"dc" <spammers_fu@hell.com> wrote in message

news:c1a5c.21769$%06.1383@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net...

> I have a Sony Digital8 camcorder (trv310). Anyone experience any dropouts

> with their DV camcorders? Do mini-DV camcorders handle tape dropouts any

> better?

>

> What does a dropout look like on playback? Do a few pixels go white for a

> frame or two? Or, is there something in the design of the digital playback

> circuitry that fills in those pixels with the same color of the pixel next

> to it?

>

> How many passes are you getting on metal particle tape, before it becomes

> unusable?

Digital cameras replace missing info in the current frame with

material from the previous frame (a small part of the image

will appear to "catch" if in motion). With major dropouts

(often due to head-clog, which can be due to mixing

incompatible tape brands in Mini-DV, but less likely from

this with Hi-8/D8 tapes), the picture can be seriously disturbed,

with wide banding, etc. I don't know the effect of multiple

uses of MP tapes with D8, but I use these for archiving

Mini-DV (along with two Mini-DV copies...). I have not tried

Sony's MP Hi-8 tape yet that is made in Mexico (I have some),

but I'm a bit worried...;-)

--

David Ruether

d_ruether@hotmail.com

http://www.David-Ruether-Photography.com