Hi 8 Tapes came out in the Late 1980's and were a slightly improved format to the already established Video 8 tape. Hi 8 Cameras in the 1990s were also capable of playing and recording onto Video 8 tapes as well.

The Hi 8 tape normally ran for 63 mins in SP mode, but more than 90 minutes of recording time was possible in LP mode. Longer Tapes were also available.

The quality of the Hi 8 format was good for the time and the small size of the tapes, made it very easy for people to store away after recording their memories.

One issue that is occurring nowadays with Hi 8 tapes, is when the owner's camera fails, there are very few, if any new models available to purchase, in order for you to play your existing library of Hi 8 tapes back on. Certainly over the next few years, this long time popular Hi 8 format will completely cease.

Even though some Hi 8 tapes are coming up to 20 years old, the quality is still quite often very good. One reason for this is perhaps that the tapes are generally not played hundreds of times over the years like VHS tapes, thus helping not to wear away at the tape quality.

Hi 8 tapes like other formats still have the capacity for the quality to fade away, and when you consider that in the coming years, you may not be able to easily find a Hi 8 camera in good condition to playback your memories, people should consider transferring their Hi 8 tapes to DVD and enjoy reliving those memories.

Be aware that Cameras for Digital Hi 8 ( yet another format ) will not playback your old Video 8 tapes and that playback of Hi 8 tapes may have mixed results.

By transferring your Hi 8 tape to DVD, you will ensure the longevity of the memories on that particular tape will be kept for years to come and that the quality will remain the same as the day it was transferred to DVD.