New-old-stock DV tape recordings, format is DOA?
 

I've been trying to record more moments and my modern cameras just don't capture the same aura as the cameras of my youth.

The problem however is that the video gets corrupted after about 5 minutes of recording on a new tape. This is a repeatable problem with multiple cameras and multiple tapes and I can't quite figure out what's going on. X-Ray scanners at Amazon warehouses??

Old family Canon ZR900 - Purchased new sealed Sony DVM60PRL tapes from Amazon. Problem initially presents itself. Corruption and de-synchronization of video and audio feed. Think to myself, OK... camera was used heavily. Let's get a new one.

Purchase good used condition ZR900, use fresh tape from initial Sony DVM60PRL pack purchased. Recorded some good moments and damn... exact same issue. I'm over it at this point.

Purchase excellent condition, barely used Canon ZR960 AND a different brand of sealed TDK DVC tapes from Amazon. Exact. Same. Problem....... More memories ruined.

What is going on here? Are the tapes decaying? Is there some sort of EMF that's throwing everything off? Has anyone else had this issue? I guess I'll get a Hi8 camera and go fully analog, but the mini DV cameras as so much smaller and more manageable I really don't want to give it up..

Could just be dirty heads on the DV camera.

1. How did you get the video off of the tapes?

2. Why is the aspect ratio odd like that? usually 16:9 DV still has vertical resolution of 480 I think, whereas this video has a vertical resolution of 720 - could be due to upscaling I suppose.

There were 720p ways to record onto DV tapes using an HDV camera, but doesn't appear that is something that the ZR900 supports.

I should clarify that the desync and corruption occurs in-camera before any sort of capture or export is performed. I just threw that example video together quickly so ignore aspect ratio and those details.

And these problems are identical across 3 different cameras with 3 different tapes from 2 different manufacturers. So something more overarching is occurring that I can't figure out. Only major variables left are faulty parts with the Canon cameras from 2 different model lines or something about how the tapes are stored by Amazon.

If I record with the camera, rewind the tape, and play it back in camera it shows the major artifacts as shown in the video.

If I pop in an old tape from 20 years ago recorded with the same camera it plays back just fine.

It's just the newly recorded footage on new tapes causing issues. I have tried re recording over an old tape with footage on it already yet. That may be best.

Even sitting in a safe cupboard, electronic and mechanical devices like these little cameras deteriorate over time. Lubricants fail, capacitors dry out, rubber parts deteriorate. They are also difficult to service and repair mostly because inside they are so fragile and miniaturised. Special skills and new parts are needed. Even properly cleaning the tape path isnt easy.

Transferring existing recordings without errors can be difficult enough these days. I wouldnt make important new recordings on this format.

Everything ages, used or not. Most likely, these tapes were subjected to bad/wrong storage conditions at some point in the past 25-30 years. Even being in a hot warehouse for 1 month is enough to nuke the tapes forever.

Unfortunately, you bought a batch of somebody's old junk. That happens when buying legacy blank media (8-tracks, film, VHS, DV, optical CD-R/DVD-R, etc). Been there, done that. Always buy samples of 2-3, never large quantities. Unless so cheap it doesn't matter if you lose all your money invested into it -- but that rarely happens, sellers these days are idiots, think the found a pile of gold, with no concept of how it could be bad.