8mm Tape
8mm video is an older video tape format that comes in both analog and digital formats. However, you cannot watch the video tape without having an 8mm camera on hand. If you want to save the content from the 8mm tape onto a DVD, you first need to import the footage onto your computer through a video editing program. With the content burned onto a DVD, you can watch the 8mm video on any DVD player.
Instructions
1. Insert the 8mm tape into the video camera, then plug either the Firewire cable into the Firewire port of the camera or the USB cable into the USB port on the video camera. Older analog video cameras may not have a Firewire port. Plug the other end of the USB cable into the computer USB port, or the Firewire cable into the Firewire port.
2. Power on the video camera and set it to playback mode. Launch the video editing program on your computer. Most computers come with a preinstalled video editor such as iMovie or Windows Movie Maker, however you can purchase one of the dozens of other titles available on the market.
3. Select the "Capture" option, then choose the connected video camera. Click "Record" and the contents from the 8mm tape is imported (these options are typically located on the lower right corner of the program window). Choose "Stop" and the recording stops. The captured video appears in your video editor as a thumbnail picture.
4. Double-click the captured video (it appears in the video select queue at the top of the screen) and select the "Export" option. Type in a title at the top of the save window, then select a location to save the video to and click "Export." The video exports to that location.
5. Insert the blank DVD into the DVD burner and launch your DVD burning software. Select to create either a video DVD or a data DVD. A video DVD plays on almost any DVD player while a data DVD captures the video file in a format that can only be played on computers.
6. Click-and-drag the video file into the main viewing window of the DVD burning program, then select "Burn," and the the 8mm video will burn onto the DVD.
Tags: cable into, video camera, Firewire port, cable into Firewire, captured video, captured video appears