Does a Camcorder have different heads for recording and playing?

[B-Twien Bytes]

Hello,

Something weird here. My semi-prof/amateur camera JVC GY-dv301E does do well in recording video and audio, but when viewing on the camera the sound and image doesn't go steady. It goes to slow, than suddenly to fast. As if the tape is going slippery over the head. (Like with those old cassetteplayers where the sound speed goes up and down)

When I do a capture into the computer than Pinnacle can't handle the buggy sound it doesn't report lost frames. and the image is like on the camera not good. So unable to do editing with this material. Pinn :? acle crashes even often on the footage from this camera.

Next thing I tried now for several times is taking the cassette into an other cheap JVC camera gr dvl157E and than capture the footage into pinacle. NO PROBLEMS att all. Video nice, sound nice. well able to do editing with this footage without having pinacle crashing.

Does a camcorder have different heads for recording and reading? like cassettetape players used to have? Somebody experiencing similar problems? Maybe my method to play the tape with any cheap camcorder and record with the better camera helps somebody.

Ewien

[DundeeDave]

COULD BE SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS WINDING THE TAPE THRU BEFORE RECORDING, HAD A FRIEND WITH A SIMILAR PROBLEM, ALL HE WAS DOING WAS PUTTING A NEW CASSETTE IN AND THEN RECORDING.

[JohnnyMalaria]

Does a camcorder have different heads for recording and reading? like cassettetape players used to have? Somebody experiencing similar problems? Maybe my method to play the tape with any cheap camcorder and record with the better camera helps somebody.

The recording and play heads are built into a single drum - technically, they are different. If you look inside the mechanism, you will see the drum (a round object that is tilted).

It sounds like your camcorder is faulty.

[B-Twien Bytes]

@ JohnnyMalaria

Thanks for your answer...any suggestions what to do best on the part "It sounds like your camcorder is faulty"?!

Happy 2007 by the way!

[edDV]

When I do a capture into the computer than Pinnacle can't handle the buggy sound it doesn't report lost frames. and the image is like on the camera not good. So unable to do editing with this material. Pinn acle crashes even often on the footage from this camera.

What do you mean "capture into the computer than Pinnacle".

Are you capturing over the IEEE-1394 port? If you use a DV capture program like WinDV do you see the same problems?

What happens if you play a tape recorded on a different DV camcorder?

Assuming the above still produce the problem, try using a cleaning tape. If that doesn't work, try removing both batteries for a cold restart (main battery and small battery that preserves settings). Let it discharge overnight then replace the batteries, set time and date etc.

[B-Twien Bytes]

I just built on this subject, because I guess it is all related....

I just found out that my footage will play "well" while running it on the videocamera...as soon as I though put it on the computer (Adobe Premiere elements program), it sometimes gives the sentence:

Generating peak file [name scene]

It also seems to run slower and faster (looking at the frames/sec) while taping it and later on putting it on the computer.

Anyone ever seen a "error message" like above?