Convert Digital8 tapes to digital files and preserve precious memories before they are stolen by time.
Digital, but not immortal
We inspect every Digital8 tape before converting it, monitor every transfer in real time, and you only pay for tapes we can actually convert. No warehouse. No assembly line. Every transfer done in-house in Orange, CA since 2001.
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When the producers needed the family's personal video tapes converted for the Lucy and Desi documentary, they chose Legacy Digital Productions. Your family's tapes get the same equipment, the same technicians, and the same care.
Since 2001
Hollywood's Choice
In-House Processing
Expert Technicians
Convert Digital8 to digital, nationwide and local
Looking for a nearby company for your tapes? We service all of Southern California with free local pickup and delivery, from Los Angeles and Orange County to the Inland Empire and San Diego, and we also work with clients all across the country by mail. Either way, your tapes are digitized in-house by our own team in Orange, California, never mixed into a warehouse or shipped overseas.
About Digital8 tapes
Digital8 is Sony’s digital camcorder format from 1999 that records DV-quality digital video onto Hi8-shaped 8mm cassettes. It bridged the 8mm and digital eras, and, usefully, many Digital8 camcorders can also play back older Video8 and Hi8 analog tapes.
Because Digital8 is digital, age shows up as blocky artifacts, freezes, and dropouts rather than the gradual fading of analog tape. A single damaged section can make the picture stutter or drop out entirely, so a clean capture off a good transport matters.
Digital8 needs a Sony Digital8 camcorder to play, and the best-quality transfer is done over FireWire (i.LINK), which copies the digital data with no loss. Cheap RCA or USB capture re-compresses the video a second time and throws away detail.
How we convert your Digital8 tapes
Because Digital8 is a digital format, we capture it over FireWire (i.LINK) whenever possible, which copies the original video with no quality loss, rather than the RCA or USB capture that cheaper services use and that re-compresses your footage.
We capture Digital8 over FireWire whenever the cassette allows, for a bit-for-bit copy of the original recording, and because many Digital8 camcorders also read Video8 and Hi8, we can often transfer a mixed box of 8mm tapes on the same equipment rather than sending part of it elsewhere.
The Legacy Digital quality difference
Digital8 is already digital, so the goal is to copy it without harming it. The wrong way is to play the tape out through analog cables and re-compress it, which quietly throws away detail. We capture over FireWire (i.LINK) for a bit-for-bit copy of the original recording.
| Digital8 transfer | Cheap RCA / USB capture | Legacy Digital |
|---|---|---|
| Capture method | Analog-out, re-compressed a second time | FireWire (i.LINK), bit-for-bit lossless copy |
| Quality loss | Detail thrown away on capture | None; the original digital stream is preserved |
| Process | Run in bulk, unattended | Monitored in real time, sticky tapes recovered |
We convert every videotape format to digital
Low-compression MP4 or MOV files delivered on flash drive, hard drive, the cloud, or gold archival DVD.
Consumer Formats
Professional Formats
Starting at just $19.95 per Tape
Cost to Convert Video Tapes to Digital
At Legacy Digital, our video tape conversion service expertly transforms your VHS, Super VHS, Compact VHS (VHS-C), 8mm, Hi8, Digital 8, DVCAM, Betacam and Betacam SP tapes into high-quality digital files or DVDs. Time-based correction is included with VHS and VHS-C tapes where others charge additional fees. Using professional-grade VCRs and capture devices, we digitize each tape, maintaining the integrity and quality of your existing recordings, sometimes with improvement. Our process includes monitoring and adjusting for the best possible audio and video quality, sometimes requiring two or three reruns just to ensure the best possible output.
