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Definition: Hi8


An analog videotape format from Sony that uses 8mm cassettes with metal evaporated (ME) or metal particle (MP) tape. Introduced in the early 1990s with 400 lines of resolution, Hi8 is an improvement over the original 270-line Video8 format (see below), as well as VHS tape. Hi8 also supports a digital audio track. The format was superseded by Digital8.

Handycam and Video8
In the mid-1980s, Sony introduced its first Handycam Video8 camcorder with 8mm tape cassettes to provide consumers with an alternative to bulkier VHS and Betamax models. Video8/Hi8 and VHS-C (compact VHS) camcorders competed with each other until MiniDV and Digital8 units came out. See Digital8.