The myth
An adapter was available to convert Video 8, (also called 8mm) or Hi8 tapes to play in a VHS video recorder.
The truth
Video 8 and Hi8 are mechanically incompatible with VHS. There has never been a VHS adapter available for Video 8 or Hi8 camcorder tapes.
Why the confusion?
Most people can recall seeing adapters being available to play camcorder tapes – which is true but the adapters were specifically designed for VHS-C tapes rather than 8mm or Hi8.
VHS-C (as seen in photo above) was the main competitor to Video 8. Likewise Super VHS-C competed directly with Hi8. Both VHS-C and SVHS-C contained the same type of tape as their full size counterparts. These COMPACT VHS tapes were designed from the ground up to be used with a mechanical adapter to allow them to be played back in a full size video cassette player.
VHS and VHS-C tape are both 12.7mm (half inch) wide. The entire transport mechanism and helical scanning head drum of a VHS video player is designed to accommodate 12.7mm wide tape. 8mm tapes are approximately 1/3rd narrower with much smaller spool reels. There really is no way to make 8mm work in a VHS machine.
Sony did make some VHS and Hi8 combination players with two slots and two complete deck mechanisms inside. These were expensive, they weren’t widely available and are rarely seen in the UK. Sony did produce Hi8 video recorders – some were designed to go under the TV and had a tuner, others were made for post production or portable use. They were high end machines and still command a high price in the second hand market.
Playing back Video 8 & Hi8
If you still have a camcorder that still works then you can connect it to your TV, VCR or DVD recorder to view or copy what’s on the tape. Some cameras had a built-in LCD screen which makes reviewing tapes convenient.
How we copy Video8 and Hi8
Our studio uses Sony Digital 8 (D8) players for all Video 8 and Hi8 tape playback. A limited number of Digital 8 models are backwards compatible with analogue tapes. Those that are compatible offer excellent conversion quality. Digital 8 machines also have a digital FireWire output for direct connection to our editing systems. Click here for more information about 8mm video formats.
Video 8 and Hi8 to digital transfer service
We convert most video formats to USB MP4 and DVD. Download our order form and price list by clicking the red graphic below.
That is wrong. I actually had one and accidently threw it away along with some other items while I was in the process of moving. That was about 6 years ago. The adapter was the same size as the VHS-C tape but it was specificially designed for the Hi8. I had bought it as a combo pack
Thank you for your comment. It would have been great if there were Hi8 to VHS adapters but sadly they never existed. As I wrote in my article quite a lot of people think they can remember having an adapter but this is unfortunately not the case.
VHS-C adapters work because the tape itself & sprocket drive type are the same and therefore compatible. The mechanical adapter simply adds a couple of gears and spooling arms to allow the smaller cassette to be used in a regular VHS player.
This is not the case for 8mm & Hi8 because the video heads, drive mechanisms, tape composition and read speeds are very different in terms of physical dimensions and technical specifications. If you have the opportunity to look at an 8mm/Hi8 cassette side-by-side with a VHS tape & compare them it’s fairly easy to see that there’s just no way that an adapter could ever work.
Thanks again for your comment, I hope this explains things a little further.
I too used one to view my Sony camcorder Hi8 film with my vhs, but all of that stuff went in house moving.
No amount of denial will make them cease to exist!
Thanks for commenting Kevin – I have a feeling you many be kidding kidding me. But if you ever find it – I’ll buy you a drink 🙂
So did I. Many people are saying that there never was an adapter but that is b.s. I had one also but sold it along with the camera I had.
Thanks Jud,
Good of you to comment. As you can see reading my other replies – There’s a lot of good reasons why Hi8/Video adapters could never work.
From an engineering point of view a working adapter is B.S. – it could never work.
Gavin
You are absolutely correct. I also had one and misplaced it. Still looking.
Thanks Larry,
12 years since I first published this article and it’s still getting lots of visitors and has a few comments.
Good luck finding your adapter. The drinks are on me if it turns up.
Gavin
A while ago i tried to play an hi8 tape on a vhs vcr by taking apart a hi8 tape and a vhs tape and then swap the magnetic tape and put it on the vhs tape shell. Not only there wasn’t any picture or sound but the pinch roller ate the tape because hi8 uses 8mm tape instead of vhs or betamax which use 12.7mm
I may be wrong but I remember buying an adapter for my TDK Hi8 MP 120 tape. I bought it from Walmart for my JVC camcorder. I recently made the mistake of buying a VHS-C adapter but it did not work. I lost my original adapter years ago and never really worried about it until recently looking to upload them to my PC.
Thank you. And it may not have been a traditional adapter but I assure you it was a VHS-sized adapter which I put my Hi8 tape in to play and show my mother. This was in 2000-2002
Thank you for your comment Al.
Every few weeks somebody gets in touch on this issue. They’re sure they used to have an adapter but no longer have it.
