Digital8

Digital8 is a digital videotape format, invented by Sony in the late 1990's.

It uses conventional analog Video Hi8 tapes, but records the video signal in digital form using the DV codec. Recording time is halved for Hi8 tapes: for example, a 120 minute Hi8 tape will give 60 minutes of Digital8 recording time. This is because of the extra information required to record a digital signal.

Digital8 camcorders preserve backward compatibility with Hi8 by seamlessly playing the old analog tapes and transcoding them to the DV format at the same time.

Digital8 offers excellent video and audio quality, far better than existing analog consumer formats such as VHS-C or Video8. Digital8 is comparable to the DV and MiniDV formats in terms of capable quality.

Hi8-format video cameras have been used for many years for news and current affairs television programmes. Because of this, Digital8 has found a niche in the television industry. However, it is often rivalled by the MiniDV format.

Sony currently manufactures two Digital8 format camcorders, as well as several other manufacturers.