Playback of misaligned 8mm video tapes

[@santo426]

Hey. I found this video soon after doing this very thing to save my family 8mms from the 80s/90s. My tapes were recorded on a Canon VM-E1 which was sold at a garage sale back in the 90s. Years later I found that the old tapes would not play correctly on our newer Sony DCR-TRV730. After a couple of bad units I found a working VM-E1 on Ebay hoping the tapes would just play correctly on an original type camcorder but no luck. Reading that the alignment would cause what I was seeing I figured I had nothing to lose so I took the E1 apart to see what I could do. It was clear what "spindles" guided the tape. With slow, slight adjustments, the tapes were playing correctly. This is some great advice and a godsend to people who are faced with losing their old tapes. I'm in the process of transferring now. I just hope this old E1 hangs in there until I'm finished. Thanks again.

[@video99couk]

Glad to have helped!

[@ElectromagneticVideos]

How interesting - had no idea misalignment like that was actually common on some 8mm tapes. I have been watching your videos - I have always been fascinated by analog video tape recording right from the early days when being able to tape a TV show was such a breakthrough. Thanks for posting! Regards from Canada!

[@WarbirdVideos]

Thanks for the Video! I'm finally transferring around 300 WWII vets tapes that I've shot since 1996 on Hi8, mini DV, DVCAM and HD. For Hi8, I'm using a (new) Sony GV D200, which is great for the first pass of video and AFM audio, but it doesn't capture PCM which I originally recorded using my Sony EVW 300 camera. So I'm using a Sony EVO 9720 dual deck to capture the PCM tracks and I'll match it up Vegas video later. But the original heads were off, so the PCM audio had a terrible lisp and high frequency "interference" sounds. After watching your video, I filed down a screw driver and got to tweaking! It was a very fine adjustment of about a quarter turn, but the result was perfect sound! Thanks so much for taking the time to make the video!

[@video99couk]

Glad to have helped. I think the PCM audio track is particularly sensitive to misalignment. I have three models of machines here which can handle PCM audio: EVS9000, EVS1000 and a professional Hitachi machine.

[@_r-a-f_]

Thank you so much! You just saved my precious footage.

[@niknikktm]

Great video and very helpful! I encountered the same issue with the tapes I recorded with my Hitachi VM-H39A Hi8 camcorder which I purchased in 1994. The guide set screws were not properly fixed and over the course of about two dozen tapes (and about 10 years) the tracking drifted slightly, which I discovered years ago when I popped in an older tape to play back and saw that the tracking was off. I never pursued a "fix" for it until I began converting them to digital and that's when I came across your video. I purchased a TEAC V800G-F Hi8 deck and with the cover removed the guides are easily accessible. I was able to align them perfectly for each tape and transferred my entire collection to digital using that TEAC deck, a DVDO iScan HD+ processor, and a Hauppage Colossus capture card. Now I have a new issue I hope you can help with: My friend gave me his collection of Hi8 tapes recorded with a Sony CCD-VR87 Hi8 camcorder and I cannot get even one of them to play. All I see is video noise as if the tapes are blank. I've tried adjusting the guides on my Teac deck but nothing works. Not a hint of video or audio. Unfortunately my friends camcorder is trash and I can't try to play back the tapes with it. Did Sony do something radically different with their alignment that makes their recorded tapes incompatible with other manufactures? I read one response to a similar question on a forum that stated Sony's alignment was on one end of the tape and Sharp's was on the other. Do I dare adjust my guides that far or am I better off finding a used working Sony camcorder for the task?

[@video99couk]

I suspect that the tapes were not recorded on the Hi8 camcorder, but actually a Digital 8 camcorder. All you will see then is noise on the picture. Hint: If the tapes seem all to be playing in Long Play, that makes Digital8 more likely since that always appears to be LP to an analogue player.

[@niknikktm]

Thanks for the quick reply. I am quite certain they were recorded with the CCD-TRV87 as that is the only 8mm camcorder he ever owned. He actually still has it but it has a tape stuck in it and no longer powers up. My next task is to get my hands on it and see if I can get it working again, but that is indeed a Hi8 model and not capable of Digital 8 recording. If I can't resurrect the camcorder I may be forced to purchase a good working used one, but I had hoped to avoid that. This model also employed Sony's HR technology which supposedly sharpens the image but I don't think that would make it only playable on a Sony HR equipped machine. So then, as far as you know, Sony's alignment is not significantly different than say Sharp, Hitachi, or Teac or other manufacturers? You've played Sony recorded Hi8 tapes on other machines without issue?

