Hi-8 is unstable in Media Express

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer here!

I am playing Hi-8 tapes with a Sony CCD-TR3000 Camcorder, going out via S-VHS to the BM Teranex Analog to SDI 12G. From there I have an SDI cable going to the Ultrastudio HD Mini, and then Thunderbolt to my M2 Mac Studio and a fast external SSD.

I have used this set up to capture Beta, VHS and DV tapes with no problems. But the Hi-8 video in Media Express is rolling and bouncing and going black for a few seconds every few seconds--really bad. All the Hi-8 tapes play fine when I watch them in the viewfinder so the problem is not the tapes or dirty heads.

On this forum I read that I should try passing the signal through a deck with TBC and I did that with both my JVC HR-7600U SVHS deck and my Sony DSR-11 DV deck. This made no difference.

What do all you wise people think I can do?

Thank you

Try to find a D8 camcorder or player, most of these can digitise Hi-8 internally and normally do better.

You need real TBC. DSR-11 or HR-7600 don't have one. Only other cheap device that can be used as passthrough TBC is DVD-Recorder if you have one available. Uli's suggestion for Digital-8 camcorder is also good one, even if only used to play analogue tape in stable manner.