8mm video playback problems

[dinovideo]

I have a box full of memories stored on 8mm video 10-15 years old. I recently tried to play them back on the original machine as well as another player. The tapes looked the same on both players (Sony video 8 GV-9 and the Sony CCD-TR-5). The image is not clear, multiple flipping lines and images. The audio is not clear and usually not present. Does the tape break down or do the old machines need their heads cleaned, they haven’t been used for about 10 years.

[Rob]

im not sure if tape breaks down, but yes, you may need a cleaning of the cameras.

[Anonymous]

robgrauert is right about the need to clean the camcorder. And while tape can “break down” the symptom is loose oxide on the tape. Which clogs the video heads and causes faulty playback. So whether it is the tape or the camcorder, you’ll still need to clean the heads. The heads don’t sound too bad like they are totally covered, so using a head cleaner tape could do the job.

But if they are older tapes, you’re going to need to retension them by fast forwarding to the end & rewinding. This will do two things for you. First it will equalize the tension so the tape is unlikely to be stretched during playback (or recording.) And for older tapes that may have loose oxide on them, the process lets it be swept off without clogging the heads.

Hope this helps, good luck with your playback problems.

[Author]

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