What card do I need to digitize Hi8 recordings?

[acemaster]

I have a new Sandy bridge CPU and computer I put together and am using the integrated graphics of my CPU. I would like to digitize some old hi8 recordings I have and burn them to DVD or Blue ray. What card do I have to get from my PC to be able to connect the composite or S-VHS outs on the hi8 camera and digitize these old recordings?

Thak you!

 

[Termie]

I used an external converter box and software package made by a company called honestech: http://www.amazon.com/VHS-to-DVD-5-0...4263170&sr=8-1. Not sure if this is the most full-featured software out there, but it has everything you need in the box and it worked for me to convert about 10 VHS tapes to DVD. Would also convert to bluray, if that's what you're looking for.

 

[stahlhart]

If you can get working drivers and have an open slot, an old PCI ATI All-In-Wonder card might also work, but it will probably require a lot of software hacking. I was doing transfers from VHS to DVD this way a few years back.

 

[3DVagabond]

Something like this seems to fit the bill. Not high tech, and likely not extreme quality, but should accomplish what you are after. Cheap enough, that's for sure.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16815153009

 

[Modelworks]

If it were digital 8 you could use firewire. Since it is hi-8 that is 560x480 analog video. I recommend capturing it to a raw format and not using a capture device that outputs a compressed mpeg or avi. Once compressed video is much harder to edit. Uncompressed video takes a lot of storage space but can be edited by just about any software and then compressed .

USB capture devices almost always compress video so I stay with pci.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127988

 

[fuzzymath10]

Another option (the best in my opinion) is to find a digital8 camcorder that has backwards compatibility (e.g. can play analog 8mm tapes, and pass it on as digital). This will be hard to find and/or expensive, but will probably give you the best quality, and you'd only need a firewire port for it to work.

I used this method for even older video8 tapes, and it worked really well.

 

[Binky]

With professional conversion services running at around $10 per tape, you might want to consider that as an option.