Be Careful Where You Put Dv Tape at DVinfo.net

Hugh DiMauro · June 23rd, 2004, 10:02 AM

I made the colossal mistake of placing one wedding video tape near my computer surround sound speaker. The magnet inside the small front speaker caused parts of my tape to erase and parts of the image and sound to degenerate.

Put your tapes down AWAY from your desktop speakers! Don't be a moron like me!

Richard Alvarez · June 23rd, 2004, 01:52 PM

Keep them in their plastic cases as well, as that provides a tiny bit of shielding.

Other "magnetic" sources on your everyday desktop.

Paper Clip containters - (Often have magnets in them)

Telephones (Especially older ones)

Monitors (Again, especially older ones)

Electric motors for fans.

Basically, treat your tapes like gold. If they are not being used in the deck, put them away in their cases on a nice dry cool shelf.

Yi Fong Yu · June 25th, 2004, 02:26 PM

thx for advice as i don't have magnetically shielded speakers around my workstation =).

Alessandro Machi · July 24th, 2004, 03:23 AM

Couple more to consider.

You toss your tapes on the front seat for the short drive home, but your front seat happens to be right by your mega speakers.

Two, anybody know if your heart is considered a magnetic source?
Can putting a DV tape in your chest pocket be considered a no no?

Jeff Donald · July 24th, 2004, 05:44 AM

Hugh, you might want to do a little experiment. The coercivity needs to be very high to erase mini DV tapes. The low end tape erasers, like at Radio Shack, are not strong enough to even do a partial erasure. If the magnet in your speakers were strong enough to erase a mini DV tape, your computer monitor would be severely distorted. You can do a search on this, this topic has been discussed in the past. I suggest to tape something unimportant and set that tape on your speaker. When that tape is played you will have no distortion on the the tape. I think you will need to look elsewhere to find the cause of your tape issues.

Graham Bernard · July 24th, 2004, 05:58 AM

"The magnet inside the small front speaker caused parts of my tape to erase and parts of the image and sound to degenerate"

. . having read Jeff's feedback, Hugh, do you want to do a controlled experiment with some "waste" footage. The "effect" you are seeing MAY be due to something else, completely.

Grazie

Steve McDonald · August 10th, 2004, 01:33 AM

I also doubt that your tape problems were caused by speaker magnets. I've never had an accidentally erased or even partially distorted video tape and I've had many of them close to big speakers.
Your recording unit may be the culprit.
Personally, the thought of someone who runs MegaBass speakers in a car, getting their tapes ruined, strikes me as a bit of electronical justice!

Steve McDonald

Jonathan Stanley · August 20th, 2004, 10:40 AM

If you have professional monitors (speakers), arent they really well shielded so you can put stuff right beside them? It would only be consumer speakers that would be more of the problem, right?

John DeLuca · August 22nd, 2004, 07:36 PM

I have a pair of polk Lsi 9 speakers(they have big magnets) on my desk, and lay mini dv tapes on the speaker cabnets all the time. Its never caused problems.

John

Hugh DiMauro · September 28th, 2004, 12:37 PM

Well, my JVC studio monitor severely distorts by getting the corner "spikes" and color blemishes when next to my 5.1 surround sound speakers.

Andre De Clercq · September 28th, 2004, 12:59 PM

The most severe situation/test, and even that wouldn't change yr tape content, is to put the tape against the bezel area of a color TV monitor while starting it up (not from standby). This startup cause the internal degaussing (demagnitising) coil to activate for a second or so and generates much stronger alternating fields than speakers do

Rick Bravo · September 28th, 2004, 06:47 PM

Dude, are you sure it's not that steel plate in your head that is causing the erasures??? :)

See you in DC next week.

RB

June 23rd, 2004, 10:02 AM	#1
Hugh DiMauro Trustee Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Central Florida Posts: 1,207	Be Careful Where You Put Dv Tape I made the colossal mistake of placing one wedding video tape near my computer surround sound speaker. The magnet inside the small front speaker caused parts of my tape to erase and parts of the image and sound to degenerate. Put your tapes down AWAY from your desktop speakers! Don't be a moron like me! __________________ Interesting, if true. And interesting anyway.

