The last Digital8 camcorder, the Sony DCR-TRV285, was discontinued in 2007. Most Digital8 camcorders can play back analogue Video8 and Hi8 tapes. Digital8 remained a consumer format and rose in popularity for home video. In 1989, Hi8 was introduced as a better-quality version of Video8 using a combination of higher-grade tape and improved recording mechanisms to increase bandwidth.Ī digital version, Digital8 was introduced in 1999 by Sony. The resolution of Video8 is the same as VHS, but in terms of audio quality, Video8 comfortably outperformed non-HiFi VHS or Betamax.
Most popular in the late 80’s and 90’s but now making a comeback in nostalgic TV shows and films, 8mm video came in three formats.įirst is the original Video8 analog tape cassette format designed primarily for use in camcorders such as the Sony Handycam line. In 1985 Sony introduced Video8 which was an analogue video tape cassette format using 8mm tape, designed for use in 8mm camcorders. Manufacturing of Kodak’s Super 8 continued until the rise in popularity of video cameras in the mid 1970s. The camera was so lightweight that kids could use it too. Many families purchased Super 8 cameras to document birthdays, holidays and vacations. Super 8 was the cheapest film around and worked on cameras that started for under $30. If you’ve seen Spielberg’s sleeper hit Super 8, you’ll recognize the 1970’s camera obsessed over by the teenage protagonist. Super 8mm film cameras were first manufactured in 1965 by Kodak for their newly introduced amateur film format, which replaced the original Standard 8mm film format. The 8mm film format was introduced by the Eastman Kodak company during the Great Depression and released to the market in 1932 to create a home movie format that was less expensive than 16mm. Here’s a brief history of 8mm/Hi8 tapes and some tips on converting them to more current formats. From the Kinetoscope to the two-reel projector to the Super 8 to the iPhone, the tools keep changing but the images are everlasting. Since the earliest moving picture created by Eadward Muybridge in 1878, film technology has been rapidly evolved, leaving piles of outdated technology in its wake.