Using sony hi8 as video capture device

[Jim Jackson]

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have a Emerson VHS player connected with RCA cables to my Sony high 8 camcorder. Then a fire wire to my dell studio and Windows Movie Maker.. My camera is recognized in movie Maker but when I start the playback it tells me that I must have a tape in the camcorder. So, that is against all other instructions I've found for DCR-TRV 330 Sony digital 8 concerning pass through video capture. So what have I done wrong and will it work at all?

[aedipuss]

high 8 is analog so there is no analog to digital passthrough at all.

[Jim Jackson]

Hi 8 has a I-link port and I have transferred video before from 8mm tape.

[aedipuss]

not digitally. high 8 is strictly analog. you still need an analog to digital converter to capture the video.

[aedipuss]

are you sure it's not a d8 cam?

[Jim Jackson]

this is it a Sony High8 DCR-TRV 330

[aedipuss]

wrong. read the f'ing label on the cam. DIGITAL8 not HIGH8.

[Jim Jackson]

thanks for the help, I'm not in a f'ing contest with you. just trying to figure this out

[transporterfan]

He's a big meanie.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091114160927AAB5pxh

[aedipuss]

He's a big meanie.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091114160927AAB5pxh

sigh-yes i am, and i'm also tired of people who can't read, answer a simple question and/or type a question into google without help.

[TreeTops]

And I wish the OP would correct his subject to 'Digital8' so future users that search for Hi8 would not stumble onto this.

[Cornucopia]

Do you know that this cam supports analog passthru? Some DV/D8 models do some don't. If it specifically says so in the manual, then just stick a tape in!

Scott

[turk690]

This is probably a capture program issue, not camcorder. Some capture programs are only designed to capture DV from DV-recorded tape so transport controls are sent to camcorder to see if there is tape & what status it is in. So a tape has to be there (and only capture from it, not pass-thru). Other capture programs (like that in Premiere) offer a choice of stream-only capture (no transport controls) as well so presence of tape or not is irrelevant (setting camcorder to AV to DV-out makes camcorder the DA converter and sends DV stream over FireWire). I last used moviemaker in the jurassic era so am not aware if it has choices for tape or stream-only capture (setting it to the latter will solve the tape problem).

[aedipuss]

More likely he forgot to set the cam to av-dv out from the default in, which requires a tape to record to.

[Richard_G]

Have a look at this https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/353785-How-to-activate-DV-IN-Video-IN-on-my-SONY-DCR-TRV325E thread, second post gives a link to the manual for your TRV330 with pointers on where to find instructions on how to do exactly what you are trying to do.