I can give you a 100% guarantee that no such adapter was ever made for the reasons set out above.
Gavin,
Happy to report that I am not going senile/crazy. My mother in another state found the adapter. I have pasted the links for you.
This link is for the adapter I bought that was a VHS-C adapter:
http://tinypic.com/r/t4v80p/8
As you can see it does not fit.
This one is for the adapter I hope to receive by next week. This is the one I always used for my TDK Hi8 MP 120 tape. Worked like a charm in 3 diferent VCR’s:
http://tinypic.com/r/ekgj8i/8
Hi Al,
Thanks for posting the image links. The second adapter is also for VHS-C tapes – sadly it isn’t going to work with Hi8.
Just to give a bit of detail – JVC invented VHS and later VHS-C. The ‘C’ or ‘Compact’ version was designed by JVC specifically to fit into a full size adapter as a selling point over 8mm.
Sony had no interest in making 8mm compatible with their own Betamax players let alone JVC’s rival VHS/VHS-C format. Their efforts in making smaller camcorders paid off with their 8mm, Hi8 and Digital 8 Handycam products enjoying a dominant market position for several decades.
So, you’re saying there’s no way to play back an 8mm/hi8 tape unless you still have an 8mm camcorder to play them on… either that, or I have to find some kind of local photo store or individual who has the ability & equipment to convert them over to dvd, correct?
That’s exactly right – an 8mm/Hi8 camcorder or deck is required. Some later Digital 8 cameras/players could also handle analogue tapes.
I stand corrected and I owe you an apology Gavin. I was proven wrong when I found an old cassette. I do have a Hi-8 but it was found in a shed in Fla. I found my own and my mother sent me the vhs-c adapter. I guess I will have to investigate a better way to see what is in the Hi-8 tape through other means. Thank you.
http://tinypic.com/r/2005gs9/8
No worries Al – Get back to me via the contact us page if you need any info on finding the right kind of player locally.
Hi Gavin, when I bought our Sony 8mm camcorder, I also bought an adapter that I used for playing the tapes on our VHS player. I am absolutely sure I did have it. of course, now that I am trying to find it to convert my 8mm tapes to DVD using the VHS to DVD recorder that I recently bought, it is nowhere to be found…
Hi Nabil,
Thank you for taking the time to contribute here.
I’m afraid your memory is playing tricks on you. 8mm to VHS adapters were never made. There’s no way it can be done.
The 8-vhs adapter did exist. I bought one years ago from Walmart.
Hi Cedric,
Thanks for posting. It’s a common theme here that people recall buying an 8mm to VHS adapter in the past. If an 8mm adapter did ever exist then you can be 100% certain that you’d be able to pick one up today from Amazon or eBay – either new or used. The reason you cannot buy one today is that 8mm to VHS adapters were never made.
I do appreciate your feedback Cedric – thanks again for your comment.
i was actually at best buy today and they told me that such an adapter does exist. that is crazy if they never made one. they said they didn’t carry them but kmart did
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for your comment. I’m sure the people at Best Buy meant well with their information but what they think was an 8mm adapter was actually a VHS-C adapter.
I had a cartridge that you could pop the Video 8 cassette in and play it on a VHS machine. It’s buried in my loft somewhere and I need to find it as I have some tapes I need to review and transfer to dvd
Hi Ken,
Thanks for your comment. If I had a pound for everyone who told me a similar story I’d have enough to buy a Ferrari (Matchbox die cast). Some people are 100% certain but then, should they be fortunate enough to find it again, it turns out it was a VHS-C adapter.
If you still have your old Video 8 camera then you can use that to play the tapes out to a computer or DVD Recorder.
Gavin Gration – Director
One thing I will say Gavin is there is a player to play 8mm Hi8 and D8 tapes. It’s a recorder that is meant to save what you had on those tapes and you can put them to DVD with it. They are not made now but they sell for big dollars at 200 plus.
Thanks Joe,
In the UK Sony we didn’t see any of the Hi8/8mm combo decks that were on sale on the USA and Japan. We did get the Walkman style players (D8/Hi8/8mm) plus VCR type Hi8 decks which were always expensive – we us the clamshell Digital 8 players with built in screens here.
Used equipment in good working order such as Digital 8 cameras (with analogue playback) is commanding high prices. You can see some cheaper Digital 8 players but only the models without Hi8/8mm capability.
I love how people are arguing with you about this. We do video work in the US and still have people ask about 8mm adapters. It was a daily occurrence 10 years ago. Much less frequent now but we still have the occasional argument. Sometimes about MiniDV tapes as well.
Good luck! Let us know if you’d like to collaborate on a VHS-C to Betamax adapter!
Hi,
I’ve read all the comments & I’m quite taken aback, I’ve found a couple of Hi8 tape I think my kids are on when they were young, I remember taking them to a guys house I knew & him playing them in an VHS adapter on TV. How did he do it?
