8mm video questions

[Matt Agnello]

I'm trying to track down a way to play back 8mm video for capture and eventually for burning to DVD, but I know so little about the format. I was wondering if someone could answer a couple questions for me.
Will a digital8 player/recorder also play video8 and hi8 analog tapes?
I've read that digital8 recorded onto hi8 tapes, except that it used the DV format instead of the analog format. Did these digital8 recorders use old hi8 analog tapes, or could they only use specific digital8 tapes or hi8 designated for digital use?
What's the difference between video8, hi8, and (if it exists) the digital8 tapes?I'm hoping to just get an old camcorder that will play the tapes, because decks seem far too expensive for me right now. Anything else you think I should know before embarking on this wonderful journey into the past, please feel free to say. Knowledge++.

Edit: Wikipedia's 8mm video page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8_mm_video_format) is very helpful, but I'm still lost on the specifics, i.e. should I buy a digital8 player for the greatest flexibility with these tapes, and what disadvantages (if any) would I have to deal with?

[Jeff Anderson]

a d8 camcorder with firewire will do exactly what you need. as far as I can remember the d8 tapes were the same as hi8, just a "digital" grade. Kinda like "HDV" tapes just being a high grade dv tape.

[ben-s]

a d8 camcorder with firewire will do exactly what you need. as far as I can remember the d8 tapes were the same as hi8, just a "digital" grade. Kinda like "HDV" tapes just being a high grade dv tape.


SOME d8 cameras will play back 8/hi8, but it is by no means a standard function.
d8 is a digital format, 8/hi8 were analog.
The only meeting point is the physical tape format.
The differences between 8, Hi8 and D8 are in tape quality. They all use the same shell, but Hi8 and D8 are higher quality.
IIRC, a D8 tape is exactly the same as a Hi8, just with different branding.

I would suggest you get a deck or an old hi8 camera and a capture card.

[flinty]

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=digital+8+camcorders+that+will+play+8mm+video+ta pes&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

some of these might help.