Is a Hi8 Cassette the same as a VHS-C one?
 

Having been asked to get an adapter to allow VHS-C Cassettes to be played in a VHS VCR, and been handed a Hi8 tape, I need to know if the latter is the same thing as a VHS-C Cassette before getting an adapter. Can someone enlighten me, please??

Re: Is a Hi8 Cassette the same as a VHS-C one?
 

No, they are def not the same. I do not think you have any chance of getting a Hi8 cassette into a VHS-C adaptor.

Ken

Re: Is a Hi8 Cassette the same as a VHS-C one?
 

They are completely different. VHS-C is just standard VHS half inch tape in a smaller cassette. Video 8 uses 8mm tape (as the name suggests).

Re: Is a Hi8 Cassette the same as a VHS-C one?
 

I used to own a Sony Digital 8 recorder at one time. Video 8 and Hi8 preceded the Digital 8 format. I could play and record Hi8 cassettes on my recorder as the Digital 8 system is backward compatible. It might be worthwhile looking for an old Hi8/ Digital 8 recorder as these sometimes appear quite cheap second hand. I no longer have mine unfortunately and have switched to the HD video option available on my digital cameras which record on to mini or micro SD cards.

Re: Is a Hi8 Cassette the same as a VHS-C one?
 

Take a look at my VHS-C Cassette Adaptor thread of 22/2/18 LIVE WIRE.
These are readily available but not cheap. Luckily one turned up for me. Cameras to replay 8mm have been in demand again due to retro enthusiasm for almost everything. I have an archive of 8mm material and it took me along time to find one that plays 8 and Hi8 mm tapes. As Paul said, "Mini VHS" can't be easily mistaken for the 8mm Format.

Dave

Re: Is a Hi8 Cassette the same as a VHS-C one?
 

Thanks, all, for your replies and advice. Looks like the only way to view the content of the Hi8 tapes is to get a second hand recorder, then maybe transfer the recordings to either VHS or another, more modern, format.

Re: Is a Hi8 Cassette the same as a VHS-C one?
 

Video 8 and Hi-8 were mostly camcorder standards, though Sony did try to sell some standalone Video 8 VCRs for a time. The standard was also used by Exabyte to build helical scan data recorders - their first model contained an almost unmodified Sony camcorder chassis, though the systems diverged somewhat after that, with different tape formulations being developed..

Re: Is a Hi8 Cassette the same as a VHS-C one?
 

There was never an adapter for Video8/Hi8/Digital8 tapes. You need a camcorder or standalone VCR such as the Sony EV-S1000 to play them.

Fivos

Re: Is a Hi8 Cassette the same as a VHS-C one?
 

V8 was one of the last great achievements in purely analogue video recording. It combined all the best bits of the domestic formats which had gone before, and it was tiny too!

Most interestingly, it used a similar system of automatic tracking to Video 2000. The piezo actuators in DTF (Dynamic Track Following) were replaced by changing the phase between the drum and capstan servos in ATF (Automatic Track Finding - the V8 system), but neither format needs a control track. In fact, V8 needs no static heads at all, bar full erase. Even the basic ones use FM recording alongside the vision signal for sound, both in mono and stereo forms. The later variant with digital sound used an extended tape wrap to scan a further part of the tape, where time compressed PCM codes were recorded.

V8 is too different from the earlier formats to make any kind of adaptor practical.

Re: Is a Hi8 Cassette the same as a VHS-C one?
 

It only failed as a mainstream VCR standard because of the relatively limited recording time.