SALE: Starting at just $19.95 per tape
Using professional-grade VCRs and capture equipment, our process involves playing your tapes through time-base correction hardware into professional capture systems to convert them to digital. We carefully monitor tracking and video levels throughout, capturing your footage in high-quality digital formats. Post-capture, we edit out blank footage and unwanted static, so you never pay for blank tape. Finally, we deliver your digitized videos as MP4 files on a flash drive, hard drive, or DVD, ensuring your precious memories are preserved and easy to enjoy for generations to come.
| Running Time (Up to) | Regular Price | Sale Price |
| 0-2 Hours | $28.50 | $19.95 |
| 2-4 Hours | $57.00 | $39.90 |
| 4-6 Hours | $85.50 | $59.85 |
Starting at just $40.00 per tape
Using professional-grade VCRs and capture equipment, our process involves playing your tapes through time-base correction hardware into professional capture systems to convert them to digital. We carefully monitor tracking and video levels throughout, capturing your footage in high-quality digital formats. Post-capture, we edit out blank footage and unwanted static, so you never pay for blank tape. Finally, we deliver your digitized videos as MP4 files on a flash drive, hard drive, or DVD, ensuring your precious memories are preserved and easy to enjoy for generations to come.
| Type | Price |
| Betacam | $40.00 |
| Betacam SP | $40.00 |
* $35.00 per tape on orders of more than 25 tapes
Cost and frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to convert Digital8 to digital?
We charge per tape, not per premade box, so you only pay for the tapes we actually transfer. Digital8 conversion runs about $19.95 per two-hour tape (current special; regularly $28.50), and you get an exact, itemized quote before you commit. See current pricing and get a free quote.
Is Digital8 the same as Hi8?
No. Digital8 records digital video on a Hi8-shaped cassette, while Hi8 is analog. Confusingly, many Digital8 camcorders can also play Hi8 and Video8 tapes.
What is the best way to convert Digital8 to digital?
Over FireWire (i.LINK), which transfers the digital stream losslessly. That is how we capture Digital8 whenever possible.
Can you convert my Hi8 and Video8 tapes in the same order?
Yes. Digital8 equipment can also play many older 8mm analog tapes, so mixed 8mm batches are no problem.
Will I get digital files or a DVD?
You get digital files (MP4) that you own, on a flash drive or hard drive, so you can share, edit, and stream them. A DVD or Blu-ray is available as an optional add-on.
Why families choose us over the big-box mail-in services
The large mail-in operations compete on price, not on your memories. They repackage your originals into boxes, mix them in with thousands of other jobs, and run them through in bulk, and some send the work overseas for cheaper labor. There are documented cases online of these companies losing customers’ irreplaceable footage for good.
Legacy Digital does none of that. Every Digital8 tape is transferred in-house by our own team in Orange, California, never subcontracted and never shipped out of the country. In more than two decades and over a million reels and tapes handled, we have never lost a single item. We regularly re-do work for families who were disappointed by a bargain service the first time; the only thing they regret is not coming to us first.
Legacy Digital vs Costco
Don't take our word for it
BBB A+ Rated
Legacy Digital - Trusted By:
Along with executives and professionals from: CBS, ABC, Universal, Disney Animation, Paramount, Sony, Redbox, Audiohead (sound engineers of Star Trek Into Darkness), Lightstorm Entertainment (makers of Avatar), Atlas Entertainment (makers of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) and many more.
Legacy Digital did a fabulous job of getting our old family films and slides on dvd for my parents’ anniversary. The quality was amazing and my parents were so surprised. Scott was so helpful picking up and delivering our order saving us time and gas money and keeping our family treasures safe from the mail. I definitely would recommend them to anyone and in fact am calling them again to do all of our VHS tapes and camcorder tapes next.
Jennifer L. – Long Beach, CA
Our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee
“We are not finished until you love it, even if we have to pay for shipping back to us to fix a mistake. We will do everything within our technological capabilities give you as good or better product than anyone else in the marketplace…And if someone else can produce a visibly better product we will refund your money.
– Scott Foster, Founder
🏆 BBB A+ Rated
✅ 100% Satisfaction Guarantee
Other videotape formats we convert
We convert every consumer videotape format to digital. Explore the others: Hi8, Video8, MiniDV, VHS-C, Betamax, MicroMV, 8mm Video, DVCAM, Betacam, Betacam SP, VHS. Or start at our videotape to digital hub.
See how we compare: CVS, Walmart & Sam’s Club, Legacybox vs Costco, or every major service.