Hi8 capture without camcorder?

[Leanoric]

I’ve got a couple of Hi8 tapes that I want to capture but unfortunately no camcorder, only a miniDV one. I thought that I could remember some sort of tape adapter thing that you could insert the Hi8 tape into and then play on a vcr but that apparently isn’t a thing.

Is there any way to capture these things at home without a camcorder?

[CaptureCraft]

You can find a deck, but it will be more expensive and the quality would be mediocre. And you would need TBC.
Buy a camcorder. There are a lot of them for sale in UK.

[Leanoric]

Yeah Ive had a look on ebay. They go for a lot more money than I thought they would. I was hoping they would be really cheap but there seems to be a lot of buyers for them.

[CaptureCraft]

Well, these camcorders ain't getting any younger.
They were cheap when they just got out of fashion. Now everybody is trying to use them to digitize their tapes.
Have you checked European eBay markets, like German? Or maybe local markets?

[Leanoric]

I havent checked Euro ebay or any local markets, it’s probably easier just to get one from uk ebay tbh.

[CaptureCraft]

OK. I would recommend Sony (with TBC!), but not digital. The Sony video processors have an odd quirk. They add vertical colourful line on the right side of the frame. The color of the line depends on the color of video on that spot. For example, brown becomes green, blue could be colorless.
However, latest digital models have this line much wider then earlier, not the digital ones.

[Leanoric]

Ok thanks, I’ll keep an eye out for a Sony.

[Alwyn]

2 tapes? Send them to Video99.

[Leanoric]

Yep, only two tapes. If I cant get a camcorder for a reasonable price I’ll send them off.

[dellsam34]

Look for camcorders with broken display or camera side, They are usually cheaper, but you have to confirm the tape playback from the video output works if the seller can do that.

There are some members here that are from Europe, they could do them for you at a lower cost.