Tech Help Needed: How can I burn DVD's from Video8 format?

23 December 2008 | Self

[Lando Lincoln]

Mrs. Lando wants to burn DVD copies of Video8 tapes from when our boys were young. The camcorder is a Sony (don't recall the model) and it has a mini-USB port. I believe it has a digital output. We took the tapes to Wolf Camera and they want $31.95 per tape. And, we have a pile of 'em.

Any help or suggestions?

Thanks in advance and I wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

Lando

[going hot]

I have a sony with digital output. I record it onto my kodak program, then download it onto disc. Probably can record it on dvd , but may have to get the disc formatted (I wish I knew what that meant!!)

[edh]

You really should get the exact model number....that could help in locating software to transfer the video to your PC for burning.

If you cannot locate software to access the video digitially, you can take that $31.95/tape and spend it on a video capture peripheral for your PC. Basically, these gizmos plug into your USB or Firewire port. They provide analog inputs for your video and left/right audio channels. All you do is hook your camera up to the gizmo and run the software to record the video to your PC. These also typically convert to MPEG2 on the fly.

One you have saved all of the video to your PC, you can then burn the files to a DVD. Most of these capturing cards come with software that will help you do this. It’ll also add markers to the files so that you can do things like add chapters and the like.

I’d expect to pay about $100 for a good one. You can get cheaper ones, but I’ve seen the cheaper ones make lousy copies of the source material :-)! I am not an expert on doing this stuff....I bought one of these a few years back to do exactly what you are doing and the results were very good. My particular model was a Dazzle Hollywood DV bridge, but I wasted about $100 more on that particular model...just get yourself one that converts directly to MPEG2 in the device itself and you will be fine :-)!

[WayneS]

Well, you start with one of those “Strike Anywhere” matches...

[TomGuy]

Google has many possibilities for Video8-to-DVD:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=video8+to+dvd&aq=0&oq=video8+

[txroadkill]

CD Now or Nero are good software but you need a video card.

[kbennkc]

It might be easier just to have some more boys .

[Brainhose]

Hi I copied videos from a "Super 8" camcorder because the camcorder had a composite output cable and I plugged it into an external device on my PC that accepts composite input.
I realize that this will be a relatively small expenditure compared to the return.
There are usually companies available in your area that can do this for a charge.
I could do this for you as I've done it several times for family members, but it would be best to have it done by a local company that has insurance coverage.
There is a product available where I work that I will recommend, I hope I can ultimately help you as I've transferred many hours of Family video to DVD.

[Kirkwood]

Digital record from camera to your hard drive, then edit as desired using any of various programs (some free) and then burn onto a DVD.

[Dan12180]

I also have a Dazzle and it works ok but it is a very slow process. It records in real time so 8 hours of tape takes 8 hours to record. I am looking for other options. Suggestions are welcome.

[MississippiMan]

Step 1: Get the video onto the computer. If it’s an old analog Video8, you’ll need an analog-to-digital video capture device. If it’s Digital8, you can probably transfer straight from the camcorder to the computer.

Step 2: Get from the initial digital video format, probably AVI or similar, onto DVD. I assume you want a DVD that you pop into your DVD player and play on the TV? This will require a transcoding software package. A DVD is actually pretty complex, nothing near as simple as burning audio CDs, etc. The good news is that there are plenty of packages out there now that make it pretty easy.

Throughout the process, pay attention to the settings, because it makes a huge difference in what you will eventually see on your TV screen when you play the final DVD. You don’t want to end up with a DVD that you look at it and say, “Wow, why does it look so much WORSE than the original?”

What model is your camcorder?

MM

[Kirkwood]

This will get you started.
http://windv.mourek.cz/

[Lando Lincoln]

What model is your camcorder?

I'll have to check when I get home later today. Sure appreciate the guidance.

[libh8er]

Your camera model number would help but since it has a USB out, I am assuming it can output in digital format. That’s the good news. It will be a time consuming process but you can download your video to .avi format to your hard drive.
.avi files are huge so you will need plenty of disk space. Also, AVI files cannot be burned to DVD directly. You will need specialized DVD creating software to convert AVI to mpeg-2 fist(another very time consuming process if your computer is slow). I use the fully professional Adobe Premiere Pro cs3 for my video editing, but you should be able to find the consumer version (Adobe Premiere elements 3.0 used for less than 40 bucks on Amazon) I have never used Premiere Elements myself but knowing that it’s geared toward the average consumer, going from avi to DVD should be just a few mouse clicks.

[Lando Lincoln]

Thanks Brainhose. Gonna give it a shot later today if the weather doesn’t interfere too much!

[bmwcyle]

Take your pick

[Lando Lincoln]

Thanks!! Looks like a good link. As mentioned to others, I will try to work with this later today. I’m afraid some things like the weather might have other plans.

[Lando Lincoln]

Hey, my friend.... thanks!

[Lando Lincoln]

I picked up a Roxio suite which says will do the conversion for me. Thanks.