Is there a preferable type of mini dv tape for the Sony HC7?

The reason I ask is because I heard you really need the Sony HD tape to stop 'drop outs'.

Is this true, or will any decent tape do? Do any of you have a preference?

I use only Sony Premiums from the advertiser at the top of this page -- $2.19 each in lots of 50 or more. No dropout problems. HDV tapes unnecessary and a waste of money.

I use Sony premiums as well, no problem with dropouts with my HC5.

Just what I was wanting to hear.

Thanks guys.

I have a question: are the 80 minute Mini DV tapes ok to use in an HDV camcorder? I mean, i know you CAN, but is it really OK to do it? Because i read that the film in an 80 minute tape is MUCH thinner than a normal 60-min....

The tape /drives/ are identical... but since HDV is MPEG2 compressed, a drop-out can affect up half a second (15 frames) of data, whereas SD DV will only (unless really bad tape) affect a single frame.

YOU decide... Is the risk of half-second glitches worth the extra 20 minutes of record time?

I only use the HD HDV tapes and nothing else. I've had no issues so far.

Hi,
I have the Sony HDR-HC5 and have used the Sony DVM60EXL (Excellence) tape. I normally DO NOT shoot in HD. I cannot find the tape I have been using online recently. What model tape is a good replacement for the Sony DVM60EXL (Excellence) tape?
Thanks for your help.

Tape rules:

Don't waste your money on HDV tapes. There is no difference in picture quality between these and regular MiniDV tapes -- it's all digital. Sony Premiums are fine and can be had online for a little over $2 each.

Tape manufacturers often say that HDV tapes are built to higher standards than regular MiniDV tapes. That's frequently claimed but so far no one has ever presented any statistical evidence, anywhere, that this is so.

Even if it is true you need to do a cost-benefit analysis to decide if overpaying for all your tapes is worth the reduced chance of a dropout, especially if such dropouts are easily cut around (as they are in all the shooting I do). If it's a once in a lifetime event and you want to maximize your chances of having every frame be perfect, then the more expensive tapes may be worth it for you.

When I first started shooting DV I used the TDKs available at Costco for about $2.50 each. I used a couple of hundred without a dropout or any other problem. Later I switched to the Sony Premiums because even with shipping they were cheaper. I’m on my fourth case of 100 and have had maybe three dropouts total in two years. Costco now sells the Sony Premiums instead of the TDKs.

Don't mix tape brands. Sony uses a different lubricant than others and switching could gum up your heads. Run a cleaning tape for 10 seconds and then pick one brand and stick to it.

Never re-use your tapes. They should go through your camera exactly twice: once when you shoot and once when you capture.

Try this:

http://www.tapeonline.com/MiniDV/Sony_DVM60PRL.aspx

__________________
Adam
Proud owner of 8, no, 7, no, wait, now NINE Sony HDV cams. Checking into rehab next week.
"There are no experimental failures. There's only more data."

Thanks for the great information Adam.
If I use the HD tapes such as the DVM63HD,to record in DV (not HDV), no problems will occur right? Stupid question, but I want to make sure. I am reluctant to record in HD because the one time I did, I had audio sync problems when I tried to play or copy the recording to a DVD.

Chris

It's all the same so you shouldn't have any problems. But rather than recording DV onto an "HD" tape, you should be doing the reverse -- recording HDV onto a regular tape. Otherwise you are wasting the abilities of a very nice HDV cam, and wasting money to boot.

Your audio issues have nothing to do with the tape -- most likely your PC is underpowered. You can always downconvert HDV to DV, but you can't go the other way.

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Adam
Proud owner of 8, no, 7, no, wait, now NINE Sony HDV cams. Checking into rehab next week.
"There are no experimental failures. There's only more data."

Can someone explain to me how and why frame dropouts occur so much in HDV camcorders and their tapes? Do you know you have dropped frames in HDV when you see pauses in your tape for like a second or so? If so, I've experienced that twice, and with a Sony Premium tape. What exactly causes drop outs and is there a way to prevent them. I was recording a piano show and all of the sudden there are a couple 1 second pauses. It MAY have been because i think the tape i was recording on was a tape i previously recorded on. May that be why? If so, i wont do that anymore. What about new tapes? What are the chances of getting a drop out with a brand new Sony tape? I think i'll understand this a bit more if someone can explain to me where drop outs come from and why they happen.

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Yes.....i'm an extreme Sony loyalist.....you got a problem? SONY ~ LIKE.NO.OTHER ~

Briefly, because you do not have individual frames in HDV (Which is basically MPEG2), there is a GOP (Group Of Pictures) about 15 partial frames which contain differences. If you loose one frame then the other frames can not be constructed properly. That is a very brief, possibly not perfectly correct, but the basics.



Rich

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FireWire Survey

Rich, as usual, is exactly right. It's not that HDV has more dropouts, it's that they are more noticeable because they freeze up for a half second, rather than just looking like a dropped pixel in a single frame, the way they do in regular DV.

They are caused by a tiny little bit of metal oxide flaking off the tape backing.

And yes, it is because you reused the tape. Read my advice above. Never. Re. Use. A. Tape.

The chances of having one are always very small, but they can be disastrous if they occur right in the middle of a priceless scene. Read my Tape Rules post above about when to use regular tapes and when to blow a huge amount of money on "HDV" tapes.

__________________
Adam
Proud owner of 8, no, 7, no, wait, now NINE Sony HDV cams. Checking into rehab next week.
"There are no experimental failures. There's only more data."

Adam,

I am still finding my way around HD recording. You mentioned I may have run into my audio problems because my PC is underpowered. I have access to a PC running XP, Pentium 4, 3.33 GHz, 1.87 GB RAM, and an iMac G5, (Power PC G5 CPU), 2 GHz CPU speed, 2 GB RAM. I use iMovie 6 on the Mac and that is where I had my problems. Do I need to upgrade to work with HD video?

Thanks for your help.

Chris