Direct mp4 download or play:  The Mod Squad – ABC TV Network Promo
Here is a network television promo from the late 1960s or 70s captured from 16-millimeter film. Go to IMDb for more information.

Direct mp4 download or play:  Bufferin Aspirin Ad-Senior Citizen Relocation
This rare commercial was captured from 16-millimeter film and is likely from the late 1960s or early 1970s.

Direct mp4 download or play: 1973 Chevy Cheyenne Pickup Truck Commercial
This commercial was purchased online by Richard Lyons.  I captured the 16-millimeter film using my telecine projector and my Sony DCR-HC1000 3-CCD MiniDV Digital Handycam Camcorder.

Direct mp4 download or play: Testing Stereo Separation & New Hand Blender
Here is some video from spring or summer of 1991. This is from one of the recordings I made after my mother died, while my grandmother was still living. Things were much more subdued after my mother passed away, so I tried to “liven things up” with these and other ridiculous, dumb videos. Eventually, I’ll post the entire video, but I must worn you, there are long stretches of the camera aimed at flowers in my grandmother’s backyard. Hopefully, the first part demonstrates the camcorder (Sony CCD-V220) actually records stereo sound.

Direct mp4 download or play:  Thanksgiving 1987 – Part 1

Direct mp4 download or play: Thanksgiving 1987 – Part 2
Here is home video from Thanksgiving 1987 featuring my grandmother, mother, father and my grandmother’s cat, Gretchen. The location was my grandmother’s home in Santa Rosa, California. It was recorded using my first 8-millimeter camcorder, a Sony CCD-V110.

Direct mp4 download or play: My First Home Video
I’m quite sure this is the first video recording of my family. There is no date stamp on the tape, but this would have been 1986 or ’87. The Styrofoam packaging from the box of my new Sony CCD-V110 8 millimeter camcorder is visible on the sofa next to my mother. Also, the box appears briefly as I’m panning. My mother, father and two cats Big Butt (fluffy white long fur), and Baby Doll which I refer to as Tabatha Stinkaton or Stinkington.
This camcorder recorded in regular 8 millimeter video and mono AFM (audio frequency modulation) also known as Hi-Fi. The built-in microphone was very sensitive, especially to higher frequencies and had a slightly “tinny” quality. It picked up a lot of noise from the camcorder, as well. There’s an external microphone jack and using an external microphone improved the sound quality quite a bit. Also, I figured out how to connect the output of an audio mixer to the microphone jack without causing overloaded distorted sound. If I’m  remembering right, the microphone jack had plug-in-power present (a low voltage, usually a couple of volts to power electret condenser microphones), which needed to be blocked with a capacitor.
The last part of this video features briefly using an external microphone, the display of my police scanner and the tuning indicator of my RadioShack shortwave receiver. The sound was of the scanner and several other radio tuners and possibly TV audio, plus some digital delay echo. This audio was mixed to mono and connected to the camcorder.

Sony CCD-V110 8 mllimeter camcorder

Bearcat 300 police scanner

Realistic DX-302  receiver

Hre’s a link explaining how “Hi-Fi” sound works in video recorders:

Sencore Tech Tips – How VCR Hi-Fi Stereo Works

Direct mp4 download or play: Kid’s Stuff Doll
There are several 16-millimeter films Richard Lyons purchased on eBay entitled “Kid’s Stuff.” They are from the 1960s and may have been shown on television stations around the U. S. during weekday afternoon kids programming. Richard told me once he remembers seeing one of these films or something similar, possibly on KTVU channel 2 in the late 1960s. I personally watched KTVU as a child, while growing up in Berkeley, California. I guess I was more interested in “The Three Stooges” and don’t remember anything like this film. A few years ago I acquired a projector and learned how to capture picture and sound. Richard and I were never sure if these films should be made available. I think now is the time to show the film. If I can get the other “Kid’s Stuff” films presentable and in the right file format they will appear on this post. An explanation of how I captured this and other 16-millimeter films is here. Be sure to check my posts “LaChoy Soy Sauce,” “Golden Grain Macaroni and Cheddar,” “STIR-N-SERV 1 Pan Lasagna,” “Salvation Army Kentucky Fried Chicken PSA,” “Common Sense Self Defense,” “Why Am I So Dumb,” and “TV Guide Censors,” These are all 16-millimeter films Richard purchased online and decided they could be shown. You can also browse the newly added category “16 Millimeter Films.” I will likely be adding more films to this, soon. Also, check Richard Lyons’ YouTube channel “baysadaye” for more 16-millimeter films I helped him post. They are  “JAMBO –  opening and closing theme,” “1971 ABC Television Promo – Make Room For Grandaddy,” “It’s Nice To Share – United Church Of Christ – Episcopal,” “Classic Ideal Game Commercial – Up ‘N’ Over,” “Discovery ’71 – ABC Sunday Morning Kids Show – 1971,” and “Discovery ’68 – ABC Sunday Morning Kids Show – 1968.”

