By David Ferring · Digitize DFW · Flower Mound, TX
If you have unearthed a box of home-movie tapes and cannot tell one from another, you are in good company. Digitize DFW converts them all — here is a quick guide from David Ferring to help you identify what you have before bringing it in around Flower Mound and DFW.
VHS
The big one everyone remembers — about the size of a paperback book. If it is large and rectangular and says VHS on the spine, that is it.
VHS-C
A compact VHS cassette roughly the size of your palm, used in camcorders. It needs an adapter to play in a VCR.
Hi8, 8mm & Digital8
Small tapes about the size of an audio cassette, used in handheld camcorders through the 1990s and early 2000s. Hi8 and Digital8 are close cousins of standard 8mm.
MiniDV
The smallest of the bunch — around two inches wide, often labeled "Mini DV." These were common in early-2000s digital camcorders.
The quick way to tell
- Big as a book → VHS
- Palm-sized VHS shape → VHS-C
- Audio-cassette sized → Hi8 / 8mm / Digital8
- Tiny, ~2 inches → MiniDV
Good news: we digitize all of them
Whatever mix you have, Digitize DFW captures each tape in real time for a faithful transfer. See VHS & tape digitizing and pricing — tapes start at $19.99. Still stuck? Text David a photo and he will identify it for you.