Amy L H : Is this a machine that I can put in old 8mm video tapes without using the camcorder which is old, broken and parts are not make any longer for it?. My tapes of are of graduations, weddings etc. I want a machine so I can put my tapes in and see them again will this be the one?FRANK P : Yes you can. It works with 8mm, hi8, and digital 8 cassettes.STAN T : Yes. Our camcorder was stolen and we were unable to play back our old tapes so we bought this unit. For playback it works very nice. We were using it to convert our old tapes to dvd using our Mac. There are various outputs including firewire, usb and the old RC type connectors so you have a variety of ways to interface it with your TV or PC.BRYAN S : I have a Sony GV-200. It is a very good unit.SUSAN G : Amy,
I wish i could give you better information about this, aprox. 45 days after use it has failed to work. When I called Adorama I was told I have to send it into Sony, I need to do that soon but tooooo busy. I am sure it will do what you need it to do, we were watching old 8mm & newer 8mm hi fi. and while it was working the pictures looked great but had not started editing yet. Wish I could be more helpfl.GERALD A : Amy:
That is exactly what this machine will do. It is a VCR for 8mm video, as opposed to VHS video. It will play regular 8mm video tapes, Digital 8 video tapes and Hi8 video tapes. I purchased it for the very same reason as you. In addition, I have just recently purchased a business franchise called Home Video Studio and I will be using this machine to not only view my own old 8mm tapes - but to transfer them and those of other customers to custom archaival DVD's so that valuable memories are preserved and not lost. Best of luck to you.
Jerry A.GERALD B : It is a superb piece of equipment that plays back 8mm, Hi8mm and digital 8mm video tapes. Our tape transfer company has several and are used on a daily basis. It took nearly 6 years to wear any of them out and they were run nearly every business day, sometimes for hours.PHIL T : Yes this is exactly what you need. I got one to play my 8mm, hi-8 and digital 8 tapes, it plays them all! I love the device and was happy they offered an inexpensive 4 year warranty for it :)BARRY M : Yes, you can play back your old standard 8mm tapes or even the newer Hi8 tapes. I've been using it for exactly that purpose. You will need to connect it to your TV to see the picture and sound, but it comes with the hook up cables. I have been playing my old 8mm tapes into my computer, editing them, and burning them to DVD.
Hope this helps.
BarryCARL L : Yep. That's exactly why I bought it.
I've been using generations of Sony 8mm handycams since 1988, and I was afraid this device may not play the old 'pre-digital' tapes I recorded back then.
This thing works great, and with not just composite video out (those red, white and yellow RCA connectors) it also has a Super video S-video socket on it- it makes it better looking when I now injest those old tapes into my sweet Final Cut Pro editing system. I freak out my friends with all the old footage I have of them- that I can now again play- and even post on YouTube!
With the retiring of the old 8mm technology- the GV-D200 was a lifesaver for me.REED S : I think it may depend on the kind of 8mm camcorder you had.
I just got one of these and I am using it to play my old Hi8 tapes that I shot on a Canon A1 Digital camcorder in the late '80s early '90s. It works great. It also has a Firewire output so I am capturing the video onto my PC with a Firewire cable (not included) and VirtualDub software (free download)
I think this also plays Digital 8 tapesBRUCE B B : Yes. It will playback 8mm, hi-8, and digital 8.ANN M : Yes, this machine converts the 8mm tape to a digital format. We have been able to view them on our television as well as upload them to our computer. From there they have been burned to dvd. We have a mac and have been able to edit them right out of our i movie. I highly recommend this. Though expensive, it is the only option if you want to do it yourself.KEVIN S : I purchased this device (Sony GV-D200) for that purpose. I use it to play my 8mm tapes. I am converting them to digital via my computer using a Dazzle device.
I had to purchase this for the same reason - my camcorders all went bad, and I had no way to view or transfer my 8mm tapes.ROBERT F : You can use this machine for super 8mm tapes that are in cassette form and are not on reels. It works really well.
Shopper : I have many old Hi8 analog tapes I want to burn
to DVD or import into FCP for editing.
Does this work well to output digital signal?
Do you miss the viewing screen?
How does it compare to the GV-D800?
AlanPHIL T : it can output digital audio (and video) be sure to change the settings in the menu because the standard default settings do not provide the best audio qualityFRANK P : I too have many 8 and Hi8 tapes going back 20+ years. I digitally imported into FCE using the D200 and the results were better than I expected. I did not miss the screen the 800 has. I used the analog output to an external monitor to screen my videos before importing. I highly recommend the GV-D200.
I believe the 800 and 200 are identical minus the screen.
Tip. After you convert your tapes store them carefully. And store the D200 in the original box in a cool dry place. The day will come that you will need to access your tapes again. Who knows how much longer Sony will make these decks as this is a dead format.JOHN H : The one I purchased works great for outputting a digital signal and editing in FCP. I don't miss the screen, I can always hook it up to a tv if I need to view the tape. I'm not sure how it compared to the GV-D800 as I have no experience with that model.
JohnKEVIN S : I purchased this to convert my Hi8 videos (my camcorders died). So far, it has done a great job. I'm sure that I don't use it to its full potential, but it does exactly what I need.
I connect it to a Dazzle DVC100. I haven't tried other options.
I view via the screen on my PC, and use Pinnacle to capture and render videos.
I don't know how it compares with other models.
Hope this helps.EDWARD N : The GV-D200 will not output a digital signal, strictly analog. I also bought one to rescue some old Hi8 tapes - Run the signal through a digital capture device (I use Elgato) to Widows or Mac and you can edit your heart out!BARRY M : This unit can output a firewire signal directly into your computer if your computer has that connection. Alas, mine does not. I use an interface box which converts the firewire signal into a USB signal which is how I get it into my computer. My interface box came with the video editing software I purchased (Pinnacle studio 14).
I do not miss the viewing screen because I purchased this unit specifically to transfer my old 8mm and Hi8 tapes, not to play my old tapes over and over. I feel they are too valuable for that. I convert the tapes into DVDs which can be played on portable DVD players. Perhaps if you were making new digital 8 tapes on the unit the screen would be useful.
From the research I had done, the GV-D200 has the same specs as the GV- D800 except does not have the screen.
The unit has performed very well.
BarryMARVIN R : I have transferred both standard 8 and Hi-8 analog tapes to my PC using the Firewire output. The quality is excellent.
I do not see much use to a viewing screen, as you can see the video on you PC during the transfer. I think the screen is intended to allow use of the unit as a potable video player. My opinion it is best to make a DVD, and use a cheap portable DVD player for that.
I do not know how it compares to the GV-D800.JOHN D : This video walkman works much much better than my original v8 camera It outputs well to my imac using elgato video capture and the output again is far superior to my camera as the source It is then fairly easy to burn to DVD But why bother as I keep it in digital format on external hard drives which can be streamed to my tv via a media extender ie Western digital etc I also use trend micro to back up digital content online (Mozy,Carbonite, and acronis are a few others)I do not miss the view screen as I do all editing and playback on the imac screen Do not know how it compares to the GV-800
