Digitising Hi8 tapes

[Astraeus]

Hello

I hope someone might be able to help me.

I am trying to digitise my family's collection of Hi8 tapes as a gift for my parents.

I have a Sony Handycam plugged in to my PC using EasyCap. I've used this set up before successfully. I am recording from a mix of MP and LP Hi8 tapes. I am on Windows 11.

When I start playback on OBS from the camera, the preview box is a blue screen. If I FF, the video is visible albeit it has bars across it. If I stop FF, it briefly then shows the video as it should be, before going back to a blue screen. If I then FF again, it shows the video with the bars. I've uploaded a video to YouTube to show the behaviour.

View: https://youtu.be/4ONNtZqSvBA?si=JTyIV0Pd1Y6eqx6a


Please can anyone advise what might be causing this issue and what I could do to remedy it?

Many, many thanks in advance.

A.

 

[Bikes Camera More...]

I seem to recall a similar problem. My version of EasyCap turned out to be incompatible with Windows 11.

I presume you're trying to output to VHS?

 

[Deleted member 97422]

I'm not familiar with EasyCap but have done a lot of video conversions in the past. That blue screen is the digital equivalent of screen dropout (breakup). If the original tapes are in LP that could be the problem.

There are a couple of things worth trying but I wouldn't be too hopeful. You may want to try cleaning the video heads of the playback machine just in case that is the problem. If you are not using the SVHS connector then maybe try it (or switch to CVBS). Probable difficult these days - but if available you could try a different playback device.

 

[4wd]

If all else fails you could play back on TV and use a modern camera to record screen.
It would be better than some of my attempts years ago when I didn't know what I was doing really.

 

[PeteNaples]

Are they playing back OK on the handycam screen/viewfinder?

 

[RustySnapper]

Sorry for my tardiness @Astraeus but I have been searching, and finally finding, a box of 8 Hi8 tapes (and documentation) I had transfered on to DVD's and a USB sticks back in 2020 by a company called Digital Converters, here is their website:

Convert Camcorder Video Tapes and VHS To DVD and More | Digital Converters

Got home movies on old Tapes? Our conversion service transfers your old VHS & Camcorder Video Tapes to DVD, Memory Stick or Cloud for you to download.

digitalconverters.co.uk

My tapes were between 10 and 20 years old and two of them had deteriorated quite badly, in fact none of them would play properly on the original camcorder. The company gave me a report on how the converion had gone. The cost was £94.97 but well worth the money to get 8 of the tapes converted fully and the remaining two faulty ones were converted as good as they could get them.

Hope this is of use.