How to transfer or convert 8mm to DVD yourself?

There was a time when 8mm camcorders were as famous as the Apple iPhone. As cameras built with the latest technologies were introduced to the markets, people started ignoring these camcorders. Thus, many companies have stopped their production.

If you had purchased a camcorder in 90’s, you might have used it to record some very precious moments of your life. These recordings are stored on an 8 mm tape drive and you may want to transfer or convert them to a DVD.

The file conversion/transfer process is an easy task, and it will cost you some dollars in purchasing a Firewire or AV O/P cable.

Note: Please borrow a camcorder if you don’t have it.

STEP 1: Connect old camcorder to PC

Old vintage camcorders from Roebuck, Sony, were fitted with firewire 400 or AV ports. If your device has a firewire port, you’ll have to buy a firewire cable.

If it has an AV input port, you’ll need to get an AV cable with a USB connector. The cables will cost you within 5 to 15 dollars. If you can’t afford to buy cable, you can borrow it from a friend or a relative.

Once you have the cable with you, add your 8 millimeters tape drive to the camcorder. Now connect the cable to one end to the camcorder and another end to the PC or laptop. Microsoft Windows XP to the latest Windows10 are smart operating systems. It can detect old cameras, VHS disks, tape drives, etc. When you connect the two devices, Windows will automatically install drivers for the camcorder.

When the OS has finished installing the driver, it will display a message ” Your new hardware is installed and is ready to use.”

Once you see the message, go to the step 2.

STEP 2: Import 8mm videos from old camcorder to PC

Windows will now display an autorun dialog box with several options. Select import video option. Once you do this, you’ll be prompted to enter a folder name.

This folder will store the converted 8mm video files. Windows will also make you choose a file format. Modern DVD players or home theater system can play all types of media files. Thus, you can choose the AVI format.

Windows will now start its conversion process. It may take few seconds or minutes to generate the video files.

Note: You don’t have to purchase any other software to convert the files.

STEP 3: Transfer or convert 8MM to DVD

Insert a blank DVD into your computer’s optical drive. Go to the folder where Windows has stored the converted 8MM video files. Select all the files and right-click on it. Now choose “send to DVD-RW option” from the Windows context menu.

Windows OS will now write your video files to the DVD. Once burn process completes its task, remove the disk from the optical drive and play it on your DVD player. You can also use CD/DVD burning software like Nero or ImgBurn.

Please feel free to contact me if you have some doubts. Thanks for reading!