<76040.2263@CompuServe.COM> wrote:

>I'm with David on using a fresh DV tape when doing important
>work. I've been shooting mini-DV for about 5 months now, using
>the SONY EX tapes in a Sony TRV900. I've never had a drop out
>with a fresh tape. Yet. (Luck, of course, and it will probably
>run out tomorrow.) I have several tapes that I've re-used a
>number of times. I got drop outs on the re-used tapes, but they
>appeared randomly. (That means, with the time code displayed,
>the drop outs shifted location each time I replayed the tape.) I
>recorded color bars on the whole tape. The problem went away.
>Problems that go away by themselves, come back by themselves.
>So, David's advice is very good (as usual.)

(Thanks for the comment...! ;-)
Hmmmm...., what you said about the random appearance
of dropouts on reused tape rang a BIG bell... In viewing
footage shot on reused tape, I sometimes think I see a
minor dropout, but when I roll the tape back to check,
it disappears. I was blaming a lapse in attention for
the original sighting (my footage does often put me
to sleep...;-), but maybe not... I would like to
know more about this, and if bulk-erasure of tape
would solve it (and where I can find a good-but
inexpensive bulk-eraser for mini-DV tape).
Thanks for the post (I have just started to reuse
mini-DV tape - I may stop doing that for now...).