8 mm video format#Hi8
Hi8 is a 1989 introduced on the market analog video format as an extension of the existing Video8 system. Video cameras and other parts of the recording equipment are generally referred to as a camera or Hi8 Hi8 art.
General
Hi8 analog creation for two years previously introduced S -VHS by some extensions from the existing Video8 system:
- The recording is split into signals for color (C ), brightness (Y) and hi-fi sound. These are transmitted separately, which leads to significant quality improvements.
- The bandwidth of the luminance signal is increased. This is a resolution of 400 lines possible (if the Video 8 and VHS: 250 lines) at a bandwidth of 5 MHz.
- Some high-quality Hi8 devices are characterized in addition to analogue, frequency modulated hi-fi sound two PCM digital audio tracks with 32 kHz/12 bit to
The remaining technical data correspond to the Video8 system.
Overall, the quality of Hi8 is significantly higher than that of VHS and Video8, but can not quite keep up with S -VHS in practice.
Hi8 cassettes of the construction form the same Video8 cassettes and can be used as such, but containing a higher- band having a higher magnetic particle density and a characteristic hole on the bottom, by means of which Hi8 devices identify the cartridge and to the Hi8 mode switch. The tape speed, and thus the term of the cartridge is identical with Video8 and Hi8. Hi8 is backward compatible with Video8, Hi8 that is, all devices can record and play back Video8. The reverse is not possible.
As with Video8 Hi8 there was for stationary and portable video recorder. However, these were not widespread and were mainly in the ( semi-) professional range used. With the proliferation of digital video systems such as Digital 8 (see below), DV and Hi8 DVD disappeared in the early 2000s from the market. Hi8 camcorders and recorders are no longer produced. However cassettes for the Hi8 system are available almost everywhere until today ( 05 /2009).
Successor: Digital8
The development of digital recording to Hi8 was introduced in 1999, Digital8 technology. The Digital8 format uses the conventional Hi8 tapes. Here use Digital8 recording for as output the same data format as DV. Some devices can record digitally on cheap Video8 tapes (or this is a trick with devices possible that this is not explicitly supported ), which is however not recommended as Video8 tapes are not always in a position due to the inferior strip material to store the high-frequency digital signals error-free, leading to frequent dropouts and an overall shortened lifespan.
Due to the higher compared to Video8/Hi8 belt speed, the running time is reduced by one-third in Digital8, that is, an Hi8 cassette with 90 minutes of play fit in the Digital8 system only 60 minutes. Commercially special Digital8 cassettes are available: However, it is quite ordinary Hi8 cassettes, in which only changed the wording and the runtime has been correctly specified for Digital8.
Digital8 equipment are manufactured only by Sony and used exclusively in the amateur field. In addition to camcorders there were portable Digital8 video recorder, the so-called Video Walkman that already existed in the same form for Video8 and Hi8. Of this, however, there were only two different models, one with and one without an expandable TFT display. Higher quality, semi-professional devices that used the Digital8 system, it has never existed. Stands for the recording and playback of Digital8 it was only by Sony.
Digital8 equipment was designed especially for switching from Video8/Hi8 for relatively inexpensive introduction to digital technology, as they were cheaper than MiniDV camcorder in the early days and on top of that partially provided an opportunity to reflect Video8/Hi8-Kassetten.
Compatibility and digitalization
The recording format from DV and Digital8 is completely identical. All Digital8 camcorders have a DV Out ( Firewire), over which the transmission and post-processing on the PC as well as dubbing for example, on a DVD recorder is possible. As with MiniDV exist Digital8 camcorder with DV -in on the postprocessed movies can be played back from the PC optical virtually no loss on Digital8. Additionally, there was in the starting time and the camcorder, which additionally have an analog video input, and thus could be used as a video recorder, such as for digitizing (S ) VHS. Current equipment does not offer this feature.
Many Digital8 camcorder of the older generation could also reproduce the analog Video8 and Hi8 formats; in the final model (July 2007) offered Sony in Germany only a single Digital8 camcorder with this function on, the DCR- TRV480E ( DCRTRV480E ).
It is to the rescue of Video8 and Hi8 recordings by digitizing to just prefer to play in Digital8 camcorders because the Digital8 camcorder converts the Video8 or Hi8 signal with virtually no loss in commercial digital DV, which via the Firewire output of the Digital8 is output - camcorder while Video8 and Hi8 camcorder only an analog signal using a composite or S -Video connection issue (only Hi8 equipment). Occur alone through the analog connection losses, including through cross- color and cross - luminance error in composite connections on; in addition here is another one depending on the used hardware ( video card in the computer, etc.) to provide quite fluctuating digitization into account in quality.
Overall, Digital8 applies compared to DV as a much more robust, more durable and less prone to error. This is mainly due to the significantly higher tape speed ( 28.7 mm / s DV: 18.8 mm / s) and larger track width ( 16.3 microns DV: 10 microns), which even the values of the professional DVCAM system exceeds. In addition, the band of Digital8 cassette is wider and thicker than DV.
Market situation
Despite the technical superiority of the tape format is Digital8 could never prevail against MiniDV. Reasons for this may have been next to the larger and more cumbersome design and the lack of high-quality camcorder in the range and marketing mistakes. Currently, Sony in Germany at no Digital8 equipment more.