I am looking at a Sony Hi-8 camcorder TRV608 with a USB connection. The literature says it is for using as a web-cam and viewing tapes on the computer. I have several Hi-8 tapes of family, etc. from my old camcorder that I want to burn onto CD or DVD to preserve them. Can this Sony camcorder with the USB connection accomplish this with my CD/RW capable computer? Can I simply put the tapes into the camcorder and copy them over? What else will I need?

-- Darren Anglen (dlje4junk@earthlink.net), January 03, 2003

Answers

U will need a lot of other things but first get a digital camcorder, like a Digital8 or DV. What u r looking at is analogue Hi8 and no matter what anyone says, if it's having to do at all anything digitally/computerwise with your video, then a digital camcorder is a must. If u have that then we'll take it from there. Worthy choices if Digital8 are Sony DCRTRV-140, 240, 340. Except for the 140 the other two will still play your older Hi8 tapes, and output them as a DV- stream from the FireWire connector at the same time.

-- Mehmet Tekdemir (turk690@yahoo.com), January 04, 2003.

TRV608 can do it! capture the video using Windows Movie Maker!

-- Marty (mbsordilla@hotmail.com), July 22, 2003.

Yeah I have the 608 myself, mainly because it does everything as well as a digital but at the analog price. I bought a DVD burner and I make movies and transfer with the USB just fine. As far as making VCD or SVCD not sure you might need movie maker or some sort of encoder program. Just be careful DivX is great but not many DVD players play that encoded format. You just have to make sure your DVD player supports the VCD format and whatever encoding you use.

-- Leland Ford (displaytech67@yahoo.com), October 06, 2004.