Solid Blue lines in Mini DV tapes... camcorder infected all tapes for 3 yrs

[samiandsky]

I need some help, and I'm desperate. I have a Samsung SCD-103, MINI DV camcorder. I've had it since Sept. 2004, I've recorded my little girls christmas, riding a bike without training wheels the first time, birthdays, etc... and now I think they are all ruined!

About a week ago, I pulled out the camcorder to watch some videos with the girls as they like watching videos... and at Christmas time, the camcorder worked JUST FINE... I plugged it into the TV, plugged the plug into the wall, and watched the videos. (the mini dvs) Well, a week ago, I go to do the same thing, and there are solid blue lines throughout the screen, from top to bottom and I can still see our video and sound in the background of these blue lines, but the blue lines dont go away. I rewind, fast forward, etc.. nothing changes. So I think, I must have a bad tape. So I pull out another tape from the cabinet, and put it in, same thing, blue lines, so I pull out another and another and another until I've gone through all of my tapes from 2004 to now and they all have blue lines, so obviously it's my camcorder right... so I need a new camcorder.

So I go to a camera store, and I take my newest tape there and check it on their displays, as they tell me to do, and same thing, solid blue lines during playback. Again, you can see the video and sound behind the blue lines, but the blue lines exist. So I happened to have my old tapes from 2004 and 2005, and we try those as well, and the blue line is in those tapes too. This makes no sense to me... I dont get it!!!! How could all of my tapes suddenly have these solid blue lines when they aren't even in my Samsung Camera being played back. Now, I can understand if I taped with damaged video heads then obvioulsy, the tape wouldn't play back correctly, but these tapes from 2004, 2005, and 2006 have been watched before, and perfectly fine, so I know they were fine before... and now they are not.

So I buy, tonight, at the store brand new mini dv tapes... sony brand - put them in my camcorder, try to record, and playback, and same thing - solid blue lines.... but here's the strange thing... I give that same exact tape to the guy, who is holding a cannon 830, the new one, and he puts the tape in, hits record, records on his new display model camera, and then hits playback... and same thing, solid blue lines throughout the screen.

So my question is this, I could care less about my camera... 400.00 down the drain, whatever... but did this camera now ruin every single tape it touched?? from 2004 to now? I dont know what to do, as the display models couldn't play my tapes without the blue lines...

Does anyone know what would cause this? Is there a way that a camcorder, just by touching the old tapes could have ruined them? I mean, I didnt let them run all the way thru, so wouldn't have only ruined a couple of seconds during playback? Now the whole tape is ruined.

I want my tapes to run, transferred, fixed, whatever... I'm actually so upset and sick to my stomach right now, and being a baby as a mother sometimes can be, because the tears wont stop. I can imagine losing 3 years of my little girls on video tape.

Is there anyone out there that can help me understand what has happened, or how I can get my tapes fixed? I mean, how can a video camera just touch a tape and ruin it?? The tapes ran fine we've watched them before, no blue lines, then suddenly blue lines... I dont get it. I'm so lost and upset.

If ANYONE can help me or lead me in the right direction for help, please email me, samiandsky@hotmail.com - or reply to me here.

I really need to find a way to keep my videos and my memories....

I thank anyone in ADVANCE for any help you can provide me.

Jodi
from Michigan

[JohnnyMalaria]

So I go to a camera store, and I take my newest tape there and check it on their displays, as they tell me to do, and same thing, solid blue lines during playback.

Did this newest tape ever play correctly on your camcorder?

To me, it seems that maybe the heads need cleaning. If the newest tape was recorded after the heads got dirty, then it could explain why it looks wrong on the store's camcorder, too.

You should take one of your older tapes that you know used to be okay and try it on the store's camcorder.

Also, take a new tape, record on it in the store - without it going anywhere near your camcorder. Play it back on the store's camcorder. Play it on your camcorder. Play it on the store's camcorder again.

If the tape misbehaves the second time in the store's camcorder, then it could very well be that your camcorder is doing some physical harm to the tapes. At this point, ask someone in the store to open the cassette's flap that covers the actual magnetic tape. (There's a little catch on the side that has to be moved). Look at the actual tape to see if there is any damage (wrinkles etc). DON'T do this with your valued home videos. If your camcorder is damaging the tapes, you don't want to damage your existing ones any further.

*Hopefully* it will be that the heads need cleaning and/or realigning.

[samiandsky]

Thank you for your reply.

Let me clarify...

I did take my old camcorder tapes (from 2004 and 2005) to the store. I have a total of about 20 mini dv tapes.

They tried about 4 of them in their brand new display model camcorders.

We tried a Sony and a Cannon - both showed the solid blue lines during playback, these videos that they tested, worked fine that were taped by my camcorder in 2004 and 2005.

I have played back these videos on my camcorder before by plugging my camcorder into the televison and playing them, and they were fine.

