This is a long shot, but it seems like it should be feasible...

I am working toward creating a workflow (as the video guys call it) that includes playing, processing, and capturing old 8mm tapes we recorded starting in 1886. The technology then was Video8 then, with Hi8 coming out in 1989 and Digital8 in 1999. My basic problem is this:

The old Video8 tapes, when played on a Digital8 camcorder (DCR-TRV350 used as a player) produce captured video with "Mosaic Noise."

I still have my old Olympus VX-801 - the camcorder originally used to record the tapes, but that generation of cameras only has composite video out, which is of low quality (lacks detail). In the case of this VX-801, the composite video jack is in a charger/adapter box (VF-BA81). Starting with the Hi8 cameras, S-Video (Y/C) outputs were added. My question is this:

Would it be possible to create a circuit that would convert the signal from the Olympus VX-801 output cable to an S-Video signal? This is the 14-pin connection coming out of the Olympus:


Unfortunately, I can't find any circuit diagrams for either the camera or the adapter.

 

You can buy ready made boxes for this stuff, hdmi to Av, to Svideo..

 

I have a large collection of 8mm tapes but my Canon camcorder died.
I found the same camera at a second hand store. I have a box that accepts the camera output and transfers the data via USB to a PC for playback and saving in various formats.

 

You can buy ready made boxes for this stuff, hdmi to Av, to Svideo..

Thanks, but those converters are not capable of regaining the detail that was lost when the signal was converted to Component... kind of like pumping regular gas through the premium pump... it's still regular.

 

I have a large collection of 8mm tapes but my Canon camcorder died.
I found the same camera at a second hand store. I have a box that accepts the camera output and transfers the data via USB to a PC for playback and saving in various formats.

Yes, I have started this process myself. I went with a Magewell Pro Capture HDMI, which is an internal PCI card. In addition to HDMI, it accepts S-Video, Component, and Composite. I have learned a lot about this process and solved some problems with the generous help of some of the experts over at VideoHelp.com, but this "Mosaic Noise" problem can't be fixed adequately with software.