Mini-DV Question, Am I screwed??? at DVinfo.net

Joshua Jezioro · February 24th, 2006, 10:44 AM

I shot nearly two hours of footage for an amateur movie I'm doing. I did a no no and accidentally left the two mini-DV tapes in the car overnight. Now when I try to play them (not the camera I recorded them on), they play slow and with no sound.

Could there be another (fixable) source of the problem? I popped in a mini-DV that I taped on that camcorder and it worked.

Or am I just completely screwed and need to re-shoot?

Andrew Khalil · February 24th, 2006, 11:18 AM

did you try playing them right away? I'm thinking it could have been condensation on the tapes and if you let them dry out, they may work. Otherwise, sorry to say, you may be in for a reshoot.

Mark Bournes · February 24th, 2006, 11:26 AM

What are you playing them on now? It could be a setting on the deck, or as said previously, it could be condensation and they need to dry out. Make sure the deck is in the right mode, ie: lp or sp mode. Switching these settings may help in your playback problem.

Patrick King · February 24th, 2006, 01:15 PM

After you've let them "dry out" as mentioned below, I would make sure they are at room temp and repack the tapes (fast forward to the end of the tape, then rewind to the beginning), then attempt to play.

Leonard Levy · February 24th, 2006, 01:26 PM

My guess is its an LP , SP problem or an incompatible deck. Leaving in the car shouldn't be a problem unless you left the windows open and it got rained on.

February 24th, 2006, 10:44 AM	#1
Joshua Jezioro New Boot Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Hamburg, NY Posts: 16	Mini-DV Question, Am I screwed??? I shot nearly two hours of footage for an amateur movie I'm doing. I did a no no and accidentally left the two mini-DV tapes in the car overnight. Now when I try to play them (not the camera I recorded them on), they play slow and with no sound. Could there be another (fixable) source of the problem? I popped in a mini-DV that I taped on that camcorder and it worked. Or am I just completely screwed and need to re-shoot?

February 24th, 2006, 01:15 PM	#4
Patrick King Major Player Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Enterprise, AL Posts: 857	After you've let them "dry out" as mentioned below, I would make sure they are at room temp and repack the tapes (fast forward to the end of the tape, then rewind to the beginning), then attempt to play. __________________ Fear No Weevil!

February 24th, 2006, 11:18 AM	#2
Andrew Khalil Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 424	did you try playing them right away? I'm thinking it could have been condensation on the tapes and if you let them dry out, they may work. Otherwise, sorry to say, you may be in for a reshoot.

February 24th, 2006, 11:26 AM	#3
Mark Bournes Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Jupiter, FL Posts: 565	What are you playing them on now? It could be a setting on the deck, or as said previously, it could be condensation and they need to dry out. Make sure the deck is in the right mode, ie: lp or sp mode. Switching these settings may help in your playback problem.

February 24th, 2006, 01:26 PM	#5
Leonard Levy Trustee Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: USA Posts: 1,684	My guess is its an LP , SP problem or an incompatible deck. Leaving in the car shouldn't be a problem unless you left the windows open and it got rained on.