On Sun, 09 Feb 2003 19:41:04 GMT, "Mark Thomas" <kthomas4@cinci.rr.com> wrote:

>I have JVC model GR-DVF21U camcorder and it is starting to fail to record

>and play properly. I get digital blocks in several ways on the screen.

>Sometimes I get 4 or 5 digital lines across the screen, sometimes the screen

>has the right-hand third blocked out, etc. I know I probably just need to

>take it and have it serviced, but I was wondering if anyone had any good

>home remedy tips or little things that you can do to pinpoint the problem.

>The kids basketball season that I am taping has only a few games left and I

>really don't want to be without this thing for several weeks. Sometimes it

>works fine, other times not.

>

>I was able to clean some of the rollers inside the mechanism once with some

>rubbing alcohol and it stopped doing it for a while. I'm sure I probably

>hurt it more than I helped it. I have used many different brands of tapes.

>Any suggestions? Does anybody have any views on the DV cleaning tapes?

It is sometimes recommended that Mini-DV tape

brands NEVER be mixed (or that they often be mixed,

or that just the blue-white cased Panasonic never

be mixed with others - I find the first safest...).

Try a cleaning tape, in VCR-mode only, for 5-second

passes with 30-second "rests" between. If three

passes do not solve the problem, have the camera

serviced...