Convert Your Hi8 Tapes to Digital.
The camcorder tape that finally looked sharp
Video8, Hi8, and Digital8 all shared the same small camcorder cassette through the late 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. We transfer every one to digital MP4 at roughly 12.5 GB per two-hour tape, and you never have to know which is which; we identify them for you.
Get a Free Hi8 QuoteIn-house in Orange, CA since 2001. Over a million reels handled, never one lost.
$19.95
per two-hour tape (regularly $28.50). Any brand.
Since 2001
Hollywood 's Choice
In-House Processing
Expert Technicians
Trusted with the tapes for Netflix's Lucy and Desi and thousands of family libraries · All video tape formats →
Why Digitize Hi8 Now
Because Hi8 recorded a sharper image, there is more to protect, and more to lose as the signal fades.
Hi8 can turn sticky or grow mold in storage. Do not keep playing an affected tape at home; each pass risks more damage.
Hi8 captured the mid-90s, a rich era of family footage, often at the best quality a home camcorder could manage.
You do not need a working camcorder. Send the tapes and we play and capture them on maintained equipment.
Hi8 Transfer Pricing
The same flat rate as Video8 and Digital8. Longer tapes count as multiple two-hour tapes.
Delivery on flash drive or hard drive, and optionally on DVD: $5 per disc for disc-only orders, $15 per disc when a drive is included. $50 order minimum. We skip blank footage and never charge for the empty parts of a tape.
What Hi8 Is
Introduced in 1989, Hi8 was the higher-resolution upgrade to Video8, delivering a sharper analog picture than both Video8 and VHS. It became the go-to camcorder format for anyone who cared about quality in the early-to-mid 90s.
Hi8's higher resolution means there is more detail to recover, which makes a low-compression, careful transfer especially worth it.
Despite the better picture, Hi8 is analog magnetic tape and loses signal with age like any other tape.
The three 8mm formats look nearly identical. You do not need to tell them apart; we identify each by its recording.
Hi8 camcorders are now rare, so the tapes are stranded without a way to play them at home.
Which Tape Do You Have?
Not sure what you are looking at? Match your tape below and tap it for the details, or just send a mixed box and we sort and identify them for you.
Consumer and Home Formats
Professional & Broadcast
Low-compression MP4 or MOV files delivered on flash drive, hard drive, the cloud, or long lasting archival DVD.Â
If you are not happy with your transfer, we redo it until you are.Handled entirely in-house in Orange, California. Your tapes never leave our facility or the country.
"Thank you Legacy Digital for putting my cherished family videos to digital. You showed care and professionalism towards the film. Delivered on time as you promised. Now my family will have this stuff for years."
- Andrew G.
Google Review
"I just has an old VHS of our ship's decommissioning given to me and I had no idea what to do with it. Legacy took care of that (DVD and MP4) and were very friendly and professional. I would use them again and recommend them to others."
- D. O.
Google Review
Why Our Hi8 Transfers Look Better
Hi8's extra sharpness only reaches your files if it is captured at high quality. We encode at far more data than the warehouse standard.
A technician monitors each capture and tries troublesome tapes in multiple decks for the best result.
We trim blank footage and never charge for the empty parts of a tape.
Your tapes are digitized by our own team in Orange, California, never subcontracted or sent overseas.
How It Works
Getting your Hi8 tapes to us is simple, and your originals always come home.
Send it to us
Free local pickup across Southern California, a secure prepaid shipping kit by mail, or drop off at our Orange, CA counter.
We digitize it in-house
Each tape is captured in real time at low compression, tried in multiple decks if needed, and the blanks are trimmed.
You relive it
Get your videos as MP4 on a drive or DVD to share and stream, and your original tapes come back with them.
Hi8 Questions
Below are the most common questions we get about coneverting negatives to digital format. If you have other questions, please give us a call. We're happy to answer them.
Yes. If you are also converting other tapes, film, photos, slides, or audio, we place everything on the same drive in organized folders so your whole archive lives in one place.
Frequently, yes, and you should stop playing them at home. Send them in and we handle affected tapes carefully; caught early, most still transfer.
You do not have to. Hi8, Video8, and Digital8 look nearly identical, so we identify each tape by its recording. Send them mixed together.
Yes. Hi8 records a sharper, higher-resolution picture, which is why a careful low-compression transfer matters even more for these tapes.
Turnaround depends on the size of your order and the current queue. We give you an estimated timeframe with your quote and never rush the work at the expense of quality. Call for the current turnaround before you ship.
MP4 files on a flash drive (orders under 256 GB) or hard drive. DVDs are available at $5 per disc for disc-only orders, or $15 per disc when a drive is also in the order.
Yes, a $50 order minimum, not counting drives.
Pricing depends on the type and number of negatives and also the scanning level you select. We keep it affordable and transparent. Get a free, no-obligation quote today.
Have Other Tapes Too?
Hi8 Looked Its Best New. Keep It That Way.
Get a free, itemized quote. We count every tape, tell you the exact cost, and your originals always come home.
Get My Free Hi8 QuoteOr call (888) 405-2685 · Orange, CA · In-house since 2001