I had this problem very recently. In fact I borrowed camcorders from my friends too and after short periods, they too started having the same problem. Essentially, it looks like there is some choppiness every second or so - like there is noise in the audio and video. After a lot of looking around, I finally found a suggestion posted that ACTUALLY WORKED on all 3 camcorders:
I placed an empty tape in the camcorder and recorded a few seconds into it. Then I removed that tape and tried to play the previous tapes that were showing the choppiness. No problems any more. Everything works fine.
What I still do not understand is why 3 camcorders (all DCR-TRV103s) all showed the same problem (with different tapes by the way). And since I still have lots of tapes to copy, I need to know why this problem is happening so I can minimize its occurrence while I complete the copying process.
People have suggested that my tapes are old and may be offering resistance to the camcorder. So I have ordered a rewinder to spin the tapes a bit before trying again. The two possibilities suggested around this was (1) some mechanical switching took place which got reset when recording; and (2) something got corrupted in the software that manages the playback buffer and that software was rebooted when it went to recording mode.
So while this will hopefully answer your question, I'm also looking for explanations for why this happened to me on 3 different camcorders.
This a quick fix that has worked for me in the past. Try fast forwarding the tape and then rewinding it. I think it may have something to do with the tension of the tape.
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If you are experiencing issues with the playback on your Yashica Samurai Video 8 KX-77 Video Camera Recorder, here are a few troubleshooting steps you can try:
Clean the playback heads: Use a head-cleaning cassette or a cotton swab moistened with isopropyl alcohol to gently clean the playback heads. Dirty heads can cause playback issues and poor picture quality.
Check the tapes: Ensure that the video tapes you are trying to play are in good condition and not damaged. Inspect the tape for any signs of damage or deformation that could affect playback. If the tapes are damaged, you may need to try a different tape or have the damaged tapes repaired.
Adjust the tracking: Use the tracking control on the camera recorder to adjust the playback tracking. The tracking control helps align the playback heads with the tape tracks for optimal playback quality. Experiment with adjusting the tracking to see if it improves the picture quality.
Test with different tapes: If possible, try playing different video tapes to see if the issue persists. This will help determine if the problem is specific to certain tapes or if it is a broader issue with the camera recorder itself.
Seek professional service: If the above steps do not resolve the issue, it may be necessary to seek professional repair or servicing for the camera recorder. Contact a reputable camera repair shop or the manufacturer's customer support for assistance.
This seems like a tape playback problem. Can you look at the output of the tape in the camera directly into a monitor? And checking the tapes on another machine would also be good.
The fast movement breakup can be something in the playback circuitry of the camera. It may not show up in the viewfinder. Also yo umay try repacking the tape. Fast forward it to the end and rewind it all the way.
If the heads become dirty, “NEED HEAD CLEANING” appears during recording. During playback, moreover, the following symptoms appear. ≥Mosaic-like noise appears partially or the sound is interrupted. ≥Black or blue mosaic-like horizontal stripes appear.
When normal playback cannot be performed even after the head cleaning One possible cause is that normal recording could not be performed because the heads were dirty at the time of recording. Clean the heads, and perform recording and playback again. If normal playback can be performed, the heads are clean. Before an important recording, be sure to conduct a test recording to make sure that normal recording can be performed. ≥If the heads become dirty soon after cleaning, the problem may be the tape. If so, try another cassette. ≥During playback, the picture or sound may be interrupted momentarily, but this is not a malfunction of the Camcorder. (One possible cause is that the playback is interrupted by dirt or dust that momentarily adheres to the heads.)
Dirty video head! Playback newly opened blank tape for five minutes, after that eject, reinsert, playback then eject again five times, these will serve as your video head cleaner, never use "video head cleaning cassette tape" for it will only damage your camera.
Most camera has built in video head cleaner installed inside and activates only when you insert, initial play/rec, and ejects a tape. If the problem is still there you need pro fix then.[:0)
Dirty video head! Playback newly opened blank tape for five minutes, after that eject, reinsert, playback then eject again five times, these will serve as your video head cleaner, never use "video head cleaning cassette tape" for it will only damage your camera.
Most camera has built in video head cleaner installed inside and activates only when you insert, initial play/rec, and ejects a tape. If the problem is still there you need pro fix then.[:0)
Dirty video head! Playback newly opened blank tape for five minutes, after that eject, reinsert, playback then eject again five times, these will serve as your video head cleaner, never use "video head cleaning cassette tape" for it will only damage your camera.
Most camera has built in video head cleaner installed inside and activates only when you insert, initial play/rec, and ejects a tape. If the problem is still there you need pro fix then.[:0)
Dirty video head! Playback newly opened blank tape for
five minutes, after that eject, reinsert, playback
then eject again five times, these will serve as your
video head cleaner, never use "video head cleaning
cassette tape" for it will only damage your camera.
Most camera has built in video head cleaner
installed inside and activates only when you insert,
initial play/rec, and ejects a tape. If the problem is
still there you need pro fix then.[:0)
your heads motor ( drum ) cable may have have
come loose or is dirty - since the cleaning
tape made some difference the heads were dirty
or almost worn out ( cleaner tape is abrasive )
so now there isn ' t enough signal ;
if your date and time display worked only in
play ? ( still works for camera record video )
your guides were out of alignment - and the
cleaning tape took your guides even further
out of alignment ( alignment here starts at
$ 50 + shipping )
Some possible cause of lines, noise or pixelation during playback are:
1. Dirty heads on the recording machine. If the heads were dirty at the time of recording, the dirty heads didn't record a strong enough signal on the tape. The damage is done for this tape and recovery is unlikely. Best advice here is to use only premium grade new tapes and keep your camcorder clean by occasionally running a cleaning tape.
2. Physical tape damage. Any distortion of the tape will result in mistracking and subsequent loss of data.
3. Built up oxide deposits or other debris in the guidepost corners can also result in tape edge damage. Keep your machine clean!
4. Improper tape storage - Even short term exposure to high temperatures over 130 deg f. can permanently damage the tape. The black cassette housing readily absorbs the sun's infrared rays and internal cassette temperatures can soar even if left in direct sunlight on just a warm day. It doesn't take much heat to slightly distort the plastic shell or ruin the tape contained within.
* Try other tapes to ensure the problem lies within the tape and not the camcorder.
* If the problem becomes apparent on all tapes, try a head cleaner. After cleaning the heads, the tapes may not play cleaner if the recording was done while the heads were dirty.
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