Video8 playback trouble

[bentelkalb]

I have an old Sony handycam CCD F355E video8. I want to transfer the old stuff to DVD. The camera has not been used for years, I tried it and it worked fine. Now, after a while the picture got all jumpy and no sound. Anyone have any idea why and what to do? Bad luck if the cam crash now when I´m about to transfer. WOuld be great if anyone knows what to do, really important to get it to work again.

[zoobie]

Sounds like the cam is indeed dying. You could rent one...

[jlietz]

Did the section that plays bad now act in the same way previously? Or is this the first time this section has been played? What I'm getting at is that it sounds like an alignment problem, but it could be a misalignment in the camera now, or it could have been a misalignment when the tape was originally recorded (a misload upon tape cartridge entry...) If the misalignment occurred when the tape was originally recorded you will probably need to send it to a company that can handle misaligned tapes. If the camera can still play other tapes (or other sections of this tape) fine, its probably a misaligned tape (or tape section.)

[bentelkalb]

The same tape worked before, and all of a sudden this happend and no tape is working no more. But maybee I can use a digital8 cam to play video8 tapes? heard that it is possible?

[NightFire]

The same tape worked before, and all of a sudden this happend and no tape is working no more. But maybe I can use a digital8 cam to play video8 tapes? heard that it is possible?

Make sure you buy an older model because none of the new ones are backwards compatible. Another option is to transfer them to mini DV, if you have such a camcorder, or DVD by a company. This can be easier and cheaper if you only have a few tapes.

[edDV]

It could be dirty heads. Try a cleaning tape.

Old tapes that were improperly stored could be flaking emulsion or otherwise falling apart. This will quickly gum up a transport and may play sticky.

Old tapes should be wound end to end before play because the layers could be sticking together enough to cause jerky playback.

[Scooter_NJ]

ALWAYS,ALWAYS,ALWAYS fast forward and then rewind any cassette that has been sitting a long time before you try to use it!!! I recommend that rarely used tapes are stored tails out so you have to rewind.

And I also agree...try a cleaning tape on your cam.

[bentelkalb]

I have no cleaning tape, so can one do it manually? And how? Not sure what need to be cleaned. Actually, dont know very much about cams at all.

[edDV]

I have no cleaning tape, so can one do it manually? And how? Not sure what need to be cleaned. Actually, dont know very much about cams at all.

Don't cheap out buy the cleaning tape. You will need it. As cheap as $4 but widely available at camera stores or even groceries.