Re-using MiniDV tapes

[marksk918]

i know with analog audio and video tapes there will be loss in quality the more you reuse a tape. will i have the same problem if i reuse a minidv tape? my vcr and my computer are in different rooms, so i want to capture from my vcr onto a minidv tape and then transfer it to my hard drive via firewire.i don't need the program on the minidv, so i'd like to reuse the tape for a future program but don't want to have to worry about loss of pictre quality.

thanks!

[edDV]

Go for it.

When the tape finally wears out you will see pixelation.
That's not likely to happen until many re-recording cycles.

Avoid those tapes in the future for serious camcorder use.

[barrybear]

Im not sure about this but don`t MiniDV tapes have a eletronic tally that tells you when the tape is worn out. You can see the connections for this on the back edge of the tape cassette.

Barrybear

[edDV]

Im not sure about this but don`t MiniDV tapes have a eletronic tally that tells you when the tape is worn out. You can see the connections for this on the back edge of the tape cassette.

Barrybear

Pro MiniDV tapes have a chip and flash memory that records camera setups, shot logs and other data.

Consumer tapes don't have that feature and consumer camcorders can't read the data.

[marksk918]

thanks.

no, i wouldn't be using them for the serious (family) stuff afterwards, just to transfer some old tv shows to the computer.