Having three grey bars when playback - Sony Handycam DCR-TRV740 Digital Camcorder

That should just be a buffer. Give the video enough time to load from the source. Generally, there are two lines at the bottom on the playback bar, in the same space. Like, on YouTube for instance, there is the red line that shows how much you've watched, and a grey line that shows how much of the video is loaded. If not enough of the video has loaded, and the red bar catches up to the grey, it will buffer and show the circular moving dots.

This is usually caused by an oxidized, misaligned or defective Audio/Video drum. You can try running a cleaning tape through the camera. If this does not solve the problem the camera will need to be serviced by a qualified service technician.

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Hi,
Camcorder video head required cleaning because gray lines come in playback when video head got clogged/ dirty.
Put video head cleaning tape and playback it as per instructions.
hope this will help you.
Thanks.

I'm not sure what the solution is, but I am having the same probelms, and I would appreciate any help with this since I am shooting a childrens camp and I am fairly isolated and don't have the time to swop cameras or send it to get fixed. I need to know if the recording is fine (video and audio) but the playback is not working correctly...or is it not recording correctly or playing back correctly. The sound cuts out from time to time in playback. Thank you.

Hi,
This sounds like it is the Tape recording function that is at fault. Unfortunately, it's also one of the most difficult to correct without a scope and test jig.
However,
If it is more than 5 years old, it may be suffering from component failure.
In particular the Electrolytic capacitors in these small cams seem to fail first due to temperature and humidity changes. They can leak, dry up or corrode, so it may be worth looking inside at the control boards to spot any physical signs of deterioration.
This shows typical surface mount capacitors - silver cylinders with black segment denoting negative -

Check your options & custom settings If that doesn't fix you up, try reinstalling the program. It sounds like one of the functions didn;t load in properly.

I would first try testing it out with Sony tapes first. If the problem persist, then it needs to go in for repair.

The monitor you view while recording does not read from the tape where the problem is located, that's why you are not seeing them during recording.
Since they are not visible while recording, the video section is healthy, only the recording is faulty and it is unlikely you can do anything at home to correct it.
This may be a common problem and perhaps Canon is familiar with it.
I recommend you call their service line directly:

email: https://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=SupportMailerAct&fcategoryid=227&modelid=12812

Phone: In the US: 1 (800) 828-4040

I've encountered this exact problem a month ago, except cleaning the heads did not fix it. However, I was able to find an alternative solution...

After leaving my camera closed up in a drawer for a few weeks, I decided to take it out and leave it in the sun for 15 minutes, assuming that perhaps the gray bars were a result of moisture damage. The next day (Today, to be exact) I turned my camcorder on, and the gray bars have gone away from playback, as well as the reduced sound quallity it caused.

I have the same problem happening and can't find a straight answer. Some posts are leading me to believe that it may be dirty heads, and that the camera needs cleaning.