On Mon, 04 Nov 2002 16:46:37 -0500, H S wrote:

>After going through the various posting and webpages about using
>different tapes in MiniDV camcorders, I guess:
>
> 1) at least till a couple of years ago, it was a *strong*
>recommendation to stick with only one brand of tapes (due to chemical
>differnences in the tape lubricants i guess)
>
>2) and the problem of incompatibility between tapes was supposed to have
>been removed by the tape manufacturers. Still to be cautious, it is
>recommended to stick with only one brand,
>
>3) presently, I am not sure if it is safe to mix TDK and Sony tapes. I
>also read someplace that basically both have same material and construction.
>
>
>Any suggestions about the above three points? I have new TDK
>tapes(DVM60ME) with me, and my first tape is just about to finish (Sony
>DVM60PR). Should I go ahead and start using the TDK tapes?
>
>I would sure like some sure information, it is such a pain in the neck
>not to see a declaration by the various camcorder manufacturers whether
>to use other brands' tapes. I wish they were clear about this topic.
>
>Moreover, when someone buys a new camcoderder, I'd wish the salesperson
>is knowledgable enough to point out this potential problem. When I
>bought mine, the salesperson wanted to give me FUJI, but I insisted
>(luckily) on Sony even though I was not aware of the
>'tape-mixing-problem' at that time. If he had given me FUJI, I would
>have been stuck with it, unless all tapes are "fully compatible".
>
>The more I grapple with this common and unclear issue, the more I get
>convinced that camcorder manufactures should make all this clear since
>the problem plagues so many camcorder users. Also, all the MiniDV tapes'
>labels say that these are to be used with MiniDV camcorders, but do not
>mention the hazars (if they exist) of tape mixing.

The Mini-DV camera mfgrs. have been quite bad about the
tape-mixing issue - they hide behind recommendations
to use their own brand of tape, but do not inform
the customer that any brand can be used if it is the
only one ever used... Anecdotal info suggests: almost
all Mini-DV tapes are made by only two mfgrs., Sony
and Panasonic; in the early days, these two were not
compatible, but later changes made them more compatible
(except the white-bodied/blue-door Panasonics, which
are not compatible with anything else); if you regularly
mix compatible tapes, there are fewer problems than if
you only occasionally mix an odd brand (but, how can you
tell what is actually the same, or different, tape - or,
who makes what...?); most people do not see minor
dropouts, so they may not spot problems until the
dropouts become serious; people have reported major
problems using incompatible tapes, requiring head
replacement; safest (though not necessarily necessary):
ALWAYS use one tape brand, NEVER switching...