Introduction

I need a place to put all the material I come across for MiniDV items. Mainly this is for tapes, but I'm sure we'll branch out to consumer and prosumer camcorders. Add what you want...

MiniDV Tapes

Most people recommend sticking to one brand/model of tapes for the duration of the camcorder life to avoid mixing lubricants.

However, apparently some brands change their sources of tapes and the lubricants change to. There are only a few manufacturers for tapes, but they all get rebranded (think along the same lines of DVD media and such)

Two types of lubricants:

• Wet
• Dry

Recommended Media:

Fuji DVC-60 (by dvfreak.com)
Sony (from what I hear?) The RTF Dept at UT only uses Sony
Panasonic (from what I hear? Panasonic Mini DV Master tape # AY-DVM63MQ For Professional use is made by Fuji, but avoid the AY-DVM63PQ since it has issues)

• regarding the Fuji tapes there are apparently two types being sold:

Fuji DVM-60
White Wrapper and Cassette with Japanese lettering
http://www.tapestockonline.com/fuj60minmind.html

Fuji DVC-60
Black Wrapper and Cassette
http://www.taperesources-store.com/store/prodinfo.asp?number=DV60-F&dept=6

"I do not know of any design specification differences between these two models, perhaps someone else does. Speaking from personal experience, I can say I have had better luck with the DVC's - the tape most easily found here in the USA. The DVM's were the first tapes I used but unfortunately I averaged 2 dropouts/glitches per tape. Perhaps these tapes are labeled to be marketed in Asia but were shipped to the USA anyway?
This won't be a problem for most people since the DVC's are much more widely available, but if you do have a choice I'd recommend sticking with the DVC's."


The rest apparently are crap. Too bad I'm using TDK's from costco.

MiniDV Tape Care

Basic tape care is more important (in my opinion) than the lubricants nowadays. Specifically, don't leave the tape midway, but rewind it all the way when you aren't using it the next day so you don't impart a bend to it where it wraps around the rollers. Most even cheap camcorders have a good END SeaRCH function. Store upright, in a cool and vibration free place. Retention (FF and Rewind) before using a new tape or one stored for weeks.

Storage solutions for tapes are... ???

• Keep tapes in a dust free environment, away from direct sunlight.
• Avoid high humidity and moisture.
• Never store tapes near magnetic fields, (top of TV, speakers, etc.).
• Try to give tapes 24 hours to adjust to extreme temperature and climate changes.
• Fast-forward & rewind tapes every 2 years to prevent sticking.
• Store tapes rewound and vertically in their case. The storage environment should not be hot, humid, dusty or smoky.
• Plastic storage boxes are the best solution for long term storage.

Avoiding Drop Outs

This refers to dropping a series of bits out from the data stream. It happens when the tape loses contact with the spinning head momentarily. Usually due to a crease or 'molded bend" in the tape. Some blame all dropouts on lubrication problems, but those who are careful with the tape don't have any problems reguardless of what tape they use (or use several). Specifically, don't let the tape sit "mid-way" but rewind it to the end when you store the tape or leave it in the camcorder more than a day. The feeding rollers and guides bend the tape somewhat when loaded even if it isn't wrapped around the head. See my last post or do some searches on good tape care and storage.

When you have a dropout, sometimes you can "play that part over" and it may work (and you can try to redo your copying or splice in the good material). Some minor runs of data dropouts are corrected by the error correction codes built in to the recording and playback spec, but generally you do want to avoid having dropouts.

If you do manage to get creases in the tape, you wil have dropouts. Try not to jar or drop the miniDV tapes or subject them to rapid heat or humidity changes. All in all, the metal evaporated tape and high tensile substrate is pretty robust (try erasing one with a regular non-biased hand-held eraser), but there is a LOT of data there at a very high density so a small area that is bad or loses contact with the head will result in a loss of more data than the same area of a VHS-C or 8mm cartridge.