If you have MiniDV tapes that you’d like to playback and your camcorder isn’t working you have 3 options for playing them back without a camcorder:
To play back a Mini DV tape without a camcorder you will either need to purchase a Mini DV player, pay a video transfer service to convert the tape to a digital format for you, or buy/borrow another MiniDV camcorder. There are no MiniDV tape adapters.
As disappointing as it may be that there are no Mini DV tape adapters that will let you play them back in a VCR, we can walk you through the pros and cons of each way that you can playback a MiniDV tape.
The 3 Ways to Play a Mini DV Tape
Unfortunately, there are no MiniDV to VHS tape adapters to allow you to play back your tapes without a camcorder. Even if there was you would be losing a great deal of quality as MiniDV is a much higher quality digital video format compared to analog VHS.
Buying a Mini DV Player (Tape Deck / VCR)
There are Mini DV tape players or tape decks which act like VHS tape players but play Mini DV tapes instead of VHS tapes. Some of these mini DV players are small and mobile, others are the same width and general size as a VHS player / VCR.
In fact, there’s a dual Mini DV and VCR player, so if you are looking for both to convert your old tapes to digital then this might be exactly what you are looking for.
Generally, Mini DV tape players are more expensive and less common than finding Mini DV camcorder in good working condition as they were never really a mainstream item in most households. Most cost well over $600 and are hard to find as they were generally professional-grade video gear.
Where to Buy a Mini DV Player (Tape Deck / VCR)
Mini DV decks were not popular in their prime and were most likely used by video professionals, not the average homeowner. So these are tougher to find and more expensive than a used Mini DV camcorder:
- eBay: there are some but not many Mini DV players for sale on eBay: Mini DV Players.
- Amazon – while searching Amazon I did find 2 Sony Mini-DV Walkmans, like the old Sony Walkman cassette players we rocked in the 80s, but this you insert the Mini DV videotape and watch the playback on a flip-up screen.
Mini DV decks are definitely more expensive and if you are not sure what you are looking at then simply choose the links above and buy a camcorder.
Buying a Mini DV Camcorder
This shouldn’t be too shocking: the best and most affordable way to play your tapes your Mini DV tapes is to buy or borrow a Mini DV Camcorder. MiniDV was a popular format at one time and there are plenty of camcorders still being offered on used marketplaces for far cheaper than a MiniDV tape deck.
If you have several tapes to playback, with I assume the purpose of converting to a digital format, then purchasing a Mini DV camcorder and converting the tapes to digital yourself is the most affordable option.
Where to buy a Mini DV Camcorder:
Since any sort of tape-based video recording is outdated technology you can’t simply buy another Mini DV camcorder at your local electronics store.
There are, however, many good places to buy a Mini DV Camcorder:
- eBay – not only can you find plenty of used Mini DV Camcorders as well as other legacy electronics like VCR, audio cassette players, and more. Surprisingly there are some “new” options on eBay as well, meaning the camcorder is still unopened in its original packaging.
- Amazon – also a great used marketplace, there are pages and pages of Mini DV camcorders for sale
- Facebook Marketplace – shopping local can be easier especially if you need it fast, usually, all sales are final unless you have an agreement with the seller.
- Craigslist – if you are in the US Craiglist is a great site to find used items locally.
For a more complete list of places to buy a used camcorder check out our article on can you still buy a vcr player – we list 9 great websites for buying used legacy video equipment.
Transfer Mini DV Tapes To Digital Using A Video Transfer Service
If you only have a handful of Mini DV tapes, you may simply want to pay a service to convert the tapes for you to a digital format like DVD or a video stored on a USB hard drive.
Depending on your location you may have some local options for dropping off your tapes to a video transfer service to convert to a digital format, otherwise, there are plenty of online services options as well. Stores like Walgreens, CVS, and others offer video transfer services which they outsource to one of a few major transfer services.
I’ve outlined several video transfer services and the average cost of converting a videotape to digital if you’re interested in finding out more.
Be careful though, I always side with doing the transfers myself if I can so the tapes won’t get lost. Shipping irreplaceable video footage that could possibly get lost is a bit concerning.
If given the option get the files also copied onto a USB hard drive. If you only get them transferred to DVD they are not indestructible. DVDs can get scratched, oxidized, and no longer play, or worst lost.
By getting the digital file format you can back them up to another hard drive, Google Drive, Dropbox, or some sort of another online backup so they will never get lost.
I would also recommend getting some small stickers that you can write your name, phone number, and order # on if possible onto each of the tapes you are shipping out, just in case there is any confusion they will always know which tapes are yours.
Final Thoughts
If you decided to purchase or borrow a Mini DV camcorder or tape deck you may also want to consider finding 2 more things:
- head cleaner – a head cleaner will improve the playback quality of the camcorder for a better picture as well as clean other components inside the camcorder for a smoother operation. There are some Mini DV head cleaners for sale on Amazon and eBay, you won’t find these in any electronics stores.
- blank tape – if you can find or buy a blank Mini DV tape on Amazon or eBay its a good way to test your playback device without the potential risk of your a tape with important memories getting “eaten”. Test it out first with the blank tape to make sure it plays and ejects without any problems.