I have only had my A1 since the summer. So, this is the first time I ever switched from HD to 16x9 SD. I wanted to do some shooting in SD and as soon as I selected SD and clicked YES, I heard the tape mechanism make a noise then a red warning comes up that says "remove tape" . It flashed for a moment and then when I tried to eject the tape it wouldn't make a sound, I couldn't even open the outer cover. The tape was stuck some how. I kept switching the standby switch to lock and then back to standby while shaking the outer tape door and it finally opened and ejected the tape. I thought maybe just a freak thing so I loaded the tape again and had to go through it all again. Fortunately I was able to remove the tape. The tape is a Sony Premium and brand new. I have had no issues with it shooting in HDV, though I have only shot about 3 hours with the camera. So, in short, I threw the tape away. I installed another tape but left it on HDV instead of SD and it worked just fine. I am too paranoid about switching to SD and locking the tape mech. up again. Has anyone else experienced this, and if so, what is the problem? Thanks. J

Was it a new tape or did it have some HDV footage already recorded? I don't think that would make a difference, but who knows. I've switched between the two formats before with no problem, usually with a tape in the camera, but always a new one.

It was a brand new tape straight from the package. It had not had one second recorded on it. J

Try selecting SD before you load the tape.

Turns out it must have been the tape. I put another new one in and went ahead and shot in HDV since I wasn't having any problems there, but later tried switching and had no problem with the new tape. Thanks for your comments. J