Caturing Hi8 tapes

[Caltech]

Hi,I am asking if you can help me to solve a problem that appears in the videos I am digitizing from Hi8 cassettes.
I used a S&W TPG20 to have a test monoscope - the standard is PAL europe - 720x576/50i/4:3 - the Y/C signal was acquired by a Kona on AVI then converted to mp4 . The video A comes directly from the generator .The same test signal was also recorded on Hi8 cassette with an EV-S9000 /PAL and then reproduced and acquired by Kona with the same parameters : this is video B. In B the moving circle has a halo or a tail : what can be the cause of it ? many thanks for the support

[DB83]

Do you have any other means of viewing what is on the Hi8 tape e.g. direct from camera to tv. ?

Also was the mp4 on video B a direct transfer or another conversion since if you followed the same path you should have had an intermediate avi.


I guess you do not have the avi from video A.

[Caltech]

Hi DB83 ,
also direct display of Hi8 on monitor , even with another recorder , it shows the " tail " defect .
I think it depends on a faulty calibration of EV-S9000, but I don't know at what stage, I don't have much experience on this ....
I have the uncompressed AVi files of the 2 videos : I compressed them just for space reasons on the site ( they are about 40 Mb each ).
Thanks and regards

[DB83]

I think we should see both the uncompressed avi's. 40 mb files can be uploaded as attachments direct to this topic.

But if you see the effect on other equipment it is already 'burnt in' on to the tape or, as you say, a faulty camcorder. But no harm in making sure.

[Caltech]

Hi DB83 ,

I put the two AVIs for comparison.
Perhaps the defect could be due to a misalignment of the rotating heads ..? One would need to have a Hi8 test cassette recorded with a professional recorder to understand where the problem lies but it is very difficult to find one in PAL format.
Best regards

[DB83]

Thank you for the avi's. Waht initially went through my mind was de-interlacing artifacts or direct to capture as de-interlaced. The avi's atleast confirm that not to be so.

The other thing that went through my head was that Hi8 recorded at 25 fps produced timing differences when filming the initial output since the B avi is slightly larger than A.


I am not sure what you mean by 'professional recorder'. I do own a Sony hi8 camcorder but it's just another 'basic' model.

[Caltech]

Hi DB83,
years ago I had a chance to see a Hi8 test cassette produced with an EVO-9800PAL with a test monoscope similar to the one I used : unfortunately the lab closed years ago and the equipment all sold.
There are some Hi8 tests on Ebay but in NTSC.
Would anyone know where to find one at a reasonable price?
hi

[dellsam34]

To do a full service you would need a service manual, an oscilloscope and test tapes to be able to do all the calibration and adjustment tasks, But keep in mind such test tapes are decades old and no longer reliable, Unless you find them still in the shrink wrap I wouldn't buy any used ones, but that's almost impossible due to their rarity. The service manual has a list of equipment needed:

[DB83]

Given all of the above, might be better to outsource another camcorder. However........

I trust that you have checked the camcorder with a standard recording.

[oln]

Smearing like this could be caused by failing capacitors as well, not just bad/drifted calibration. If it's a calibration issue it's likely one of the luma/deemphasis adjustments, not anything to do with the video heads, that would cause black/white streaks on transitions or noise. I suspect it's more likely faulty capacitors in one of the video processing circuits though so would check that before messing with any of the adjustments.

[dellsam34]

Yes, calibration can never compensate for bad capacitors, but connecting a scope and following the maintenance procedure will point out the bad sections in the PCB, therefore a hunt for the faulty components is a must.

[Caltech]

Hey guys
thanks for the suggestions - unfortunately at the present there are very few Technicians ( at least in my Country ! ) able to check/calibrate/repair complex equipment like the one I have.. so I will have to try to repair it ! - the biggest problem as I said is to find the calibration tapes as well described by dellsam34 ; with a test cassette the measurements in the circuit and recapping would give sure results - if there is someone who knows a lab able to produce this kind of test-tapes can tell me - thanks again

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

[dellsam34]

No, there are no labs producing such tapes, Try to find a Hi8 or D8 camcorder that is capable of playing back analog tapes, Such camcorders being used only in few occasions are in a much better shape than the home decks that are heavily used and some have all the bells and whistles a home deck has such as TBC, DNR ....etc.

[Caltech]

thanks dellsam34,
I will try to find one around the world - best regards