VANITY: Need help with sony camcorder with a problem!!

6/15/05 | MomwithHope

[MomwithHope]

I hope someone can help. We are elaving tomorrow on a graduation trip for our daughter to Nashville. Our camcorder will not work!! Its a Sony digital HandycamVision model dcrtrv7. Its about 6 years old. I sent the cleaning cassette through 3X at the advice of the sony service people via phone, and I still get thick black bars that run horizontal when I try to record or play a tape. It's like jail cell bars sideways with the image in between, moving and the audio is choppy. I looked inside with a mag light and magnifying glass and can't see anything foreign. Id anyone has some advice it would be greatly appreciated as we leave first thing in the morning and she would love to have some video from the trip. Thanks Freepers you are the best, my e-family!

[RushCrush]

Are you logged in?

Just kidding.

[abner]

Time to upgrade?

If that is not feasible, make sure you are using a Sony tape. Sony cameras are pretty sensitive. I used a Maxell once in one of our cameras and it cost me 100.00 to get it fixed.

[Dan12180]

Can you clean the heads with 99% alcohol and a q-tip. The higher percentage alcohol has fewer additives and is best for cleaning electronics.

[freeplancer]

Get the camera by a heat source and warm it up above room tempature, and then run the cleaning cassete through it on play for 1 minute.

[Pondman88]

Get a new digital video recorder thing-a-mobab. They are small, the memory cards are tiny, and your old Sony is a relic. In ten years kids will be asking--what is VHS???

[Fierce Allegiance]

Remove the lenscap.

[Conspiracy Guy]

Yep.

[Fierce Allegiance]

Last night, at my 11 year old daughters softball game, one of the girls recorded some music on her dads old pocket recorder. They were all interested in the thing because it used the mini casettes. Almost none of them knew of casetttes, nevermind the mini casettes.

[Ron in Acreage]

Borrow a friends or rent one ?

[Ron in Acreage]

Buy a new one from Walmart. Use it on your trip. Return to Walmart for refund. Tell them it was a gift you have no need for and get your money back or a store credit for things you really need.

[Trident/Delta]

I have one of these. What you are seeing is symptomatic of bad tape. Try a new tape. If your old tapes have been exposed to a magnetic field (be carful because even the magnetic catches in some purses and wallets can distort the magnetic images on the tape. Otherwise, take it back and get a replacement. What you are seeing is a sync problem that is from the camera being unable to write its sync signal to the tape track.

Semper Videophile

[Smittie]

I just sold my old mini-cassette recorder in a garage sale for $3 to a little kid. I don't think she ever saw one before, it just fascinated her like it was an old relic. I don't even know if you can still get the tapes for them. I hadn't used it since college.

[processing please hold]

Can you clean the heads with 99% alcohol and a q-tip.

Spit works better for me. I put a q-tip in my mouth, wet it, and it works wonders.

[GaltMeister]

Get a MAC.

Ooops, sorry wrong thread. :o)

Seriously though, posts # 5 and 12 sound right to me. I used to work on video gear, but it's been a few years, so I'm kinda rusty.

[UB355]

CVS Drug chain is marketing a throw away Camcorder I just read. @ $30.00 if they are in your area or destination.

[demsux]

My son found my old albums in box in the basement...he showed them to my daughter and neither one knew what they were.

They finally brought one up and asked...my wife and I laughed until we almost cried.

My son now has a turntable/amp and is listening to doors, beatles, stones, etc.

BTW, they still sound pretty good.

[Fierce Allegiance]

I love the sound from old vinyl. CD's are nice, but the sound quality is different. I would love to get an in-dash turntable, and stack about a dozen vinyl albums in it.

There is nothing better for getting to sleep than an album that has finished playing, just spinning away.

[Nita Nupress]

That's despicable.

[Publius6961]

The only in-dash turntable that might maybe not-sure work is a laser one for about $12k a pop...
Good luck.