Is it okay to reuse mini DV tapes? at DVinfo.net

Rohit Colin Rao · July 7th, 2003, 07:21 PM

if i stripe them?

Adrian Douglas · July 7th, 2003, 08:43 PM

As a general rule of thumb, many people only reuse tapes if it for non-essential shooting. For paying clients etc a fresh tape is recommended.

Ken Tanaka · July 7th, 2003, 08:44 PM

Striping and re-using tapes are mutually exclusive topics. Do a Search on reusing tapes and you'll find many opinions, as this is a well-worn topic.

Basically, use new tapes for important work. They're relatively inexpensive. You can reuse tape at least a few times before they may pose a head or performance hazard.

Don Palomaki · July 8th, 2003, 04:34 AM

Tape is cheap, much less than $5/hour of real (not reel) time.

Talent and crew time is not cheap, if a retake is needed, and many of life's events are one time deals.

That said, tape should be OK for many reuses, but there is some risk of added drop outs, etc as tape is used more often. To minimize risk, avoid reusing tape

Luke Gates · July 9th, 2003, 07:37 AM

for the price of DV, go ahead and label and file all your old video. Be sure to label as I have taped over old tapes erasing footage I will never be able to get again. I use shoe boxes and small 1x1 inch tabs to label......

Tom Hardwick · July 10th, 2003, 12:44 PM

Would you go out on an important shoot with an untried, untested piece of kit? No, you wouldn't, so don't think that unwrapping a new tape gets you off the hook. If you're buying 70 metres of tape for $3 then every now and then there's going to be a duff one come off the production line and get past the inspectors. It's the law of the land.

If you shoot and dump to the timeline you'll have proof positive that that tape is 'perfect', devoid of dropout and damage. Don't feel in any way obliged to discard it simply because you've found this out.

tom.

Rohit Colin Rao · July 10th, 2003, 02:15 PM

hmm... seems like there are arguments for both. i just wanted to make sure that there wasn't some definite image quality loss when you reuse a tape.

i'll try it and see...

July 7th, 2003, 07:21 PM	#1
Rohit Colin Rao New Boot Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: LA, CA Posts: 5	Is it okay to reuse mini DV tapes? if i stripe them?

July 7th, 2003, 08:43 PM	#2
Adrian Douglas Trustee Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Chigasaki, Japan. Posts: 1,660	As a general rule of thumb, many people only reuse tapes if it for non-essential shooting. For paying clients etc a fresh tape is recommended. __________________ Adrian DVInfo.net Search for quick answers Where to buy? From the best in the business...DVInfo.net sponsors

July 7th, 2003, 08:44 PM	#3
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	Striping and re-using tapes are mutually exclusive topics. Do a Search on reusing tapes and you'll find many opinions, as this is a well-worn topic. Basically, use new tapes for important work. They're relatively inexpensive. You can reuse tape at least a few times before they may pose a head or performance hazard. __________________ Lady X Films: A lady with a boring wardrobe...and a global mission. Hey, you don't have enough stuff! Buy with confidence from our sponsors. Hand-picked as the best in the business...Really! See some of my work one frame at a time: www.KenTanaka.com

July 8th, 2003, 04:34 AM	#4
Don Palomaki Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,489	Tape is cheap, much less than $5/hour of real (not reel) time. Talent and crew time is not cheap, if a retake is needed, and many of life's events are one time deals. That said, tape should be OK for many reuses, but there is some risk of added drop outs, etc as tape is used more often. To minimize risk, avoid reusing tape __________________ dpalomaki@dspalomaki.com

July 9th, 2003, 07:37 AM	#5
Luke Gates Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: new jersey Posts: 151	for the price of DV, go ahead and label and file all your old video. Be sure to label as I have taped over old tapes erasing footage I will never be able to get again. I use shoe boxes and small 1x1 inch tabs to label......

July 10th, 2003, 12:44 PM	#6
Tom Hardwick Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Billericay, England UK Posts: 4,711	Would you go out on an important shoot with an untried, untested piece of kit? No, you wouldn't, so don't think that unwrapping a new tape gets you off the hook. If you're buying 70 metres of tape for $3 then every now and then there's going to be a duff one come off the production line and get past the inspectors. It's the law of the land. If you shoot and dump to the timeline you'll have proof positive that that tape is 'perfect', devoid of dropout and damage. Don't feel in any way obliged to discard it simply because you've found this out. tom.

July 10th, 2003, 02:15 PM	#7
Rohit Colin Rao New Boot Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: LA, CA Posts: 5	hmm... seems like there are arguments for both. i just wanted to make sure that there wasn't some definite image quality loss when you reuse a tape. i'll try it and see...