[@enzoperruccio]

My dad always backed up his 8mm tapes to VHS as soon as he was done shooting them, and now I know why. It's almost as if he KNEW 8mm wasn't very reliable nor future proof. Nowadays I can find working VHS players everywhere, not so much 8mm camcorders. Both his Sonys failed a long time ago, and just now did a manage to find two working ones (a Sony and a Samsung, both Hi8 models) that have helped me during digitizing in parts where the VHS tapes are damaged. The Sony i mostly use for shooting though, it's the Samsung that gets to do the dirty work.

[@video99couk]

Actually that's back to front. VHS tapes usually degrade far more than 8mm tapes do, as well as being lower quality. I have a large fleet of Digital8 players for 8mm tape playback.

[@enzoperruccio]

@@video99couk Ignoring the fact that I have VHS tapes that are over 20 years old and play just fine, let's focus on the machines themselves: yes 8mm was superior when it came to picture quality and, maybe, tape durability, but who cares about that when you can't even find working machines to play the tapes? You're into this business so of course you have a whole fleet of them, but think about the average user who just wants to digitize some tapes: where the heck can he find a working machine to play them back? Or what about repairing his original one? It's impossible, 8mm was a throwaway format not meant to be repaired at all. VHS on the other hand, very repairable and easy to work on in my experience, and is thanks to that I can still enjoy and digitize my family recordings today, even if the resolution is a tiny bit lower.

[@wiskate]

thanks so much - was able to fix my trv120 so i could finish playing back some tapes.

[@natalief8412]

Thank you so much for this video! New to your videos and all things Hi-8. I've recently started to convert my old Hi8 tapes to digital using my Sony Handycam CCD-TR600 Hi8 Camcorder and a video capture card device. Been going well but one of the tapes has disturbances that look exactly like that seen at 2:15 of your video. Two lines like that, and the sound is affected - but it's just the one tape and not the camcorder. And it's not the entire tape with this issue. It seems the more I watch it, more parts of the tape are having those disturbances pop out, so I've set it aside for now. I see the issue on the camcorder even when detached from the video capture card device. All of the Hi8 tapes I have were filmed with this same camcorder. I've been powering the camcorder with an electrical outlet, not battery power. Sadly it is a priceless video. Might you have any suggestions? Thank you for all you do, Natalie

[@AnneFS]

Hi thanks for this video. It is the only thing that is giving me some vague hope that all is not lost. I have 10 tapes from 1999 that are precious videos of my sons as toddlers (and Christmas etc). I found that 5 of them have mould but I'm cleaning them manually by slowly winding them back by hand. The main problem, however, is that none of the 10 tapes play any audio at all. The audio is not crackly or distorted, it is totally missing. The video itself, i.e. the images are fine. Well, not perfect but good enough for me to be happy. I can't imagine that my camera never recorded audio as surely I would have play it back on the TV at some point and realised if there was an audio problem. So I assume my tapes have audio. I figured the camera has a problem with the microprocessor or a capacitor or something or else perhaps there is a misalignment of the heads. I've spent days trying to learn how the audio is recorded and played back on the drum. I was so pleased to find your video and at least confirm that the audio is recorded on the tape. My tapes are 8mm tapes, i.e. the larger video tapes not the MiniDV tapes. They are the same size as the old music cassettes. My camera on which I recorded the tapes is a Canon UC4500E. Today I got hold of another camcorder which is a Sharp VL-E630H. That person uses the exact same 8mm tapes. Their tapes play just fine in their Sharp camcorder. When I put my own 8mm tape that I recorded on my Canon camcorder I was desperately hoping I would get not just the video images but also audio. No!!! All I got was massive rolling back and white static and no audio. Basically it was way worse because on the Sharp I got no audio or video. So that is when I looked up your video. Is it possible that the way the Canon and Sharp brands alignment their heads are so different that a Canon recorded tape won't play on the Sharp? The question is, what do I do now? Should I go back to my Canon which at least plays the video images and try to realign the heads like you did in this video? I'm good at tinkering and fixing things so I'm happy to have a go but don't want to make things worse. Any thoughts hints or idea would be really appreciated. The thought of not getting the audio from these tapes of my tiny kids laughing, giggling and talking to the camera and singing, etc, is awful. Now that that I don't have audio I want it even more desperately. I always make a big deal of birthdays and Christmas, etc. I really, really care about these videos. If you have any videos or schematics on how I can realign the heads on either of these cameras to get both video and audio or any other ideas or tips on what I need to sort out this issue would be really appreciated. Thanks.

