MiniDV and Hi8 Stand alone players

[j_bbrown]

I am done with using my miniDV and Hi8 camcorders for play back, is there any stand alone miniDV and Hi8 players with IEEE 1394?

I really hate to use the camcorder controls to transfers and playback.

Josh B

[sammie]

Been a major complaint and quest of mine for years. The only ones I know of except for some very high end pro models are the Sony Videowalkmen. The cost beween $900 and $1100 depending on Dig 8 (which I presume you mean) vs. miniDV and with or without a small lcd screen. The Dig 8 model will play Hi8 tapes and does do a good digital conversion and IEE 1394 output. There used to be a few $400 straight Hi8 models, but no digital out.

All of this is completely bizzare to me since you can go into any electroincs discounter and buy a cheap dig8 or mini-DV camcorder for $299 which will do what you want. So how does leaving of the camera part triple the price? As popular as home movies are, where the hell are the set top boxes? Plus, mini-DV is exactly the same as one of the tape backup formats. Where is the ATA device that plugs right into your 5 1/4 drive bay? I really don't get why there isn't what you want, but let me know if you find it.

[sammie]

.........as a PS, I've never found a single one that offers Dig-8 or mini-DV with a tuner.

[maek]

Given the advent of home DVD production today, it would be nice to have something that would fit into a computer case. It would be extremely cool, too, if a built-in mini DV tape drive could achieve read speeds many times faster than a regular camera. I think that you could make such a thing marketable.

[sammie]

Exactly Maek, a nice tape drive that would double as a back-up device. Bundle it with a cheapo MPG-II encoder and DVD authoring program (not for anyone here but for the great unwashed.... :P ) They'd sell the crap out those things. The amazing thing to me is that if they made it with an internal firewire connector they could make it essentially 100% from off the shelf parts!!!!!!!!!!!!! I simply don't get it.

[maek]

And it would certainly open the door to economical cameras without firewire output as well. It may even be possible to place an on-board processor specifically for video processing (with Hi-8/8mm tapes, of course) with the tape drive to eliminate the need for software decoding.

Of course, maybe that's just CRAZY talk.

[sammie]

Bingo! Well, at least I feel like a little bit less of a mental leper.

To be honest, the vid chip would probably only happen in a set top box, but if they made the set top box with a firewire port, that would be fine. Set top box in the $200 range same as a higher end DVD player and an internal ATA device in the $125 range, both should be very doable pricewise if a vid camera can be sold for $299.

I mean seriously, I've literally toyed with the idea of kit bashing a cheap mini-dv cam with a firewire box just to make something like that. I've looked into to it enough to know it's doable, the only thing holding me back is the fact that $300+ is a lot to spend to potentially go.....OOOPs, didnt' mean to cut this or solder that!!!!

Maybe someone should e-mail Apple........ Call the thing theApple video pod. and add a MPEG4 chip and 40 gig mini harddrive. Only problem then is it would cost $400...........of course since the Sony Videowalkmen cost $1000, I guess something that did all that for $400 would probably still be a bargain.

[Ensign]

I have a stand alone regular 8mm VCR from sony that I got at their Factory store in 1994. And that was 3 years after they stoped makeing them!

I used it as both a second VCR (it has a turner) and for editing (it also has SONY control L), but, I found that tapes made on my Canon did not play very well because the video drum on the camcorder was smaller then the "full size" head on the VCD.

I don't know if the video heads on a stand alone DV or Hi8 VCR would be difference then on the camcorder's

As for why stand alone DV or Hi8 VCR sold in the USA are labeled as professional and prices as such, but the same units are sold in Japan as "regular" players

My theory is that the film/TV studios are afraid that such a unit would make copying easier. Just look how much the studios put pressure on the VCR makers in trying to stop a 2 deck VCR from being sold in the USA

And Why would this be since most "professional" crooks would not think twice about spending the money since they can make it up really quickly.

I think it because they are really scared that "middle America" would discover how easy copying is. And that the studios would really start to loose money.

We Americans want our technology easy and cheep. And you can't get more easier then just pluging your camcorder into your TV.

What else can explain that the U.S. was one of the last places to get rid of full size VHS camcorder. And the sticking around of VHS-C

And there is the invention of firewire/USB. I mean only one cable, how much easier can you get :P

Wireless???????????

[ultrazero]

Sony made a minidv tape drive for pc/mac a few years ago.

The Sony DRV-100. It seems to me like a great idea but evidently it didn't take off because its now discontinued. And no other company has brought one to market. I think the implementation of the DRV-100 was a little funky. I believe it needed an extra video card to work or something. Do a Google search for DRV-100.
Now the internal firewire connector...There's a million dollar idea. I feel like it can easily be done.

No idea why decks are so expensive.

[wwaag]

I use a Sony GV-D200 which I paid about $500 for a couple of years ago. Its a Dig8 system with firewire but no LCD screen. Must admit it is probably the best piece of video equipment I've bought. Had a pretty large collection of 8/Hi8 videos that I've now archived after doing basic cuts editing on my computer. Also use it for storage of video from my newer DV camcorder as well as edited videos. It's also nice to have a desktop unit that you can leave attached unlike use of a camcorder. Would recommend highly.

wwaag