No Picture.. Ok, so me and my friends recorded some stuff on a few hi8 tapes about a year ago. It's been a few months since I've watched them and one day I felt nostaligc. When I go to play them back I get no pciture ...just a white screen but I can stil hear the sound. It's the same when I plug it into the TV. I get no picture signal, only audio. Were the tapes erased? How is that possible and can I fix it? Please help!

easy: locate a local audio/video transfer place or videography studio that you can hand these off to. Request mp3 format on CD as the mode of delivery. Usually they have the equipment needed and it isn't very expensive. Some will even clean up the sound for you.
Slightly more difficult: locate a hi-8 player, buy a $30 conversion cable that goes from the hi-8 camera or hi-8 deck to your computer (type of cable will depend on the type of camera you get and type of computer you have), download video editing software and capture the tapes. Once the files are in the computer you can export as mp3 and burn a disc.

Are you using the sony software to download and convert the video?

Hi8 takes hi8 tapes. Your particular model will be the variable to determine playback options. It probably has some type of RCA out that would let you view it on a tv.

DCR-TRV250E is a PAL version camera of the Digital8 format.
Yes you can use Hi8/Digital8 NTSC tapes. The camera will record a PAL digital picture on the tapes which means that you can play back the tapes in PAL and therefore you will be able to playback recorded tapes on UK televisions because they are also of the PAL format.

Symptom shows video head is dirty / clogged.
Please use good quality video head cleaning tape to clean video head for normal playback.

Seems video head of your handy-cam is dirty or clogged. Use good quality video head cleaning tape to clean video head.

I was having the exact same problems, and I read a post on this website somewhere recommending that I just record a few seconds of video on a blank portion of tape and then the camera should start playing video normally again.

I tried it, and IT WORKED!!

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/news-item.pl?mdl=CCDTRV128&news_id=161

any brand of hi8 or digital8 camcorder will play back those tapes but sony made a tape deck made to record and play back digital8, hi8, and 8mm tape. you can get here http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SearchCatalog

Just use good quality Video Head Cleaning Cassette. Video head is dirty/ clogged.