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Re: Mini DV tape: wet...dry...don't mix the two?

Posted by Richard Crowley on 12/22/05 19:39

"AnthonyR." wrote ...
> Now my question is, I have been using TDK ME miniDV tapes for a while now
> since I get them cheap in Costco. Never had a problem so far but...now I
> am worried because a lot of my early miniDV tapes are Sony. I haven't
> played them in years but do want to eventually transfer them over into PC
> and then newer TDK tapes.
> How likely will this cause a head clogging problem for me?
>
> And is there a procedure I can follow?
> For example, play Sony tapes, then use a head cleaning tape, then start
> with TDK again?

Disclaimer: I have not done this myself, but have heard it
recommended from several reliable sources:

If I had several "different" tapes to capture, I would:
1) Run the head cleaning cassette.
2) Capture all the "different" tapes as a batch
3) Run the head cleaning cassette again before going back
to my "usual" tapes.

Note that many of the head cleaning cassettes cause
unusually greater wear on the heads, and use should
be limited to actual need. They are not a "preventive
maintenance" tool. At least that is what repair techs
have said. But in the case of temporarily switching
from dry to wet (or vice-versa), the benefits outweigh
the downside.

Back in the heyday of VHS, there were two different
kinds of head cleaning cassettes. One type wanted you
to "wet" the "tape" with cleaning solution of some kind
and the "tape" was white and looked like "non-woven
synthetic cloth". The other type was "dry" and used
unusually abrasive "tape" to "scrub" the guides, heads,
etc. The only kind of head cleaning cassettes I've seen
for DV is the "dry/abrasive" kind. This would appear
to account for the warning against gratutious use.

I will admit that I use the occasional (1~2%) TDK
cassettes from Costco and have never had a problem,
even without running the head cleaning cassette.

 

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