Hi,

I've got a JVC GR DVL 160EK cam, and a couple of tapes someone gave me - but whenever I record stuff, it looks like the heads are filthy, bits of the screen get stuck, and it's a mess. I've used a head cleaner many times, but with no effect. The tapes are Sony DVM60, Premium - could this be causing the problem? The guy that gave me the tapes said they were specifically for his type of cam, is this true? I don't mind buying new tapes, I just want to know if there's any point, or if I should get the cam repaired somehow.

Thanks, sorry to ramble on,

James

In theory, any miniDV tape should work in any miniDV cam. The only slight exception to this is that tapes recorded using the LP mode or one camcorder might not playback in a seperate camcorder.

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Dont reuse your tapes more than 3 times as this can result in pixelation (personally I only use tapes once) Also problems can arise from using one brand of tape a lot and then switching to another brand, either stick to one brand that works or change brands often. (this is caused by the different lubricants used by each manufacturer mixing and dirtying up the heads).

Get yourself a new head cleaner and some new tapes (not sony this time) and try again. Once you get it to work dont use the cleaner too often as this wears the heads out.

tonga

Oops, looks like I'm doing the exact opposite of the optimum! I tend to order tapes in fairly big batches to minimise the effective P&P/item cost. Looks like I'll have to make sure I order the same batch next time

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