converting analog home movies to Digital

Question

Level 2

269 points

converting analog home movies to Digital

Hopeing to find someone else who has already solved this problem...After slacking off for twenty years or so, I'm, finally converting my ancient, stone-tablet home movies to DVD. I have a Sony DCR-TRV460 Camcorder doing the heavy lifting. It's supposed to convert Analog tapes to digital signals on the fly. I have a stack of old 8 mm tapes, that a Sony DCR TRV130 recorded for me from even older VCR video tapes. Unfortunately, the TRV130 is frozen and inoperative, maybe I'll have to have it repaired....All the tapes play fine on the TRV460's screen, but Imovie only recognizes the newest ones, actually recorded on the 460, the ones "converted" from the 130 just show a blue screen, probably some analog-to-digiital error. I'm useing a Firewire cable, the usb cable apparently isnt fully supported. I remember reading long ago that the 460 doesent fully support on-the-fly conversion. anyone been able to make this work? do I need a differernt camcorder? Maybe I just have the av-DVsettings wrong? Any clues fom by Buddies out in the Ether will be appreciated! Useing a "Early 2008" Mac Pro Tower.

Jim

Posted on Feb 24, 2013 2:08 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Mar 2, 2013 6:41 AM in response to Jim King

I did this a few years ago with a Sony TRV-230.

It was very fussy. Sometimes it would drop out and give me the blue screen and I would have to try several times before I got it all. It helps to fully fast forward and rewind the 8mm tapes so if they are sagging to one side of the cassette, they are back to the center so they don't drag on the sides of the cassette enclosure. I generally had to use the manual mode and watch it all the time.

Reply