Sony Digital 8 Camcorder - Can I use Hi8 blanks to record on ?

[KaptinK]

I can't easily get hold of Sony Digital 8 blank cassettes that I have always used to record on (with great results).

Can I use Hi8 blanks instead (they seem easier to get) ? And are they of the same quality ?

Many thanks

[JohnnyMalaria]

According to http://www.tapestockonline.com/hi8hi8tapes.html

A Digital8 Digital Handycam camcorder can record "digitally" using either a Hi8 tapeor standard 8mm tape. Hi8 tape is recommended to achieve optimal performance. If a standard 8mm tape is used, the same camcorder should be used for recording and playback.

Hi8 tapes used for Digital8 will yield 50% of the Hi8 recording time. In other words, a 120 minute Hi8 will give you 60 minutes of Digital8 recording capacity.

[KaptinK]

So the 'Digital 8' branding on Sony's blank tapes (and TDK) was just to attract the Digital 8 camcorder owners ? ie marketing

Is that right ?

[JohnnyMalaria]

Perhaps - but also to avoid the confusion of the running time. i.e., a 60 minute Hi8 tape is equivalent to 30 mins Digital 8.

[solarfox]

From someone who has actually done it -- yes, you can use Hi8 blanks to record in a Digital8 camcorder, and they'll work just fine. I've used several brands of Hi8 blanks in mine -- Sony, TDK, Fuji -- with no problems.

I've even successfully used "standard-8" blanks for Digital8 recording in a pinch, although I wouldn't recommend it for irreplaceable footage since I'm not sure how the different magnetic properties of 8mm and Hi8 stock would affect the long-term stability of the recording.

[KaptinK]

Thanks to everyone for the help - so I wonder then if Sony's Digital 8 tapes were 'just that bit better quality' (as in oxide coating), and therefore I really need to go for a top end Hi8 tape ?

[solarfox]

Well, if the recordings are important to you, I would go for a top-end tape regardless of what the theoretical differences between Sony Hi8 and Digital8 tapes might be. (Honestly, I have never understood why people are willing to entrust their data to craptacular cheap media -- if the stuff you're recording is worth so little to you that you aren't willing to spend a few extra cents, or even a dollar or two, on high-quality recording media to preserve it, then why are you bothering to save it in the first place?)

[edDV]

Hi8 tapes have been around since the 80's. They were offered in MP (metal particle) and ME (metal evaporative) formulations. No Oxide.

ME got better frequency response but suffered greater dropouts. It fell from favor.
Over time both Hi8 and 8mm tapes improved in quality.

Zoom 10years to Digital8 intro. Digital8 was based on 1998 and later Hi8 formulation. Older Hi8 and modern 8mm tape will work but with a "weaker" signal to noise. Since Digital8 is digital DV format, recorded signal to noise must be adequate for playback. Additional signal strength above "adequate" does not affect picture quality. When the signal strength drops below "adequate" the picture goes into breakup. This can happen with dirty heads or misalighned tape transports even with the most robust Digital8/Hi8 tape formulations.

Older Hi8 and modern regular 8 will have lower signal to noise, thus will be more susceptable to dirty heads or tape path misalignment. This isn't a huge issue with playback. You just clean the heads more often. The problem is with recording. You don't know the heads were dirty until you get home and see pixels.

So, tapes labled Digital8/Hi8 should be good but can be up to 9 years old. Tapes labled Hi8 may be older than 9 years (some 19+ years). You need to find out how old they are.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hi8


PS: Before DVD, the airlines used Hi8 for inflight movies. They ran these tapes to the limits and then bulk sold erased tapes on ebay. Lots of questionable stuff is sold on ebay. New tapes sell for under $3 at Costco/Sam's Club.

[Richard_G]

Sony HMP Hi8 tapes are identical in every respect to Sony Digital8 tapes.

[KaptinK]

These replies are really throwing up some interesting and useful information. I agree about spending that little bit extra - and I would never even play a used tape whose origin I was unsure of !! (Let alone entrust a recording to it).
I have just purchased a 5 pack of Fuji Digital8 tapes as I had remained unsure about Hi8 properties.
I will try the Sony HMP Hi8 tape next time round !

[edDV]

These replies are really throwing up some interesting and useful information. I agree about spending that little bit extra - and I would never even play a used tape whose origin I was unsure of !! (Let alone entrust a recording to it).
I have just purchased a 5 pack of Fuji Digital8 tapes as I had remained unsure about Hi8 properties.
I will try the Sony HMP Hi8 tape next time round !

Any new Hi8 tape should work fine. I've even had no problems with new MP regular 8 but wouldn't use them for anything important or irreplacable.

An interesting extension to this story concerns MiniDV tape. Sony used metal evaporative ME formulation for MiniDV and DVCAM tape. They felt they had solved the dropout issues with ME tape with a sophisticated electronic dropout compensation scheme.

Many broadcasters didn't trust ME tape so this left an opening for Panasonic to come in with DVCPro which was normal DV format on MP tape in MiniDV cases. For that and other reasons DVCPro now has the majority of the broadcast DV market and Sony is still licking its wounds.

By extension of this arguement, DV format on Digital8 MP tape is probably more robust than DV format on MiniDV ME tape.