that I want to digitize. I have a G4 PB and a RevB iMac 2GHz. I am looking for the cheapest way to digitize these and have them available for some editing and possible transfer to DVD. The thing is, I see myself getting a MiniDV camera (or something similar) in the next year or so and don't have use for high-end analog transfer equipement (since after doing the transfer of these tapes, I will have no use for it). My old Sony camcorder has the typical S-Video and RCA outputs.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I want to keep this cheap!!!

[Stevuh]

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...asp?CatId=1423

that look to be the place to look for, try some of the other places online like newegg.com and such

[rminkler]

If you are going to be getting a dv camcorder sooner than later, you could route the signal from your analog camcorder to your digital camcorder and then via firewire to the computer. Most dv camcorders have analog inputs and can stream that signal through to firewire without recording it to dv tape.

[bostongeek]

Originally Posted by rminkler If you are going to be getting a dv camcorder sooner than later, you could route the signal from your analog camcorder to your digital camcorder and then via firewire to the computer. Most dv camcorders have analog inputs and can stream that signal through to firewire without recording it to dv tape.

Ooh... I hadn't begun looking at the DV camcorders yet, but that would be fantastic. Thanks for the heads up!

Now, any recommendations on DV camcorders? I still would like to stay cheap. $500 or less would be great. And, of course, the analog inputs so I could use it as a bridge to transfer analog video would be ideal.

[curiousuburb]

Cross posted question, meet cross posted answer.

Originally Posted by curiousuburb I think you have a few options. 1) Transcode in Digital8 camera (converting to DV tape using camera feature) 2) Pass through camera without transcode (using the DAC to convert, but not duping tape) IIRC, Sony made or still makes a variety of 8mm-to-DV transcoding cameras called Digital8. Basically, you stick in your Hi8 tape and the camera not only imports it, but effectively converts it to DV on the fly. Some of the new versions of these cameras are described here In either case, see if you could rent such tools (if you only have a few tapes to convert). If you had a medium number of tapes, perhaps consider a service bureau. Depending on the cable connectors you've got available on Hi8/DV/Computer, you should be able to replicate the quality you'd get from a dedicated capture card like the Pinnacle (reportedly a bit flaky) purely from passthrough in the 2nd setup.

[Stevuh]

Originally Posted by bostongeek Ooh... I hadn't begun looking at the DV camcorders yet, but that would be fantastic. Thanks for the heads up! Now, any recommendations on DV camcorders? I still would like to stay cheap. $500 or less would be great. And, of course, the analog inputs so I could use it as a bridge to transfer analog video would be ideal.

i personally am a fan of canon Consumer products(even prosumer). their line of ZR cameras is cheap yet good quality and should be nice for you.