June 25th, 2004, 02:26 PM	#3
Yi Fong Yu Trustee Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Vulcan Posts: 1,564	thx for advice as i don't have magnetically shielded speakers around my workstation =). __________________ bow wow wow

July 24th, 2004, 03:23 AM	#4
Alessandro Machi Major Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Los Angeles, Ca USA Posts: 553	Couple more to consider. You toss your tapes on the front seat for the short drive home, but your front seat happens to be right by your mega speakers. Two, anybody know if your heart is considered a magnetic source? Can putting a DV tape in your chest pocket be considered a no no? __________________ https://alexlogic.blogspot.com/ Los Angeles Emmy Winner (yes, used a video edit controller and loved doing so.)

July 24th, 2004, 05:44 AM	#5
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	Hugh, you might want to do a little experiment. The coercivity needs to be very high to erase mini DV tapes. The low end tape erasers, like at Radio Shack, are not strong enough to even do a partial erasure. If the magnet in your speakers were strong enough to erase a mini DV tape, your computer monitor would be severely distorted. You can do a search on this, this topic has been discussed in the past. I suggest to tape something unimportant and set that tape on your speaker. When that tape is played you will have no distortion on the the tape. I think you will need to look elsewhere to find the cause of your tape issues. __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

July 24th, 2004, 05:58 AM	#6
Graham Bernard Old Boot Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: London UK Posts: 3,633	Controlled Experiment .. . "The magnet inside the small front speaker caused parts of my tape to erase and parts of the image and sound to degenerate" . . having read Jeff's feedback, Hugh, do you want to do a controlled experiment with some "waste" footage. The "effect" you are seeing MAY be due to something else, completely. Grazie

June 23rd, 2004, 01:52 PM	#2
Richard Alvarez Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 3,840	Keep them in their plastic cases as well, as that provides a tiny bit of shielding. Other "magnetic" sources on your everyday desktop. Paper Clip containters - (Often have magnets in them) Telephones (Especially older ones) Monitors (Again, especially older ones) Electric motors for fans. Basically, treat your tapes like gold. If they are not being used in the deck, put them away in their cases on a nice dry cool shelf.

August 10th, 2004, 01:33 AM	#7
Steve McDonald Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Eugene, Oregon Posts: 366	I also doubt that your tape problems were caused by speaker magnets. I've never had an accidentally erased or even partially distorted video tape and I've had many of them close to big speakers. Your recording unit may be the culprit. Personally, the thought of someone who runs MegaBass speakers in a car, getting their tapes ruined, strikes me as a bit of electronical justice! Steve McDonald

August 20th, 2004, 10:40 AM	#8
Jonathan Stanley Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Boone, NC Posts: 115	If you have professional monitors (speakers), arent they really well shielded so you can put stuff right beside them? It would only be consumer speakers that would be more of the problem, right?

August 22nd, 2004, 07:36 PM	#9
John DeLuca Major Player Join Date: May 2003 Location: Akron, Ohio Posts: 496	I have a pair of polk Lsi 9 speakers(they have big magnets) on my desk, and lay mini dv tapes on the speaker cabnets all the time. Its never caused problems. John

September 28th, 2004, 12:37 PM	#10
Hugh DiMauro Trustee Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Central Florida Posts: 1,207	Well, my JVC studio monitor severely distorts by getting the corner "spikes" and color blemishes when next to my 5.1 surround sound speakers. __________________ Interesting, if true. And interesting anyway.

September 28th, 2004, 12:59 PM	#11
Andre De Clercq Major Player Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Belgium Posts: 804	The most severe situation/test, and even that wouldn't change yr tape content, is to put the tape against the bezel area of a color TV monitor while starting it up (not from standby). This startup cause the internal degaussing (demagnitising) coil to activate for a second or so and generates much stronger alternating fields than speakers do

September 28th, 2004, 06:47 PM	#12
Rick Bravo Major Player Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 574	Hugh's third Purple Heart! Dude, are you sure it's not that steel plate in your head that is causing the erasures??? :) See you in DC next week. RB __________________ "The future ain't what it used to be." Yogi Berra. www.rbravo.com