mini DV player

Question

Hello,
we have a Sony camcorder with the mini DV system.
To avoid overusing the playback head for the mini DV to PC transfer,
we would like to buy a mini DV player.
To put the mini DV cassette in it and transfer it to the PC.
But, big surprise, these machines are almost only available for professionals
and here we are, the price is around 1000 euros (the cheapest).
We are astonished, there has been so much advertising for the mini DV system,
but the manufacturers of these cameras do not provide a means of transfer on the market,
like, for example, card readers for camera memory.

Has anyone found a solution to this problem?
Thank you very much for your answer
igor

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Dauphin86 · Accepted Answer

Good evening Igor.

I think the best solution to your problem, considering the price of DV camcorders, is to buy a low-end mini DV camcorder that will only serve as a VCR, since the DV mechanics are, for all practical purposes, of the same quality on all devices. Some mini DV camcorders are now selling for less than €200 thanks to the arrival of HDV camcorders. There you go, I hope I’ve helped you. Have a good evening.

Phil69 · Answer

Hi, I had the same problem with my mini DV tapes, so as many people say, buy a cheap camcorder, but it's still a bit expensive just to watch mini DVs. The best solution I found is to entrust my tapes to the photo service at Carrefour; they transfer my videos from mini DV to a DVD for 25€ for the first tape. This solution is good if you don’t have many tapes, but of course, if you have 50 tapes, buy a not very expensive camcorder. That's it...
Cheers! (Otherwise, check out this site... https://eu.for-ever.com/)

nourAlg · Answer

lulu. trackman, vigilante. I advise you to look for small electronic toys, it's better for you instead of playing on the PC and insulting people who are trying to improve, you bunch of minors........
I agree with dauphin86, you can even look for a second-hand camcorder of good quality, and you'll save on the price.

Bernorenard · Answer

Hello
I am giving a little user review (Hi 8 and beta cam a long time ago)
I used semi/pro video years ago and back to "the technique" on the leisure side for an association, I intentionally bought a cheap camcorder (Samsung) in mini DV. This format I know well compared to its pro cousin that local TV journalists use, for example. This explains the price of the standalone player that you found expensive (the professional one is exorbitantly priced and the semi-pro is expensive especially if it's just for playback). So what to do? Read with your Sony and keep the tapes just for "archive". You transfer the files to the PC, even if it means using an additional hard drive reserved for that purpose. The PC acts as a dispatcher to the DVD to be burned and for playback on home theater players. Of course, these transfers will require some work, but you will secure your recordings because the cassette, even if it's mini DV, is not eternal; a bit of heat and cold, a bit of condensation in the camcorder and boom, the tape is ruined! Also, what’s on it, the full metal pro cassettes are very expensive too, for a relatively short lifespan (professionals do not reuse a cassette that has filmed; it is archived and only occasionally used to make a copy).
So draw the necessary conclusions and especially note that playing a tape does not wear out the playback heads (which are also the recording heads); your Sony "mechanics" will have given up long before the heads are worn out!
Have a nice day.

le cancre · Answer

Good evening and thank you for the time saved by reading all this. I understand that I am hidden like a dead rat, firewire is down... arg damned!

jl.bm · Answer

Hello

You are looking on Ebay for a MiniDV camcorder that works for playback, you will pay barely a hundred euros. Most of the time, the camcorders that are broken have either a mechanical issue (the tape doesn't spin) or the CCD sensor is dead (nothing shows on the screen during recording). Well, that's what I did; I have a functional DV and a broken DV that has the VCR function, which allows for direct copying of tapes.

Cloclo · Answer

Hello everyone.

My first Sony camcorder has died: it is now producing mosaics as best it can; it is therefore unusable. Given the outrageous price of a DV tape player-rewinder, I’m using this old camcorder as a rewinder; its mechanics are still good, it’s just the playback heads that are failing.

Mini DV player

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