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Mini DV Tape Doesn’t Playback Well
Hello all-
I was hired to shoot a video the other day, and all went well. I was using the same equipment I’ve used for the past few years without problem, but today I have something that has me stumped.
I tried capturing the tape to my computer via playback and firewire connection, but the tape doesn’t play. The timecode moves, though occasionally glitches; I can fast forward and rewind during playback, and I see the footage appear (though I can see distortions in the footage), and it disappears back to the default blue screen as soon as I go back to play. I can’t seem to get it to work at all.
I have three of the same cameras, and they all have the same problems with this one tape. I tried cleaning the heads; nothing. I even played another tape from this same event, and there was not so much as a dropped frame- it was flawless. I’m sure you’re thinking the same as I am, that the problem lies with the tape itself. Is there any way to repair this, or at least salvage the rest of the tape? The first 6 minutes all have this problem- I don’t want to fast forward to the rest, as I’m afraid that by pulling the tape around, the problem is spreading.
Tech details:
Sony Mini DV tape (the blue packs – 62 minutes)
Sony HDV1000u cameraI won’t bother giving the computer details, as the problem appears with or without the computer hooked up. The tape was brand new when I used it.
Any help would be appreciated – even if this part of the tape is lost, is there a way to salvage parts?
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3 Replies
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Might have recorded on it at the wrong speed, or it might be in Sony’s version of the DV 25 format?
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I recorded on it at the usual speed I always use, as well as the same tape I always used. The camera recorded on another tape from the same pack without problems just a half hour before.
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IS it recorded in Dv or HDV format? What specific “speed” did you record at? Can you visually confirm via the readouts, that the other tapes are shot at the same speed and recording format?
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