[@video99couk]

The Sharp should have played the tapes, they are interchangeable. Perhaps they were recorded in Long Play, see if the Canon says LP on the screen. A few camcorders don't support Long Play.

[@AnneFS]

@@video99couk Yes, I thought they would be interchangeale. The Canon plays video fine and the Sharp just gives rolling black and white static. I checked the manuals for both cameras and neither mention slow play as an option. I check in the Canon whilst the tape was playing and there was no LP icon in the viewfinder. My can connects with the red, white and yellow composite leads. The sharp connects with just the yellow and white. When I first connected the Sharp's yellow and white leads to my Elgato Video Capture (which has yellow, red and white) I got nothing but a nasty noise. I reversed the yellow and red and it played fine much to my surprise. I guess that means the Elgato is capturing in stereo and the sharp recorded tape was done in mono? At that point I was feeling hopeful. Then I tried my Canon recorded tape in the Sharp and I became despondent. You don't think the problem is a slight difference in alignment of the heads between the cameras? I went to enormous trouble to get hold of the Sharp all to no avail. Very disappointed and not sure what I can do now. Perhaps I should tweak the alignment in the Canon and see what happens but I'm reluctant as that's the only one that at least plays the images and I don't want to go backwards and even lose that. Any suggestions at this point?

[@chris24hdez]

I have a VHS tape with what looks to be this problem, reproduction issues on the top/bottom/middle, depending on how i adjust the electronic tracking controls. I will attempt to transfer this tape on more VHS players, but perhaps I can send it to you for transfer to DV.AVI file?

[@Evildandalo]

Really glad I found this channel. I thrifted a TR-120 and I'm currently having issues where it will kick itself into Analog 8/Hi8 mode and not detect the digital stream. I have a feeling it's probably the alignment of the head.

[@video99couk]

That's a very unusual fault. Does it play Video8/Hi8 tapes OK? Also check the menus because there is an option for it to assume analogue playback rather than automatic system detection.

[@Evildandalo]

video99.co.uk Thank you for the response! I ended up getting it working. They were tapes I recorded with the camera to begin with, they just started acting up while I was trying to transfer over IEEE1394. I heard moisture can effect playback so I ended up taking the tapes out, and leaving the cassette carriage open for a bit. This seemed to fix it and I was actually able to transfer everything today.

[@theGamer93]

My grandfather documented our entire family with his camera. Initially, he used an old CCD HI8 camera, and from around 2005 onwards, he switched to a DCR-TRV 355E. However, I am currently facing issues playing back some tapes on the latter. Digital 8 and some newer tapes work fine, but it seems that the film capturing my early childhood years was recorded with a misaligned head. Only when I fast forward during playback, I get an image. When I stop, there's even a brief moment of a perfect picture. Perhaps I should consider getting another device specifically for playing these improperly recorded tapes!? What would you do?

[@video99couk]

I have a Digital8 machine here which I misalign to match bad tapes. It has about a 80% success rate, but some tapes either have too much misalignment, or the recording defect is not deck related but electronic. You could pick up a cheap Hi8 camcorder to see if you can match the alignment, but it's a risk, you may get nowhere. Or I could look at the tapes for you.

[@Brycesweaver]

I've been doing analog to digital transfers for people in my town and I recently got a bunch of tapes that may have a few minutes of recording but the rest of the tape is just static. The label on the tape isn't what was shown in the bit of the footage I managed to capture. I'm assuming if it is a tape out of alignment issue then two different cameras were used to record the footage.. I've got 2 camcorder's I'm attempting playback with a SONY TR517(Video8/Hi8) and a HITACHI VM-D865LA (Video8/Hi8/Digital8). My question is, is it likely that the tape can be so far out of alignment that the footage is pure static (no resemblance of an image)?

[@video99couk]

No, that's not likely. It sounds like they are Digital8 recordings but that Hitachi should have played them. Strange.

[@enlilodisho8134]

I just received a 8mm Samsung camcorder from eBay. The tapes are playing fine however the speed of the playback is too fast as if you're fast-forwarding the video. what do you suspect the reason might be?

[@nebojsamladenovic2483]

One was dropped while adjusting the guides. When I set it up, the cassette narrows, but the indicators that normally light up constantly when the camcorder is turned on do not start and flash. Shaking the camcorder, I noticed that something was pounding and a 3x1mm shaft fell out. Since then, the camcorder will not fully open the mechanism ?