Here is an image from Seattle around 3:30 AM on December 9th, 2016.

 

Direct mp4 download or play:  Raccoons – July 25th, 1989
Here is another recording I made with my Sony CCD – V220 Camcorder.  This happened in my backyard in Martinez, California and features a family of raccoons. Be sure to check  “April 16, 1989” for more about how I’m capturing 8 millimeter videotapes.

Direct mp4 download or play:  April 16th, 1989
Finally, I decided to try to capture one of my many 8 millimeter videotapes from the 1980s. For years (most of the time living in Seattle) I thought the camcorder the original recordings were made on was not working. I discovered just today only the camera part isn’t working. The video recorder/player is totally okay. This video is one of the last recordings of my mother before being diagnosed with breast cancer. She passed away less than a year later in March of 1990. The video shows what she liked doing best, working in the yard. We had a big back yard (an acre) consisting of a steep hillside with Monterey Pine trees in Martinez, California. Also, it shows my mother’s beloved cats Big Butt, Buddy, Spot, and Tabatha Stinkaton. Guess what names I chose! Back then, the weather in California was much more seasonal with ample rainfall. There was always a lot of fairly lush green grasses and wildflowers in our yard each spring.

On a more technical note, I was trying out a different microphone on the camcorder, probably a Sony ECM939LT. The camcorder is a Sony CCD – V220 “Video 8 Pro.” This camera not only has AFM (audio frequency modulation) audio recording, but it could also record in digital PCM stereo audio onto a separate track on the 8 millimeter cassette. In fact, it has analog VU meters just like on the Sony TC-D5M audio cassette recorder. I figured the digital audio would likely fail, due to tape deterioration. It didn’t! It played and captured properly and so this recording has a similar quality to some of the ambient recordings I’ve made while living in Seattle. The video capture was performed with the 8 millimeter camcorder connected all analog (yellow cable video, white cable left channel audio, red cable right channel audio)  into the analog line in on a digital Sony DCR-HC1000 Handycam. The video is converted to digital in the Handycam and sent to the computer via firewire. I found a great free DV video capture program called Scenalyzer. Then the video, which split into four parts went into Corel VideoStudio X9, where the parts joined seamlessly, and rendered into one file, nearly 6 gigabytes in size. I imported the edited file into Adobe Audition where the audio and video are separated in the multi-track view. The DV video file format and PCM audio with an extension of .AVI is totally compatible with Adobe Audition. While working in Adobe Audition, a low cut below 40 hertz was applied to cut wind noise and bumping of the microphone. A little amplification was added to sweeten it up just a bit. The peak audio level on the loudest sounds was brought up to -.35Db. This new file was exported from Adobe Audition which made another almost 6 gigabyte DV file with the improved audio. Then, I used Handbrake to make a high quality mp4 file (high profile, slow render, strict 640 x 480-4 x3 frame size, 256 Kbps AAC audio) for the internet. In addition, the Mp4 file was ran through Video Container Changer to make the Flash video file for the regular WordPress Flash player. Of course, now I include “Direct mp4 download or play” options. Sorry for being long winded about the details, but I won’t do this again for more 8 millimeter videotapes I hope to have up before the end of the year. A final note, I no longer have Richard Lyons to help me with grammar and punctuation. So I’ll be checking and/or correcting this text in the coming days or weeks.

Big Butt

Buddy

Spot

Tabatha Stinkaton

Sony CCD V220 8 millimeter camcorder