Daze of MiniDV and D8

[BlackListedB]

You guys use older tech at all? Camcorders to be specific? My old TRV99 Handycam is one of the best analog High Band machines ever made.... Cost about $1500 brand new, and my first camcorder, Canon A1 Digital, cost $1500 as well, that was when I had my first profit sharing check ever!

Well, since then, I paid about $300 or less for pawnshop camcorders or anywhere else they were second hand, even wound up with some VHS ones, though never a Betacam

Recently, I had a TR81 Handycam (V stands for VISION) which seemed to take a few too many falls, all of a sudden the playback didn't work, but it still recorded live sound and video, then it seemed to be crinkling the critical tape edge which is not good, so I set it aside.

The past week I look at the pawnshop again, their MAKE AN OFFER table of odds and ends, most things just jack parts to completely test, batteries or AC, remotes, that.... Well, they had a nice selection of cameras and camcorders, even a slim PS2 system that was tempting, but I already bought two old ones again, in the past year, I didn't see a real need for three of them! hahaha

A Sony Handycam DCR-TRV 140 was among the camcorders, and being familiar with Sony, I picked it up, no battery, no cords, no remote, however, at least the AC matched my good ole TRV99. The Batteries however, sad to say, Do Not.

InfoLithium L and M series between the two cameras, the only seeming PLUS besides Sony's Digital8 format, was a built in light, pre-LED, the better lamps used back then. Research and testing showed that only about half...or less, of the D8 Camcorder actually serve to playback the 8mm and Hi8 used in the analog days, and mine is not one of those models... It plays and records solely in D8 format, at two speeds, however, LP and SP, as did the analog machines, but with Digital8 the speeds in both are about twice as fast as analog, so it would seem, they cur some corners.

Looking on eBay, I see a user started a FYI list of brand models that work with Backwards Compatibility, and those that don't. Also looking around proved that Hitachi also made a camcorder in the D8 or Digital8 line.

Now to clarify, the D8 format uses iLink from Sony, also known as FIREWIRE traditionally, it has it's own built in EDITING menu in the camcorder and sends the signals via IR or iLink if preferred, you mark entry and exit points along the tape, and program those in the camera and it communicated that program list to the connected dubbing deck!

Digital8 was meant as a jumping up point from analog 8mm to MiniDV or DIGITAL VIDEO Tape, used by a great many others, I believe it was lower in cost then the emerging MiniDV and it used pre existing tapes, but offering digital video and audio, 12 and 16bit stereo.

Also at the same pawnshop, a miniDV DCR-HC28 touchscreen camcorder in a small body package that I bought for dirt cheap MAKE OFFER price as well, but then found to be notorious for a sticking ejection door. I'd only found success now twice, just getting in another tape today proved a challenge, however, just three screws hold the ejection door physically in place, so I removed it and reset it's position with and without a cassette inserted, powering the system itself up and down, moving things manually, there was actually no need for further disassembly, cost, or parts replacement, though a mode gear is highly suspect, that repair does require disassembly and cost, so a word to the wise about any repairs such as these, if you like getting things working with no money out of your pocket, do a bit of DIY and research, as well as manually checking things out, you can get results like I did, a camera some would sell or throw away proved everybit as useful as it was new, once the tape was retracted back into place! HA!

Edited July 10, 2011 by BlackListedB