[@video99couk]

Oh dear, that will require a bit of attention by someone who knows what they are doing.

[@rodriguezovidio]

Thank you for the information! I recorded Hi8 video in a professional camera with channel one and channel two audio, now I try to play those tapes on a regular hi8 small home video camera and the audio doesn't come out, nor in line out to be transferred to dvd, I can only hear the audio that was picked by the camera microphone! Do you have an idea in what kind of hi8 home video camara will give me the complete audio out! Thank you!

[@video99couk]

You probably had a high end camcorder with PCM digital audio, so you need to use a suitable player such as the Sony EV-S9000E or Hitachi HR-C20.

[@rodriguezovidio]

Thank you for your quick response! I subscribed to your channel!

[@bungiefour4]

I just viewed a couple of 8mm tapes in our Hitachi VM-H720A camcorder. There are at least 3 rows of those fuzzy lines going through entire recording. So, without drilling holes to alignment the head, should I just purchase another camcorder and see if the lines will go away? I am just a little confused about this, though your youtube video was good. I am correct to assume the tapes aren't ruined at the time of recording, but can now be viewed correctly with a different camcorder? Thank you so much for your time!

[@video99couk]

It could be that your recordings were made with a misaligned camcorder, or that your Hitachi camcorder is out of alignment. The tapes will have to be tried in another player/camcorder to be sure. If it turns out that they are the same in another unit, then they can only be recovered using the technique I describe in this video, but that's non-trivial and not something that can be done without expertise.

[@Brenda-ct5rp]

I’ve been transferring my old 8mm tapes to pc but now that’s I’m near the end the tapes have started playing with lines going up the screen and some double vision? I’ve tried recording on the camcorder and this play back perfectly? Any ideas what the issue is as I’m trying to do this for a surprise for my kids at Christmas and can’t get it finished.

[@mookiedownie]

I have a question about playing back a Hi8 tape that used to have very clear audio but now there is no audio at all. Could this be a misaligned head affecting audio on playback? Perhaps I could send you the tape to see if you can recover the audio on your machine where you can adjust the tracking. Best Mike

[@badboyonibaku]

Hello Sir, i would like to ask a fix for my Sony CCD TRV49?? My problem is that when i play my tapes through the viewfinder.. It becomes blue, sometimes static and black screen with static when forwarding and rewinding.. Also, sometimes there's an audio but still blue screen.

[@video99couk]

Sorry, I don't take on repairs. There's likely to be a capacitor problem on the boards, it's not going to be a cheap repair. There are Sony camera repair specialists who advertise on eBay and elsewhere.

[@SRN42069]

How can you tell if the tape is damaged or if its misaligned? I have old sony 8mm Im converting through a Cannon ES65 HI8 camera. The old TDK one from 90s played almost perfect execpt for some frames but these old sony ones have two scan lines that sweep over the image and cut the audio and then it recovers.

[@video99couk]

That doesn't sound like a misalignment, rather a servo fault on the original recorder.

[@SRN42069]

@video99couk Yeah I had a feeling as I think there was another camera where they said it wasn't recording properly all the way back in the 90s and the ones recorded with my dad's all seem to playback fine. Luckily this tape wasn't as important but still a bummer. Although I do occasionally see those lines happen on the good tape but maybe that was the start of the servo issue back then. Also any suggestions for programs to clean up noise after capture? The orginal recording and playback looked fantastic but when playing the output video file the quality isn't that great.

[@Raptor50aus]

Do you have a video explaining what part of the circuit board controls the color? Is it the video section or the timer section?

[@mikeanderson8375]

Hello my friend, I appreciate this video so much! My son got married and I left a Sony HDR-FX1 recording in HDV. Everything seemed to be recording just fine however after checking the footage it’s skipping/stuttering and goes to a blue screen and then goes back to skipping/stuttering constantly. I tried playing the tapes in a friend of mines HDV deck and it does the same thing minus the blue screen. My friend mentioned to look up a video like yours, could you please let me know your thoughts on this. Do you think this process would work for my situation on the Sony HDR-FX1 shot in HDV on Tape? I truly appreciate you!!

[@video99couk]

There is a possibility that the recording machine had a misalignment. However another possibility is that the recorder had a fault or clogged heads in which case the recording would never be recoverable. This is an early model HDV camcorder so it won't have any of the obscure HDV subvariant settings which some later models had which can cause incompatible recordings. Is it the case that the original camcorder also won't play the tape cleanly?

