Newbie question: cannot view/capture older DV tapes

[sinbarambam]

Hi everyone,

New to the forum and a newbie when it comes to video.

I have a CAnon ZR500 camera and am very happy with it. I can easily capture the DV tapes to my computer using Firewire.

The problem is that older DV cassettes that were shot with my parents' camera (a JVC) do not playback or capture properly. I can sort of see the image but it is blurry.

Any ideas?

(sorry if this is a silly question!)

[guns1inger]

Not a silly question, although the description - blurry - seems odd. Generally, because DV is a digital recording, playback or capture issues results in blocks and breakup, not blurring.

Can you post a screenshot of the captured video, or a short clip ?

[stantheman1976]

Were the tapes recorded in LP? Maybe the Canon is having troublen reading LP tapes from a different brand. Have you hooked the Canon up to your TV and tried playing the tapes? Maybe they just look blurry on your PC.

[sinbarambam]

Thanks for the quick replies - you're right, it's more 'blocky' than blurry.

When I play back the video on the camera it says 'SP' - is that a reliable indicator? Or could it still have been recorded in LP originally? I don't have a TV to connect to it here (I'm on holiday).

[sinbarambam]

anyone?

[guns1inger]

Aside from cleaning the heads on the camera, all I can suggest if you try a different camera. Perhaps there is a tracking issue.