Horizontal grey bars when playing tapes on Sony DCR-TRV255E

[waarten]

Hi,

After successfully capturing old Hi8 tapes, I've started with the capturing of my old Digital8 tapes. However, all tapes I'm playing on my Sony DCR-TRV255E have three horizontal grey bars (see image below).

The bars don't move but are static. The video output (RCA) has the same result as the playback on the camera. Because I don't have a cleaning tape and can't find an affordable one near me (Rotterdam, The Netherlands), I've cleaned the video head carefully myself with cleaning alcohol (although it didn't seem dirty at all). The video output didn't change at all.

Does someone have an idea how I can fix this?


[Attachment 56606 - Click to enlarge]

[dellsam34]

Digital8 should be captured via firewire not composite RCA. Any way, since the bars are not moving that rules out tape drop outs, But possible a bad video head, I don't know how the two heads scan the data, but those stripes look equally spaced which could indicate that one of the two heads is chipped or dead. Another possible cause is tape path miss alignment.

[waarten]

Thank you for your reply. I'll take a look at the heads and alignment.

[smudgersdad]

Hi Waarten,
I have the same problem you described. Did you find a solution?

[waarten]

No, unfortunately not.

[themaster1]

Either dirty heads... Or one head is dead ; though I don't know much about D8.

[thecoalman]

Might because they were recorded using "long play", especially if it's not the cam that recorded it.