[@groovedohg]

Hi. Great video. I have one particular 8mm tape of a music concert I recorded that plays too fast. All my other tapes play fine on the camcorder. I am wanting to get the 8mm tape converted to dvd and would do so myself if it was at correct speed. I would toy with the idea of getting it converted through a professional transferring source if it is not an easy fix for me and the price wasn't excessive, but do you have any ideas as to why the this one particular tape plays fast and if it can be fixed. Maybe on another 8mm camcorder it might play fine. Thanks

[@video99couk]

A few 8mm camcorders can't support Long Play recordings, which this tape might be. Nearly all can though. Getting it done professionally, to USB stick rather than DVD, should give much better results than playing a camcorder into a DVD recorder though, and need not be very expensive.

[@groovedohg]

@@video99couk Thanks for the quick response. Yes, it must seem that the problem is with the LP/SP format. I guess now I will just take the tape and get it transferred to USB as you say. At least its only 1 tape in question.

[@AcHoo35-e9u]

Is that adjusting tool available in the USA like on Amazon? Is it basically like a flat headed screwdriver with a notch cut in the middle? Also, I noticed lines across the bottom and an audio interference on my 8mm tape. I just tried pushing in on the window of the tape and the lines went away. Would lightly putting a clamp on it hurt things or would I be better off trying to locate and adjust those screws? Thanks

[@video99couk]

If pushing the cassette cleared it, then it's a very slight misalignment on the recording or the player. A very small flat screwdriver can be used, just to one side of the centre post, so you don't need to use a special tool. It's just easier if you have one.

[@AcHoo35-e9u]

@@video99couk Thanks for the reply! Since then the S-Video port has stopped outputting. The composite still does. This Sony Camcorder TR2200 (like a number of others I've read about) responded to a tap and that got it working for a while. No repair centers will take it so I'd like to get it going again to archive. Any ideas on where the problem lies and if there's anything a non pro repairman might try? Thanks

[@fjdubya5726]

Great info! I have some old hi8 tapes and recently bought a used car quarter identical to the one that I recorded on. I found out that all have tracking issues in the "new" camcorder. Would it work just to buy a hi-8 camcorder that has adjustable tracking, assuming that the tapes aren't damaged somehow? It seems that all these four or five tapes are 15 - 20 years old and.have tracking issues. I know they didn't when I recorded on them. Eventually my Sharp hi-8 camcorder broke and the tapes sat in a drawer for years. I took great care to buy exactly the same model again.

[@Jim-fe6gl]

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[@stevemitchell8839]

Thanks for the great videos. would you be able to make suggestions on which guide needs to be adjusted the lead or trail depending where the static appears on the screen. I had purchased a used camera that worked fine for a couple of hours and then multiple row of static showed up and I have been unable to get rid of them.

[@video99couk]

In my humble experience the exit guide tends to affect the bottom of the picture, entry guide the top, but they do interact.

[@stevemitchell8839]

@@video99couk Thanks so much for the fast response from Steve in Kelowna, BC, Canada.

[@JoeJennings]

Great video, thanks for doing this. I went through two miniDV camcorders using this technique and managed to dial in some tapes that wouldn't play. It is tricky with miniDV and I haven't been able to dial back the camcorders to normal. Been doing it all with a small screwdriver, no fun. Any ideas where I might find one of those cool head alignment tools? Thanks again!

[@video99couk]

The tools turn up on eBay from time to time, but sometimes people ask quite a lot for them.

[@shannonmeher4731]

Very informative. I was hoping you could help me with a similar problem. I have some 8mm tapes recorded from 1998 to 2010. The videos are of my children and were recorded on my Sony HandyCam. I no longer have this camera but I recently purchased another (not exact) Sony Video8 HandyCam. While trying to play back the recorded tapes I am only getting a blank screen that blinks LP at the top. The functions are all working (FF, RWD, PAUSE, STOP, PLAY) but I have no picture. I’ve tried several tapes and they all show nothing. Could you please help me with this dilemma? I appreciate any assistance. Thank you

[@video99couk]

Might the recordings have been made on a Digital8 format camcorder, rather than an analogue Video8/Hi8? Do you know the model number of your original camcorder? That would help.

[@ShxdowWxlf]

This may sound crazy but could I send my camera to you to be realigned? I’m having this exact issue after my camera got hit slightly

[@video99couk]

Sorry but I can't take on repairs, I have a backlog of my own equipment to work on.

[@irvinggonzalezcontreras820]

Hey there! I have a JVC GR-D33U, and I was wondering if you could help me repair it. The problem started when it accidently fall down, and after that every time I play a video it is like corrupted, it shows a pixeled image and sometimes plays sound but mostly of the time not. What can I do?

