Transfer old analog HI8 video tapes to a 2019 iMac

Question

Transfer old analog HI8 video tapes to a 2019 iMac

I have a 2019 iMac. I need to transfer HI8 analog tapes to Final Cut Plus. I will play the tape from an old Sony TRV-85 camcorder to a (newer) Sony DCR-PC 330 miniDV camcorder. The PC-330 will act as an analog -to digital conversion. I will feed its Firewire output to the i Mac as follows: I will need a 4-pins (Sony type) Firewire cable to an Apple-type 9-pins connector. Then feed this signal into a Mac "Firewire 800 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter", itself feeding into a Mac "Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 adapter", then into the iMac Thunderbolt 3 input. Before I buy all this stuff, will it work? Or do you have a better suggestion? Thanks for your time.

[Edited by Moderator]

iMac 27", 10.14

Posted on Jan 11, 2020 6:02 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Swisscheese01 Author

Level 1

4 points

Jan 17, 2020 11:02 PM in response to Swisscheese01

UPDATE: Minor miracle, it worked perfectly. Sent a whole bunch of events to Final Cut Plus on the iMac. They are only SP quality, but the Sony DCR-PC 330 is 17 year-old ! Thanks y'all for your responses.

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Answer 2

kaz-k

Level 8

49,272 points

Jan 11, 2020 9:27 PM in response to Swisscheese01

Hi,

If your camcorder has RCA output ports, RCA to HDMI adapter and HDMI to USB-C adapter connection should works.

https://www.amazon.com/GANA-Composite-Converter-Adapter-Supporting/dp/B01L8GG6PW/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=analog+RCA+jack+to+USB+converter&qid=1578806338&sr=8-4

https://www.apple.com/shop/product/HKQ22ZM/A/belkin-usb-c-to-hdmi-adapter?fnode=8b

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Answer 3

Jan 11, 2020 9:46 PM in response to Swisscheese01

Rather than trying to daisy chain the live video from the Hi8 while it is playing to the miniDV to the iMac, I would suggest tackling one step at a time. Maybe experiment with a short minute or two clip to see if the process works.

First just play the video file on the Hi8 and run the output to the input on the miniDV.

When you have the video file on the miniDV, can't you just import the digital movie files via the camera's USB connection into the iMac into an iMovie or Final Cut project?

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Answer 4

Johnb-one

Level 6

9,168 points

Jan 12, 2020 7:54 AM in response to Glen Doggett

You are quite right, Glen Doggett. According to Sony, Swisscheese01's newer camcorder will play Hi8 tapes just fine. so you'd need a Sony iLink 4 pin cable to 6-8 pin firewire, and the Firewire/thunderbolt adapter. then iMovie. The camcorder has to be in VTR/ PLAY-EDIT mode, too. Put the tape in the camcorder, click on import in Final Cut Plus/iMovie , and it starts getting the video. All this happens in real time, of course, so an hour long tape will need 1 hour. And of course, you'll need to connect the iLink cable to the firewire/ thunderbolt adapter, and to the iMac as well. The newer Camcorder (DCR-PC330 is Digital8, so it will do 8mm and Hi8 tapes no problem and I guess MiniDV ??

anyways, give it a try, as you suggested, with a minute or two clip to see if it actually works.

john b

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Answer 5

Jan 12, 2020 9:06 PM in response to Glen Doggett

"When you have the video file on the miniDV, can't you just import the digital movie files via the camera's USB connection into the iMac into an iMovie or Final Cut project?"

Probably, but Sony states that " with USB, the picture displayed may lack smoothness" . They recommend to use the Firewire connection.

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