[Merlin]

Hope to capture hi8 as avi to PC via miniDV camcorder for pass through conversion to digital. I need store all this footage somewhere for later editing and not my hdd. Would dvd-r be ok, or must it be dvd-rw or dvd-ram ?
Cheers
Merlin

[MartinImber]

You can as DVD data discs DVD-R is popular for this

[Merlin]

Martin,
Thanks, thats good to know I can store avi files on dvd-r.

Its dawning on me though that the resulting avi file size from a 90 minute hi8 is going to be too big for a 4.7Mb disc, am I right ?
Merlin

[MartinImber]

20 minutes of DV compression AVI fit on one DVD-R - for a whole tape MPEG2 compression is required - then you produce a DVD

[MarkE19]

AVI files will be approx 14Gb per hour and therefore 90 minutes is way too much for even a DL DVD.
I would advise that you just copy the raw AVI file back onto a DV tape. As your DV cam has AV-in it will also have DV-in, so this should be as simple as telling the software to copy the file back to the camcorder.
To copy the video to DVD you will need to convert it to MPEG-2 to get the size down and therefore loose some quality and the ability to edit as easily.

Mark.

[Merlin]

Hi MarkE19
Thats worth knowing, I think thats going to be my plan then, nuisance though when one considers the expense made on all those Hi8 tapes, only to have to but a load of tapes again, actually more as Hi8 was 90mins and MiniDV is 60mins, well those I normally get are ! I wanted at last to break beyond a medium that was reliant on the functionality of a camcorder. I bet when the MiniDV camcorder fails the next purchase will be one that is unable to play MiniDV, and so we do this yet again. In fact using it to tape all this footage might end its days anyway, and its optionally fully manual and a nice bit o kit (panasonic MX8) and not so easy to replace as everything is now auto, not so good for airshows etc and bright skys ?

or do I get yet another HDD for one of my caddys, may be easier..!

Merlin