[@video99couk]

It may be out of alignment but more likely the mechanism has become damaged. It will require attention of a service centre used to working on these decks. However if it requires parts, they are unlikely to be available, so it's probably a write-off.

[@irvinggonzalezcontreras820]

Thank you very much

[@barneypoole182]

This is interesting. I bought an 8mm Canon camcorder from eBay to back up some of my old tapes..lo and behold they won't play clearly, unlike an existing tape that the previous owner had omitted to remove from inside the recorder. Seems a shame to have to drill holes in it! :-)

[@video99couk]

You should be able to dismantle it and get to the guides to set it up properly. But camcorder dismantling can involve a lot of fiddly screws, see my video on Digital8 camcorder repairs.

[@barneypoole182]

@@video99couk thanks yes i will!

[@barneypoole182]

@@video99couk Hi, I actually went ahead and carefully drilled out the two access holes (with no tape inside) but unfortunately the cassette holder's now stuck and refusing to 'eject'..any advice you can give? Thanks!

[@video99couk]

@@barneypoole182 I think you may have to take some of the camcorder cabinet work off to see what's happened. This may not be easy I'm afraid.

[@barneypoole182]

@@video99couk yep. Strange, as I did it very gingerly, and the holes are way below the eject mechanism.

[@bidartbauer8581]

Hello, ive got a 8mm tape that wont rewind, it does only until certain point, and when it rewinds it makes a hard sound, what could be the reason, or how to repair this problem?, bte ive also got some tapes that fail like that, but only some parts of the tape, is it bec of the same reason you mention here?

[@video99couk]

There are several possible causes. The tape may be "folded over" in part so one of the spools over-fills. Or the top of one spool may have fallen off and is fouling the cassette. Or the tape may be contaminated. Send me an email via my web site video99.co.uk and I can look at it for you.

[@bidartbauer8581]

@@video99couk thanks, will do, thats very kind, im digitalizing tapes from my childhood, and this is the last one i have, which doesnt work, i tried rewinding it manually but nothing happens, also after a while the cemera didnt play any casettes anymore, but i used a cleanning casette that came with the camera and voila

[@vintagecameras9623]

Thank you

[@dab7963]

A great video. I purchased an external 8mm Sony EV-C3 and the tapes are 40 years old. They start to play and then at some point the counter on the EV-C3 stops advancing. The tape is still moving but there is no sound or video. If I rewind and play again the counter stops at the exact same place. Any ideas ?

[@video99couk]

Do you have another player to check that there is more content on the tape? Sometimes you can get a clue by using picture search which will display something where normal play functions won't.

[@dab7963]

@@video99couk I don't have another player but I read the manual very closely and found a note that said "if the screen is gray and the counter stops bit the tape is still moving there is no video. So happy it's not my gear. Appears that my Mom only recorded 17 minutes on a 2 hour tape. Crazy but I am happy it's not my gear.

[@wayneworldslots1092]

i have some tapes but dont have the unit that they were made on. I borrowed my friends old sony camcorder but all my tapes are all snow with no sound. Is there anything I can do to save my memories? Any help would be appriciated. Thanks

[@video99couk]

That sounds like a different problem. Perhaps your tapes are Digital8 recordings and your friend's camcorder was an analogue Video8/Hi8 one. You would get that effect.

[@wayneworldslots1092]

@@video99couk I think your correct. What can I do? Any suggestions?

[@video99couk]

@@wayneworldslots1092 Either obtain a Digital8 camcorder, or send the tapes to someone like myself to transfer them properly to lossless DV-AVI files. Contact me via my website video99.co.uk if you would like me to do that.

[@livetotell]

Hey worked perfectly here! Thanks!

[@oliverelmes79]

A very in depth video. Thank you. I have a Hi8 camera that gives me white lines. I've cleaned the heads so many times now, and I'm still getting the same results. I've spotted a couple of screws that look like they could do with tightening. If I sent you a couple of photos, do you think you could give me your opinion on whether or not I should tighten them? Thanks again!

[@enzoperruccio]

Be careful! Not all problems are related to dirty heads or misaligned tape paths. Sometimes it can be falling capacitors inside the camcorder, and it that case there's pretty much nothing that can be done to save it. If you need it for digitizing, I recommend just tossing it out and getting another one that works. They're not very easy to come by, but be patient and you'll succeed in your search.

