Mini DV tapes

[jagdpanther]

Just recently Ive been having problems when capturing on my pc.

It seems that the tapes I am using have become "tainted" if you will and as a result the footage is jumping while on playback, which sucks!

How often can you use the same Mini DV tape before it goes down the swanny quality wise?

[ErnestM]

I use my tapes for filming ONCE. Simply because they make excellent backups. After capturing on the pc, the tapes get clicked over to save mode and then stored. If I need the footage again, I reload from tape.

ErnestM

[jagdpanther]

You're always here to help a novice Ernest...thanks

I need to go buy some more and start doing what you said buddy

When I first got the camcorder I was only filming 10-20 minutes at a time and the funny thing was, I was always rewinding the tapes and recording over the same bit

[Dibble]

Costco do a pack of ten JVC ones for about 15 quid including VAT - by far the cehapest I've found anywhere.

[ErnestM]

If you are going down the route that I use, you might want to think about one of these:


Click

I keep it in a file drawer with all of my tapes in it. If you label your tapes properly (I do mine by year and then event), it makes them easy to find...

ErnestM

[jagdpanther]

Im actually using my camcorder box as a storage facility as I have a great little padded soft bag for the camera and camcorder

Just odered a pack of 5 JVC tapes £10 with delivery

[roop]

I use mine once only - I never erase or record over anything. That said the playback head on my ageing Panasonmic NV-EX1 has started to wear out as it pixellates a bit on playback sometimes.

Shame Scotch don't make DV tapes - Re-record not fade away, Re-record not fade away, Re-record not fade away etc. Sorry, showing my age there...!

[jagdpanther]

This is how its gonna be

With Scotch's lifetime gaurentee

Tape what you want both night and day

Rerecord not fade away



Top quality 80's advertisements

[meeja]

When using miniDV tapes, be very careful when buying your blank tapes not to allow the price to influence your decision too much.

A particular brand of miniDV tape can be bought for around £2.00 each.

They come in an orange wrapper, and the tape is black, with a red edge covering the actual tape.

Be warned that these tapes have been known to cause professional DV machines to require replacement heads (Which is not a cheap job!)

[jagdpanther]

meeja said:

When using miniDV tapes, be very careful when buying your blank tapes not to allow the price to influence your decision too much. A particular brand of miniDV tape can be bought for around £2.00 each. They come in an orange wrapper, and the tape is black, with a red edge covering the actual tape. Be warned that these tapes have been known to cause professional DV machines to require replacement heads (Which is not a cheap job!)

Thanks for the headsup meeja...when it comes to buying blank media, I always try to buy branded (know brand) anyway as Ive found most cheaper blank media tends to show in poor quality recordings.

Ive just bought 5 JVC MiniDV tapes for just short of a tenner...ordered from Ebay yesterday, arrived this morning

Ive just tested one out with my new suction mount so Im check the quality in a moment!