Digitizing Hi-8: Bootleg Style

Posted by Brittanie · March 27th, 2008

No one wants to pay a lot to digitize their Hi-8 tapes from the 90’s, but we also don’t want our tapes to lose quality from degradation, which will happen naturally overtime. The only way to preserve those memories is to transfer them to your hard drive. And for those of us on a home project budget, here is your remedy for keeping your wallet in your pocket.

To do this you need the following:

Hi-8 Camcorder, mini-DV Camcorder with AV input, TV (4:3) with RCA in and out, 2 RCA cables, 4-to-6 pin Firewire cable, and a computer with a video editing program

First, we need to get a tape deck that can playback Hi-8 tapes, like your original camcorder that you shot on in the 90’s. Borrow a friend’s, scour the basement for the one you shelved long ago, or buy one and return it. Then connect the mini-jack of the RCA-to-mini cable to the camera (1). Run the RCA into the TV (2). Run the other RCA-to-mini cable from the TV (3) into the mini-DV camcorder (4). From the mini-DV camcorder we use a 4 to 6 pin Firewire cable to import our media into the computer. So here’s what our setup should look like:

1. Connect RCA-to-mini cable to Hi-8 camcorder.
2. Connect RCA-to-mini cable going into TV.
3. Connect RCA-to-mini cable going out of TV.
4. Connect RCA-to-mini cable to mini-dv camcorder.
5. Connect 4 pin Firewire cable to mini-dv.
6. Connect 6 pin Firewire to computer.

Last, you need to setup your TV as “input” and then go into your mini-DV camera functions and under the VCR Setup turn “AV > DV” from OFF to ON.

Finally, in your editing program you need to change your capture device to “Non-controllable device.” Here is a screenshot from Final Cut Pro.

If you are using iMovie it will automatically connect the device for you.

You’re losing some quality but not enough to notice a difference on your TV monitor. If you had an S-video cable available to you, then that would maintain more quality than my bootleg system, but that’s why we call it “Digitizing Hi-8: Bootleg Style.” However, we are working with Hi-8 footage, and it was never meant to produce a high quality image.

There are so many ways to do this depending on what your camera looks like and what equipment is available to you. My Hi-8 camcorder does not have RCA inputs on the body of the camera, but if it did, then this setup would have been a better option:

From Analog Camera to Digital Computer

Sphere: Related Content