[@xname97]

I don't know it that's my problem, but any of you know why my videocamera doesn't show all the footage if I rewind the tape?

[@Drahciug92]

Any idea what to do if the video on the recorder is in color, but what is playing on the computer is black and white?They were both in color at one point, but then the computer playback started switching between the two and now is stuck playing just black and white. All while the recorder is still color...

[@video99couk]

Usually that is caused by capacitors in the video processing circuits. It's non-trivial to repair unfortunately.

[@sgtpeppers3021]

This is great

[@davidanderson4091]

Hi. I'm using a Sony TRV355E to transfer some old Hi8 (taken on a different camera). I thought this might be the solution to my problem, but what I am seeing is different from this. Instead, the tape plays for a few seconds, then drops-out to the blue screen "video mute" then back to playing for a few seconds, then another dropout. This contnues for the whole tape. Sometimes it will play for a minute or two but the dropout never last more than a couple of seconds. When I turn the TBC off, I can see that the picture is "jumping" really badly. On repeat playings, taking careful note of where the jumping happens, I can tell it is the jumping that is triggering the "mute". Other tapes play in the same camera OK, and the problem tapes show similar issues in other cameras, so I am pretty certain it is a tape issue not a camera issue. Any ideas what might be causing this? Edit to add: - Something I forgot to mention... when I playback in "fast-forward" (as in "cue" mode where you can still see the playback) there is no jumping and no dropouts.

[@video99couk]

It may well be an alignment problem on the original tapes. Other possible causes could be that the original camcorder had worn or contaminated video heads, in which case there would be nothing that can be done to recover the tapes.

[@davidanderson4091]

@@video99couk Wow, that was a quick reply - 40 minutes - and I thank you for it. I may be able to get access to the original camera, and If not, I might have crack at that alignment trick on one of my other cameras. Thank you for the reply!

[@davidanderson4091]

@@video99couk Hello again So I just wanted to update you on how it went. I was able to get a hold of the original camera - A Sony Handycam TRV11E. The sides came off really easy with a few arrowed screws, and the tape cover came off with a couple of clips. I cleaned the heads using 70% alcohol and chamois swabs, then used an original tape (one I was having trouble with on the other camera) to adjust the alignment to play that tape. This worked perfectly for all but a couple of the tapes, for which I had to again adjust the alignment just to get them to play. All now transferred to USB. Thank you very much. The advice in your video gave me the confidence to attempt something I probably never would have tried otherwise.. Cheers!

[@stensfeld]

I have the prob having lots of recorded 8mm on a Sony using longplay - camcorder died and no I have a. Sharp from Ebay which cannot deal with lip - any idea ?

[@video99couk]

Most camcorders will play Long Play but just a few models don't. Almost any Sony model will, so perhaps pick up one of those. Or I can digitise them for you via my web site.

[@stensfeld]

@@video99couk my one is a sharpl vl-e31 mand it just doesnt - so i am into ebay and looking for the DCR-TRV110E

[@Sub-cz3bm]

I have video 8 tapes where in playback are fine but when the camera is moved the picture becomes zig zaged and returns to normal when the camera stops moving.

[@video99couk]

Unusual. Are you saying that playback is OK except where the original camcorder which made the recordings was moved? Or are you saying that it's when you move the player that it goes wrong? If it was the recorder, then a Digital Timebase Corrector might help. Many later Hi8 camcorders include a TBC feature, and you can often pick these up for very little money. Sony's website lists the instruction manuals and you can search for TBC to make sure it's in the menu structure of any camcorder you are considering for playback.

[@Sub-cz3bm]

@@video99couk During the playback the if the camera moves the video images becomes vertically wavely. I think it might just be the camcorder wasn't great at focusing when moved while recording.

[@alexdejong8065]

I have some old tapes and on all the tapes my camera shows a blue screen and the time counter is also not moving. But when i record something and play it back it works fine. Does this also resolves the problem that i have?

[@video99couk]

Generally the tape counter will move even if the recording is misaligned. Usually the tape is blank if the tape counter doesn't move. However if you are sure there are good recordings, then misalignment is a possibility I suppose. Sorry I can't give a definitive answer.

[@alexdejong8065]

@@video99couk Thank you for your answer! Can it be that the tapes are recorderd with an old camera. I bought a Sony TRV255E camera to digitalize them. Can it be that this type of camera just can't play the tapes recorderd with an old camera?

