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Digital 8 to DVD transfer covers the third
and final generation of Sony's 8mm tape format. Unlike Video
8 and Hi8, however, Digital 8 bears little resemblance to its
predecessors other than its size. Digital 8 contains video
in a digital format, and thus is technically very different
from analog video tapes. Nevertheless, we can transfer Digital8
to DVD just like any other type of video tape.
Like 8mm and Hi8, a Digital 8 cassette is 3 3/4" wide,
2 7/16" deep, and 5/8" thick. It holds a length of
8mm-wide magnetic tape, wound between two spools within the plastic
cassette, as well as the same release latch. Before we transfer
video, we flip this cover open to verify the tape's condition.
Sony introduced Digital 8 in 1999 largely as a way to continue
its popular 8mm format. Digital 8 is essentially digital video
recorded onto Hi8 tape using the DV codec. To do this, the tape
is run at twice the Hi8 speed. Thus, a 120-minute Hi8 tape yields
60 minutes of Digital 8 video. Because it uses the DV codec,
Digital 8 tapes are far more similar to Mini DV and DV tapes
than 8mm, and Digital 8 conversion is very similar to that of
DV.
When you transfer Digital 8, viewing becomes
much easier, since
the format was never as prevalent in the consumer market and
players are becoming scarce. In the late 1990s, Sony began developing
the Digital 8 camcorder to replace Hi8, but both formats were
largely overtaken by Mini DV.
We can transfer Digital8 to DVD as well as 8mm and Hi8. For
more information about Digital 8, see our 8mm
Video to DVD and Hi8 to DVD pages
if you are interested in transferring these tapes to DVD.
Digital 8's main competitor was Mini DV. The two formats are
indistinguishable in terms of video quality and both hold the
same amount of video in SP mode. However, the larger physical
size of Digital8 soon relegated it to the entry-level camcorder
market while MiniDV has become the accepted standard for high-quality
raw video. |