I always thought at some stage in the future I could remove the tape & swap them into an old VHS cassette box for viewing!
Crying now.
There were such things as Hi8 Video Recorders – they looked like a slim VHS deck but took Hi8 tapes instead. If you saw a Hi8 tape being put into a VCR then it’s very likely it was a proper Hi8 player.
Hi Gavin I own a Sony Hi 8 cam Corder and I am sure I have a cassette that holds my hi 8 cassettes and and then plays in my vhs recorder .
Thank you George. I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Hi8 to VHS adapter really is a myth – the engineering is impossible. I had two chaps in our reception earlier this week and one of them was certain he had an adapter. I’ve bet him a double packet of Jaffa Cakes that he doesn’t – that’s how certain I am!
Thanks again for your comment.
The Nelson Mandela effect. Everyone thought they had seen his funeral in the nineties but he only recently died.
Just seen on Amazon converters for Hi8 when you search but I assume Amazon have it wrong as it’s VHS-C.
I made a video about this last year so people can see the difference between VHS-C, 8mm, and MiniDV tapes. They never made an adapter for anything but VHS-C since the tapes are different widths. Nothing but VHS-C will line up with the heads in a VHS player: https://youtu.be/8EszGlzL4BU
I think I get the message that there isn’t any VHS adapter that will play a HI-8 video cassette SO – What is the best possibility to view (preferably on a TV screen) a HI-8 video cassette if the original camera is defunct and no longer available? Is there some other device or instrument that can play these? Is there some way to convert them to CD’s??
Hi Arlyn,
Thank you for your comment. You will need a Hi8 player or camcorder to view your tapes. Some, but not all, Digital8 models are also compatible with Hi8. If you can find a second hand device or borrow one you’ll be able to view your tapes.
There are a few transfer options to modern formats that you can do yourself or you can appoint a company to do it for you.
The two main options are transferring video to DVD or transfer video to MP4.
If you are comfortable with technology then MP4 is the best option. The files are very flexible and work on any computer, most tablets and SmartTVs. Some people prefer to have DVDs. At some point DVD players will be much less common so you may need to have the DVDs converted again in the future.
Gavin Gration – Director
OMG…I never get involved in things like this…but reading all these comments just raised my blood pressure. MAYBE I don’t have the correct lingo…but I guarantee that when I purchased my JVC Camcirder…it came with an empty VHS cartridge in which I woukd put my 8mm cassette and watch on TV my personal videos like any VHS movie. I STILL HAVE THAT CASETTE but a little peg broke so trying to fix that. My friend still has hers…if you want…I can send you a video of me filming all that I have and prove to you that such a product did EXIST. some are selling theirs on Ebay. Send me where I can send this proof to you. Maybe we are not using the correct terminology. Tx. Fran
Hi Francine,
Thank you for your comment. It’s been a while since we’ve had a comment on this blog post. JVC invented VHS and then developed Compact VHS which was branded as VHS-C. The adapter they shipped with your JVC VHS-C camcorder was a VHS-C to VHS.
Video 8 cassette aka 8mm videotape was very different. It was developed by Sony as Video 8 then upgraded to Hi8 and later Digital 8. There are no adapters for 8mm to VHS.
It’s very likely that your camcorder tape is a VHS-C. They made 30 min, 45 min (most common) and later 60 minute versions. Have a good look at the tape and see what it has written on it.
Gavin
FYI, I do have an adapter that plays my Hi 8 tapes. I had not used it for many years but still works fine.
This is a JVC C-P6U cassette adapter, SVHS
Thanks
Hi Eric,
Thank you so much for your comment. I appreciate you taking the time to do so.
Your adapter is a JVC C-P6U Cassette Adapter VHS-C.
It’s for VHS-C cassettes and not Hi8. I do understand the confusion – this is one of our most commented blog posts.
Regards,
Gavin
Why do they keep saying there’s No adapter for 8mm cassette? That is Not true because I use to have one for my 8mm tapes… ( back in the day)
Now it’s impossible to find one and I really need one now..
Thank you for your comment Evelyn.
I’ve been a videographer for several decades. I can absolutely assure you that 8mm adapters never existed. VHS-C adapters were available but not Video 8.
Gavin
I worked at electronic stores in the 90s and sold many camcorders. At one store we carried the whole Sony 8mm range and were trained on how to sell them and what was required for playback. To sell them, we had to overcome the disadvantage of having to use the camcorder to view the recordings and/or dub them to VHS to share them with other family and friends (we didn’t sell the 8mm deck and I only ever saw one once at a high end electronic store behind glass). Once a day, a customer would ask for the 8mm VCR adapter and insist they/their uncle etc. had one or seen one. No amount of technical explanation or the fact that we didn’t sell it would convince them otherwise. It’s hysterical that even with the internet today some are not convinced.