[@video99couk]

@@alexdejong8065 Oh dear. The TRV255E is one of the few Digital 8 camcorders which cannot play analogue recordings. See my table of models which can do so, at the bottom of this page: www.video99.co.uk/Video8_Hi8_to_dvd_transfers.html

[@Abrothers100]

I have a ton of tapes like this. Is it possible to use a Sony ev-s7000 deck to tweak those guide screws and play the tapes correctly?

[@video99couk]

I've never done this "misalignment" on a EV-S8000/7000, but don't see why it wouldn't work. I would prefer to use something cheaper though! Like a Digital8 camcorder.

[@Abrothers100]

video99.co.uk thanks for the reply, I just got one for a low price, I’ll unbox it and see if it works.

[@Abrothers100]

So I got the s7000 for about 100 usd. It came in the original box with the remote. It was sold untested but looks brand new and works great. I think I have screw bits that look like the end of your special tool. Do you know what size your alignment tool is? I couldn’t do this for a living, it’s so tedious and precise! You must have infinite patience!

[@CarlosGutierrez-li6to]

Thanks for the video, I have a Sony handy-cam CCD-FX330 that is able to play the 8mm video tapes, but i cannot get it to rewind any tapes. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks again.

[@video99couk]

That's not a machine I'm very familiar with, but it's likely to be a non-trivial repair I'm afraid. Perhaps just pick up a gash camcorder from somewhere for rewinding.

[@whirlpool1978]

Does this also work with VHS-C camcorder tapes/camcorders as well?

[@video99couk]

Yes, though alignment issues were less common on VHSC tapes since they have wider tracks, being a more primitive technology. So a small error on a VHSC tape might play OK on another player, where a small error on Video8 or miniDV will not be so forgiving.

[@TheTuber4life]

Hi. I have Sony trv460e. It was working just fine until i had to store it for a year then issues came up. Gray bars spaced evenly would appear when I play any cassette (8mm-analogue) and then a complete blue screen!! I tried recording for a few minutes then playing the tape. It worked once then nothing.. can You help me with that please! I have lots of precious moments of my childhood that I don’t want to lose :(

[@video99couk]

Grey bars only happen on digital recordings, and usually indicate just clogged heads. So start with a head cleaner tape. If that doesn't work, see my two videos about working on Sony Digital 8 camcorders. It may require a sharp tap to the bottom!

[@MADHOUSE85]

Are we able to send you videos to be repaired ?

[@video99couk]

I can repair and digitise tapes, but don't offer a repair-only service. Contact me via my web site at video99.co.uk and I'll help.

[@bobjerome5390]

hi i was changing new belts in my sony dat 1000 there a very small spring missing it's under side on the right of the tape drive i get some rubber belts from lego as they last longer the old stock on ebay don't last bob

[@davaromavaro5044]

my sony ccd-45e handycam guide's have no screws, how can I adjust it?

[@video99couk]

The tape guides will have very small locking grub screws, but provided the guide is not slopping about very loose, you can probably ignore the locking screws and just adjust the guides. Take a closer look, you will find the guides go to either side of the head once there's a tape in there, and there will be slots on the guide tops.

[@vintagecameras9623]

Good day

[@mchjubjub6915]

Thank you, I'm getting a trv120e, drilling holes to accommodate adjustment and possibly a thc! Just the info I need and what I have been looking for. You're a star👌

[@video99couk]

The TRV120E includes quite an effective TBC already.

[@ezpainting4697]

I wish u are my neighbor! I have one Sony vx2100e and no one know how to fix it and no spare parts even from Sony service store

[@video99couk]

There are some camcorder repair specialists out there who may be able to help, but parts are the real problem.

[@blcknd210]

I have a Sony CCD TRV 46. Worked fine until today when i tried to playback a recording i did today and it only showed a blue screen, however when i was FF or rewinding it showed a picture being glitched, also while playing the sound is very choppy. Could be the head dirty or misalignment?

[@video99couk]

A dirty head is possible, so try a head cleaner first, but other possible causes include a capacitor failure which would be much harder to fix.

[@blcknd210]

Thank you very much for response although today I started the camcorder and I play to the tape again and I let it play for a while and after a few minutes the a playback started again to show at 1st with some noise but then the whole image was restored and after I eject the tape again and put it again into camcorder everything seemed to work Fine Oh I think the problem was with the tape being a little bit wrinkly at the 1st 20 seconds when i put it in and that's why the camera did this but anyway i I'd ordered a head cleaner tape from eBay and I will use it the camera seems to work good there's no other problems with it

[@video99couk]

@@blcknd210 Yes, that sounds like a head contamination problem. Sometimes just playing a good tape will clear it.