Hi8 player to DVD recorder - S Video cable, RCA or Fire Wire?

[Dixie Paul]

Hello, I'm going to convert about 50 Hi8 tapes to DVD via a DVD recorder (Samsung, Toshiba or maybe Sony). I do not have time to upload every tape to my computer, edit, and then burn to DVD. I have a Sony GV-D800 Digital 8/Hi8 player. For the best quality, should I hook it up to a DVD recorder with the S Video, RCA, or the Firewire cable?

Thank you!

Paul

[MOVIEGEEK]

Quality is in this order:
1.Firewire
2.S-Video
3.Composite(RCA)
I doubt there are any Firewire DVD recorders available, DVD recorders are getting hard to find in US retail stores but they are still available online.

[JohnnyMalaria]

Firewire isn't necessarily the best option in this case. The Hi8 source is 4:2:2 and conversion to NTSC DV results in 4:1:1. Subsequent conversion to MPEG2 results in 4:2:0. Overall, you end up with the equivalent of 4:1:0. Also, two different compression stages are needed. The S-video option is a better option since you will go from 4:2:2 to 4:2:0 in one compression step.

[runnernorth]

Hi, just a couple of questions to you "johnny malaria", how do I go from s-video to dvd with a better quality than from 1394 to dvd? I`m newbie in this, , but can I simply plug my HI8 handycam s-video port to my s-video on my pc, and capture it using what kind of software,moviemaker or proff software? Is it possible to store it in H264 without any loss, and what software does it possible?
kindly
Runnernorth

[Dixie Paul]

So, sounds like with my Sony GV-D800 Digital 8/Hi8 player, S-Video is the best for me using a DVD recorder like this: http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Sony%20RDR-GX360:1995540561;_ylt=AkT72SeDDLJmEBhlaATZTA0AwIwC


Thanks!

[MOVIEGEEK]

That Sony gets bad reviews as a player:
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-RDR-GX360-1080p-Tunerless-Recorder/dp/B0016GAKDY/ref=sr_1_1...2636385&sr=8-1

Look at the Toshiba recorders, especially this one:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001TOD3KK/ref=s9_simi_gw_s0_p23_t3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX...pf_rd_i=507846
It has a digital tuner and a DV port.

[zoobie]

needless to say, keep your tapes
oops...

[JohnnyMalaria]

Hi, just a couple of questions to you "johnny malaria", how do I go from s-video to dvd with a better quality than from 1394 to dvd? I`m newbie in this, , but can I simply plug my HI8 handycam s-video port to my s-video on my pc, and capture it using what kind of software,moviemaker or proff software? Is it possible to store it in H264 without any loss, and what software does it possible?
kindly
Runnernorth

Since you are in Denmark then you will be converting PAL tapes (I assume). The 4:1:1 issue I mention above doesn't apply and so conversion to DVD via DV (FireWire) isn't as much of a concern. If you simply want to put the tapes on DVD then use an external DVD recorder. If you want to edit the video and/or store in a non-DVD format then you'll need to capture to your PC. DV via FireWire will be acceptable for PAL. For most day-to-day needs, it is sufficient for NTSC, too, but is an important consideration for more critical stuff.

[runnernorth]

Thank you! sorry i'm a bit slow, but if I capture to pc, via s-video, the quality Will be the same as /better than if I use FireWire, if I understood you right?? Yes, I use PAL.

[JohnnyMalaria]

No - what I mean is that for PAL the way the DV encodes the color info is the same as the way MPEG2 does it. For NTSC it is different and can lead to a loss of color detail. However, if you use an external DVD recorder then it cuts out the DV part of the process.

To get Hi8 onto DVD you have these two main options:

External DVD recorder: Hi8 -> MPEG2 (DVD)
FireWire to PC: Hi8 -> DV -> MPEG2 (DVD)

Personally, for simple copying of tape to DVD without editing etc, I just use my external recorder. For editing and/or conversion to other formats then the PC route is necessary.

As with all these things, just try it for yourself to see if you are happy with the results. A key thing to bear in mind is that if you watch your original tapes on a standard TV then you need to watch your DVDs on the same TV (not your PC monitor) to make a fair comparison.

[runnernorth]

Allright, now I get it. Thank you for your time, hints AND Patience.. )