Home Video Hints: Simple Steps for Camcorder Care (page 3)
Videotapes
Videotapes need love too. Remove partly-recorded cassettes from the camcorder and label them. Mini DV labels are a trial for my 2nd-grader printing, so I usually just write the date and the total elapsed footage for reference when I next use the tape.
To rewind or not to rewind? Rewind cassettes that will be stored for long periods of time. But if you plan to re-use a tape within a month or so, leaving it at 41 minutes or wherever will save a tedious search for blank tape and maybe prevent taping over previous footage. (In the old VHS days, wasting 20 minutes of unused tape cost practically nothing; but digital tapes cost real money.) After all these years, there is still no definitive argument for shelving tapes standing or flat, but most professionals bring cassettes to a full upright position for storage.
While we're in the neighborhood, let's repeat a point we made earlier about preparing new tapes. You should prepare future tapes by putting blank labels on them so they're ready for instant use in the heat of a sh…
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