Hi8, MiniDV, and VHS-C to Digital
If it's a tiny cassette, we probably can digitize it. Same cataloguing, same Our Home Movies streaming, same process as VHS. Use the shapes below to name what is in the box.
Estimate mixed formatsSupported Formats
Photos of each physical tape will replace the illustrations when we shoot them. Until then, match the silhouette. Full-size VHS is covered on VHS to digital.
VHS
About the size of a paperback
Match the shape. You do not need the camcorder model.
VHS-C
Palm-sized, often in a VHS adapter
Match the shape. You do not need the camcorder model.
Hi8
Small cassette, often labeled 8mm / Hi8
Match the shape. You do not need the camcorder model.
MiniDV
Tiny plastic cassette from early 2000s camcorders
Match the shape. You do not need the camcorder model.
Hi8 to digital
Hi8 is a small cassette, often gold or labeled 8mm. It is analog camcorder tape. A VHS deck cannot play it. Finding a Digital8 camcorder and FireWire is now an eBay hunt. We play Hi8 on a Hi8 path, capture in real time, and catalog it with the rest of the box.
MiniDV to digital
MiniDV is the credit-card cassette from early-2000s digital camcorders. The video on the tape is already digital. MiniDV to digital is not an analog USB dongle. It is a FireWire-class, bit-perfect copy off the cassette. You still need a working MiniDV deck. Most living rooms do not have one. We do. The files join the same person-and-event catalog as your VHS.
VHS-C to digital
VHS-C is compact VHS: the same oxide family as a full-size cassette, in a palm-sized shell. It often sits in a full-size adapter. A brittle adapter can jam or chew the tape. VHS-C to digital here uses a proper compact-VHS path. Recitals and vacations from the 90s are usually this cassette, sitting next to the wedding VHS.
One box, every cassette we can still play
Families rarely have one format. A VHS wedding, VHS-C recitals, Hi8 vacations, MiniDV of the kids: we sort them, transfer on the right deck, and catalog the whole pile as one archive. That is the VHS to digital job, not four vendors. How the decks work is on transfer VHS to digital. Files you keep, not a DVD, is on digitize VHS tapes.
8mm film, Super 8, and Betamax are not on this page yet. If that is what you have, mention it in the estimate notes.
Questions about camcorder tapes
How do I tell Hi8, MiniDV, and VHS-C apart?
VHS-C is a compact VHS that often sits in a full-size adapter. Hi8 is a small cassette, usually gold or labeled 8mm. MiniDV is the smallest plastic cassette from early-2000s digital camcorders. Match the pictures on this page. You do not need the model number.
Do I need the camcorder to send Hi8 to digital?
No. Send the cassette. We play Hi8 on a Hi8 path here. You do not need to find the original camera or a FireWire cable.
Is MiniDV already digital? Why MiniDV to digital at all?
MiniDV is already digital on the tape. The transfer is a FireWire-class copy off the cassette, not an analog dongle through a VCR. You still need a working MiniDV deck, which most families no longer have. That is the job.
Can VHS-C go in a normal VCR?
Often only with a full-size adapter, and a tired adapter can chew a tape. VHS-C to digital here uses a proper compact-VHS path so you are not jamming a cassette into a dead sleeve.
Estimate mixed formats
A typical VHS T-120 holds up to two hours. Home movies are often shorter. 60 minutes is a fair start.
Complimentary hard drive mailed with orders of $250 or more.
- Physical backup: restored files on a hard drive
- Home movies cataloguing by date, person, and event
- Six months of hosting and streaming through Apple TV, iPhone, and web