Hi , can anyone tell me if it is possible to transfer video from HI 8 to computer and then to dvd. if so, what do I need, appart from dvd writer.
As you can i guess , I am completely new to this side of a computer.
Cheers
Del

Hi there - could you please say what a HI 8 is please? is it a Digital Camcorder?

If so then yes you can.

Assuming you are using XP and have the latest updates, Movie Maker 2 will capture your video automatically and then you can edit what you need to and add effects/text/credits etc and then you can burn it to DVD and have all the menus etc (i use Nero Vision Express 2)

chris

No, not a digital camcorder. it's a 6 year old c'corder that uses cassettes.
Mainly I am wanting to transfer tapes to disc and I thought that there may be something similar to systems of copying vinyl music to disc.

the only way i would know how to do it then would be to plug the camcorder leads into the

composite in on a TV Capture card and the Audio inputs on PC sound card

and capture the video from it that way and then put the captured video into movie maker, edit it, save it in the DV-AVI format then burn to DVD...

Don't know if 'puter has tv capture card. is this something that is standard on modern(6 month old)'puters.

the computer was not a package deal from high street, but was built to order.

Sounds a bit more complicated than I hoped for, was kinda hoping for a package that would handle it all !
anyway, thanks for help, I'll give it a try when I sort out what I've got and what I need,
cheers
Del

Yes, you can. You're going to need some hardware to plug the camcorder into and some software to capture it.

You'll need either a computer TV card with a video-in facility or a video card with VIVO (video in, video out).

Then you'll need a lead from the Hi-8 camcorder from video out to video in to the computer and also an audio lead from sound out of camcorder to sound in on your sound card/onboard sound.

I use Pinnacle Studio 9 software to capture video/audio from a VHS recorder and also from an old Sony Hi-8 camcorder. You can also edit your captured footage with this program. Pinnnacle has the ability to record direct to DVD but I usually use Nero V6.0 for that.

It can be a little daunting at first, but I've made many DVD's from captured VCR & camcorder footage.

There is free software avaialable on the net, do a Google for doom9, a site dedicated to video/DVD. but it's quite complicated to use.

At the other end of the scale, there's Adobe Premiere software, but that's expensive.

If you're serious about undertaking this task, post again and ask away, I'm not that knowledgable on the subject, but I have managed to do it.

Many thanks , Floppy.
probabaly be back on asking more ?'s as and when time allows me to play about
cheers
Del

a decent capture card should only cost you about £35 - i have the "Leadtek Winfast TV200XP Deluxe with remote control" - you get the capture card and also PVR software so that means you can capture your video from the camera with no extra software needed. You can also choose which format you record in.

Then i find Movie maker 2 to be perfectly adequate if not a very good piece of software. It is intuitive and user friendly and generally does the job very well.

You can pick up Nero for not much (not sure if it includes vision express though) and that again is very easy to use and is one of if not the fastest encoder on the planet i think.

Generally most PC's dont come with TV CApture cards because not many people would have the use for one. Unless you stated in your custom build requirements that you wanted one then the chances are slim but saying that, you never know!! you can just have a look at the back of your computer and if you see one of those circular RF TV aerial ports like on the back of a tv in a PCI bay then you actually do have one!

chris

Not neccesarily. A VIVO graphics card may have a socket that looks like S-Video, but is in fact a VIVO port. For that, you'll need a converter lead. (9 or ten pin plug to flying phono socket or similar).

However, if there's an RF co-ax socket present I would agree it indicates the presence of a TV card and in which case there should be a phono socket (video in) nearby.

in my card you have a sort of breakout lead - you plug an S-video kind of lead into a port and you get on the end of the lead an input for Composite in and S-video in