Can I capture Hi 8 analog tapes directly to iMac?

[tadd5181]

I have Hi 8 tapes. I have the use of an older Sony camcorder (model TR 940) which has an S video outlet and RCA ports. I have found that I can buy an S Video/RCA cable w/ a USB end, and hope to find one w/ a firewire "800" end. However, someone told me that I had to convert the analog tape, and could not go directly from the Sony camcorder to the iMac without first going through a conversion of the analog tapes. Yet, I seem to read somewhere on VideoHelp.Co forum that you can go directly. I am confused.

[redwudz]

If the only outputs you have from the camcorder are S-video and composite, you would need a video capture card. There are cards that are external and have a USB output interface. If the camcorder does have a FireWire output, then you would need a FireWire card on the computer.

And welcome to our forums.

[guns1inger]

Some Digital8 cameras could play back Hi8 and convert them to digital on the fly to output via firewire. Your camera is just a Hi8 camera and only has analogue output. You could buy a cheap and nasty USB converter that will take your camera inputs, or look at something like an ADVC device that converts analogue to DV (similarly to what a Digital8 camera would do) and capture via firewire.

Factors to include in your decision include how many tapes you have, how much you want to spend, and what, if any, editing you want to do to the video.