How to Put Video8 Movies on a DVD From Your Computer

Use an RCA audio-video cable to connect your camcorder.

Video8 camcorders were an early alternative to bulkier VHS and Betamax video cameras in the early 1980s. Though offering quality similar to that of other formats, the Video8 format was much smaller. The small cassette size allowed camcorder manufacturers to design more compact gear better suited to the home video market. You can use a DVD-equipped computer with a USB video-capture device to transfer Video8 home movies and preserve memories for future generations.

Things You'll Need

• Video8 camcorder
• USB video-capture device or TV tuner with video capture inputs
• RCA audio-video cable
• Computer with DVD burner
• Recordable DVD

Instructions

1. Insert the software CD supplied with the video-capture device into your computer's disk drive. Install the software and device drivers as instructed by the installation program.

2. Attach the USB video-capture device into a USB port on your computer. Wait for the operating system to configure the device.

3. Connect the Video 8 camcorder to the video-capture device using an RCA audio-video cable. Match the yellow, red and white color-coded connectors on the cable with the RCA jacks on the camcorder and the capture device.

4. Insert a Video8 cassette into the camcorder. Make sure the tape is fully rewound.

5. Open the recording software program supplied with the video-capture device and confirm the correct video input is selected by pressing "Play" on the camcorder to preview the videotape. Rewind the tape when you see the video appear in the video-capture device program window.

6. Choose "MPEG-2" as the record format from the "Options" menu of the capture utility.

7. Press "Play" on the camcorder to cue the videotape.

8. Press the "Record" icon to record the video from the camcorder to your computer.

9. When the recording is complete, press the "Stop" icon in the capture program and enter the name of the digital video file. Choose a folder where you want the file saved, then click the "Save" button.

10. Insert a recordable DVD into your computer's DVD disc burner.

11. Open the DVD-burning software and add the saved file to a DVD project. Click the "Burn" icon from the project window.

Tips & Warnings

• USB TV tuners frequently include inputs for video capture from a camcorder. Consider using a TV tuner as the video-capture device, which offers the added benefit of watching and recording live television programming.

• Adjust the quality settings of the MPEG recording format to reduce the size of the MPEG file if the movie is longer than an hour. Recordable DVDs can store only 4.7GB of data, or just over an hour of video, at the highest-quality settings. The MPEG file will need to be smaller than the capacity of your recordable DVD.

References

• MediaCollege: The Video8 Format