Use the software that came with the video converter to “record” the videotape to a digital file. Shooting video on camcorders has been a great way to preserve precious memories. Many people have copied their videos to VHS and DVD to watch on TV or pass out to family and friends. However, with the demise of VCRs and DVD recorders, the most practical way to preserve videos is to upload old camcorder videos to a PC. No brand new 8mm tape players are available in the market. The 8mm video format fell out of popularity, especially after the emergence of the mini-DV format and also DVD camcorders. 8mm tape players also make excellent 8mm video cassette converters.
These machines can be expensive—the Wolverine Data Film2Digital Moviemaker Pro, for example, costs about $400, though you might find other models for closer to $100. Another problem that may show up during the conversion is editing flexibility. The digital conversion service will only make a carbon copy of your tape.
You can play these formats on different devices but not with Camcorder in reverse. The traditional way of transferring data from MiniDV tapes to the computer is to connect the Camcorder to the computer directly. Usually, after the connection, editing software in the computer is activated to capture the data from the Camcorder. Although it comes with a price, it can be affordable depending on your chosen service. DIY converting tapes to digital sounds easy, but it usually goes the other direction. Connecting different types of old devices gives you problems that are hard to figure out and take a ton of time before you even start.
There are also adapters that let you insert those old VHS-C tapes into an ordinary VCR. Consequently, your best bet for finding a VCR is to buy one from an online auction at eBay. Here, you can browse a large selection of used VCRs and pick one that, based on the photos and description, looks likely to work.
There should be a page on how copying tapes from a camcorder, copying from one VCR to another, or from a VCR to a DVD recorder. Press record on the VCR or DVD recorder then press play on the Camcorder. Some VCRs allow access to the AV inputs by changing the channel selection up or down until you reach AV, line, or video in. Copying your camcorder tapes to a more current format preserves your footage more reliably and allows you to edit it. Let’s discover how at-home MiniDV-to-digital transfer can be done and then compare it with a digitization service. But always consider the safety of your stuff if you want to contract the job to a conversion center. On this, you may wish to consider not trusting your family secret or recorded business insight to a stranger.
Vintage Film Rolls: 16 mm, 8 mm, and Super 8
So don’t waste any time looking for a way to connect the old VCR to a new all-digital TV. There was a time when you probably preserved family memories by saving them to videotape, but videotape is now completely obsolete. If you’re like a lot of people, you have a cabinet full of VHS tapes but haven’t had a VCR to play them on in 10 years or more. And while it’s possible to convert VHS to digital, don’t wait too long to actually do that. Eventually, the contents of your old tapes will be gone forever, because the video stored on VHS degrades by as much as 20% every years.
Sony EVO 250 Hi8 Tape Player
Read more about minidv camcorder tapes to digital here.
Camcorder
We recommend storing them with all your other data files and sync them with a cloud service like Dropbox or OneDrive. That way they’re safely preserved for future generations. If your PC is part of a home network that includes a smart TV or select media streamers, the PC can act as a media server.
Then, find some test tape to see if the camcorder works properly to save your important tapes from damage. If you don’t know what you are doing, please don’t start transferring on your own because you will probably damage or destroy the tape, which will lead to a permanent loss of footage. Instead, let the professionals do what they know best and save your memories in the best possible way. The obvious and most common way is the VHS-C adapter, the other is connecting the video camera. Using both methods, I will show how to transfer a VHS-C to digital. On the higher end is the Elgato Video Capture ($87.11).