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  1. Member
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    With the help of this forum, I have converted all my video tapes into AVI format using WinDV and Sony GD-200. I have been quite pleased with the results except for one Hi8 tape that is proving quite stubborn to transfer. About 56 mins into the tape the video turns snowy. If I fast play I can just about make out the video, but as soon as I hit play again it goes back to a snowy screen. The same happens when I try to playback on my TRV-120 and HandyCam cameras. Tapes recorded (on the same camera) before and after this tape have no playback problems. They were all stored in the same location. What I find really strange is that the first half of the tape plays well in every machine I have tried. I'm pretty sure the tape used to play all the way through, so I'm not sure what's going on now. I'd really like to have the whole tape converted but don't know what I can try next. Any help with this would be appreciated.
    Last edited by Obtong; 6th Jul 2020 at 13:08.
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  2. With VHS, I'd suggest playing with the tracking control. Does your Hi8 camcorder let you adjust tracking?
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    Originally Posted by johnmeyer View Post
    With VHS, I'd suggest playing with the tracking control. Does your Hi8 camcorder let you adjust tracking?
    Unfortunately, none of my cameras or the GD-200 has tracking control.
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  4. Originally Posted by Obtong View Post
    Originally Posted by johnmeyer View Post
    With VHS, I'd suggest playing with the tracking control. Does your Hi8 camcorder let you adjust tracking?
    Unfortunately, none of my cameras or the GD-200 has tracking control.
    Yeah, camcorder seldom have it.

    Was the problem tape recorded on this camera? If not, tracking is a very likely issue and you may have to use a Hi8 deck.
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    Originally Posted by Obtong View Post
    With the help of this forum, I have converted all my video tapes into AVI format using WinDV and Sony GD-200. I have been quite pleased with the results except for one Hi8 tape that is proving quite stubborn to transfer. About 56 mins into the tape the video turns snowy. If I fast play I can just about make out the video, but as soon as I hit play again it goes back to a snowy screen. The same happens when I try to playback on my TRV-120 and HandyCam cameras. Tapes recorded (on the same camera) before and after this tape have no playback problems. They were all stored in the same location. What I find really strange is that the first half of the tape plays well in every machine I have tried. I'm pretty sure the tape used to play all the way through, so I'm not sure what's going on now. I'd really like to have the whole tape converted but don't know what I can try next. Any help with this would be appreciated.
    play the tape in your camcorder and lightly hit the bottom of the camera and see if that fixes the
    snowy picture - https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/381597-All-the-tricks-transferring-Hi8-to-PC-throu...al8-camcorders see post #19
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    The situation you're describing is less indicative of a tracking issue than one of oxide particles flaking from a certain spot on the tape (at 56 minutes), clogging the playback heads on your device. Clean the heads; capture video up until around the bad spot; fast forward past the bad tape spot; clean heads again, if necessary; then resume capturing.

    Tapes go bad. This is not unusual.
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    Originally Posted by johnmeyer View Post
    Was the problem tape recorded on this camera? If not, tracking is a very likely issue and you may have to use a Hi8 deck.
    This tape was recorded on a different camera which gave up the ghost years ago.


    Originally Posted by october262 View Post
    play the tape in your camcorder and lightly hit the bottom of the camera and see if that fixes the
    snowy picture - https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/381597-All-the-tricks-transferring-Hi8-to-PC-throu...al8-camcorders see post #19
    Thanks for the link and the info about hitting the camera lightly. I'll try that next. If that fails I'll try flamboss80's suggestion:


    Originally Posted by filmboss80 View Post
    The situation you're describing is less indicative of a tracking issue than one of oxide particles flaking from a certain spot on the tape (at 56 minutes), clogging the playback heads on your device. Clean the heads; capture video up until around the bad spot; fast forward past the bad tape spot; clean heads again, if necessary; then resume capturing.
    Tapes go bad. This is not unusual.
    These past few weeks I have transferred over 150 hours of Hi8 and Digital 8 video. So far this is only two tapes that have given me trouble. The other snapped in the middle because a small spec of mould on the the top of the spool of tape caused some of the tape to stick to the spindle. When played and the tape got to the mold the tension was big enough for the tape to snap. (Some of the tape was also "eaten".) I was able to clean off the mould, splice the tape using some 1/4" reel to reel splicing tape. I lost about 10 seconds of video because of a section crumpled tape. I will try your suggestion to clean the heads and then try recapturing from the 56 minute mark.

    Only 7 more 8mm tapes to go, and then I will start on some VHS recordings which resurfaced this past week.
    Last edited by Obtong; 7th Jul 2020 at 15:12.
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