Digital 8 - a year later

[BrianP]

Been away from this board for a while, but a year or so ago there was a raging debate about the virtues of Digital 8. Some believed that it was a poor format (compared to DV) because of a few issues, most notably tape wear. (It was theorized that the tapes would have more stress due to being played at 2x that of normal 8mm tapes across the read heads or whatever they're called).

So, one year later, how are those D8's holding up? I use D8 and am happy with it and its compatibility with 8mm, but I am only an amateur videophile that edits home movies.

What does everyone else think?

[Patrick]

Ironically, as one of the staunchest defenders of the Digital8 format at this forum over the last couple of years, I ended up getting a MiniDV camcorder. (Long story, check the archives ) However, as a member of a good sized (50+) video production club (mostly amateurs), I have access to a lot of feedback from people who have D8 units. The overwhelming response has been, without exception, that everyone who has gone the D8 route is satisfied with their decision. Furthermore, I have not heard of one member who has had to have their D8 camcorder repaired. Nor have I heard of any problems with the tape. (As a side note, more and more members are now using low cost regular 8mm tape with fantastic results.) All in all, I think this is pretty remarkable.

[mynx]

As a repair technician I can say that I don't see many of either type that have signs of excessive wear. Alignment problems in mini-DV seem a little more common than on D8. This may be because they are smaller and get banged around more. Mini-DV are more of a pain to work on.

[Patrick]

mynx, maybe you could also offer an opinion in this thread. Thanks.

http://forums.murc.ws/ubb/Forum2/HTML/005601.html