But last night after I noticed my one tape had blue lines during playback, that is when I then tried them ALL (all 20 tapes) one by one, in my camcorder for a split second to see if the problem was just with the one tape, and ALL of my tapes, because I tried them ALL for a split second shows the blue lines. Every single one of my tapes.

So when I called the local store, they said to bring the tapes in, that even if my camcorder had damaged video heads, that it wouldn't ruin the entire tape that was recorded perfectly fine in years past.

But again, the tapes (the old ones that have played fine in the past) did not work on the stores display camcorders.

So, we thought that somehow maybe the tapes were all ruined somehow... in the cabinet. Where I store all DVDs, VHS tapes, VHS-C tapes, etc.... a special cabinet just for these items.

So I purchased a brand new Mini-DV tape......to test this theory. I taped 1 minute only on my camcorder, rewinded it, and played it back - on my camcorder - solid blue lines, although you can see the taping in the background. Just like all the other tapes.

I then took that brand new tape out of my camcorder, and handed it to the store personnel.

They fast forwarded it.... taped about 3 minutes of footage of the store, and rewinded it and replayed it and the blue line was in their machine during playback.

So... to me, and I'm no expert by any means... that is why I'm here for help....It's like somehow, my camcorder infected all the tapes it has touched... which I just dont understand. So now I'm thinking because I tried all of my OLD tapes last night if even for just a split second, somehow my camcorder, just by touching them ruined them all. About 20 tapes total..... and it makes no sense to me.

Does anyone know of a place that can retrieve tapes, or restore them?? Demagnitize them? I am at a complete loss.

I'm hoping someone out there has an answer, or knows someone who can retrieve my memories for me.

Like I said, who cares about the video camera, I don't - it's the memories on those 20 tapes that I dont want to loose!

Thank you again for any advice, help, or answers anyone has. Also, if you know of other forums I should post to, let me know that too.

Thank you!

Jodi from Michigan

[samiandsky]

I'm sorry, I forgot to tell everyone, that I indeed bought a dry video head cleaner... Yesterday, and tried that BEFORE I tested all of my old tapes.

I went to the store, paid 30.00, got the video head cleaner, and ran it through as instructions stated, because my trouble shooting manual said that was what I should do if I had lines during playback.

Tried playing the first tape I noticed with blue lines, and Then, after I talked to the store personnel, that was when they said, well, if you had damaged video heads, then anything you recorded with those damaged video heads would not play correctly. So I figured I may have lost a couple of tapes worth, but I KNEW that before Christmas, the tapes from years past played correctly.

That is why last night I tried my OLD tapes that I knew for a fact recorded correctly and that I knew for a fact had played back just fine, as me and my girls had watched them on televison together, they love to watch home videos of themselves. So that is why I tested these after I used the video head cleaner, and every single tape in my possesion has the solid blue lines.

So I've tried the video head cleaner to no avail.

And no, the brand new tape NEVER played correctly in my camcorder at all.... my camcorder seems to record just fine, no error messgaes, it's when I switch it to play that I get the blue lines, but then again, so did the stores models of the sony and cannon.

[etoby]

Hi, I am having the exact same problem with my Sony Mini DV Handicam. The good news is, I did take my tape into a professional that converts tapes to DVD etc, and they were able to get it to play okay on their system, so I had it burned to a DVD by them so I didn't loose it. They were not sure what was causing it though.

Having said that, I am still having the same problem with my camcorder (it was bought just over a year ago and I hadn't used it much, but I just had a baby and would like to start using it again, but the blue lines are still causing us problems.

If I find out anything further I will pass it along, but in the meantime I would recommend taking one or two tapes into a specialist that converts tapes and see if they can get it transfer okay. If you find out anything I would also love to hear about it (waggs@canada.com).

Thanks.

[bencopeland]

I made an account and resurrecting this 6468-day-old thread just to share this with anyone searching google with this problem:

With the power off and tape deck open on a miniDV camera, take a q-tip and put a small amount of rubbing alcohol on the end, and gently 'clean' the magnetic reader head thing inside the camera (shiny metal cylinder thing inside the base/bottom), and pulleys. Let dry (very quick).

My camera and tapes had the same issue and it fixed it! God bless

[Alwyn]

take a q-tip

The experts say DO NOT USE Q-TIPS to clean video heads. The fibres/hair might snag the video heads (the "shiny metal cylinder thing"). The drum is not the actual head.

[mammo1789]

The experts say DO NOT USE Q-TIPS to clean video heads. The fibres/hair might snag the video heads (the "shiny metal cylinder thing"). The drum is not the actual head.

Best method is plain white photocopier paper and 99% alcohol for the heads q tips for rest

[dellsam34]

Resurrecting a 17 years old thread to give a wrong advice, The problem with q-tips is that if the fibers get wrapped around the video heads it prevent them from contacting the tape properly and makes the playback even worse.