Have an old Sharp Viewcam with grey lines when playback mode and also asks to eject tape after a few seconds. Does the head need to be cleaned

SOURCE: My sharp hi8 camcorder will not produce a picture unless it is in the review mode. What can I do?

The loading mechanism is not completing its cycle. That will cause the tape to be ejected as a safety feature so no damage occurs to the tape. This unit will require a "rebuild" to retime the loading mechanism.
Dan

SOURCE: Sharp Viewcam VL-E66U

I let it sit overnight and when I opened the door I nudged the part that holds the tape up. I got the tape out but I think it is still frozen. I will try a different tape and hope it still works. I'll post results.
Thanks
Kate

SOURCE: sharp viewcam VL-A10

According to the manual the red X means the heads may be dirty or worn out. I was looking at the manual for the VL-A110U camcorder as it seems like the closest thing but the red X is pretty universal. Your older tapes are probably fine. Sometimes a small piece of tape gets stuck in the tape head and is not easily dislodged. I would tyr using the cleaning tape 10 seconds at a time maybe 3 times, waiting a couple of minutes between cleaning as the heads get hot. If that doesn't do it you will probably need to take it to a reputable repair shop to see if they can do something.
Manual for the VL-A110U is available here.
http://www.sharpusa.com/products/TypeManuals/0,1083,47,00.html

SOURCE: Camcorder Error

I had the same problem with my Viewcam Z. I couln't do anything with it anymore. Eventually got so annoyed that i actually called sharp to figure this thing out. From what technical support told me when you see E007 that means that there is some internal malfunction and the only way to repair the camera is to take it to a SHARP technition. so the question is would you pay alot of money to get this low end camera fixed?? i wouldn't..

SOURCE: sharp viewcam VL-A1OH

I'll say don't bother, just try to find a Hi8 unit for playback. Office surplus recycling center in town? You mignt find one there. The best bet short of new is you. Any friends that have one in the closet not being used? Will they sell it to you for $50 or so. Have they burned those old memories to DVD? How? Have they finished? Can you schedule time later to dump their old tapes to a potable USB hard drive in exchange for letting you do yours now? It might be a good anniversary/birthday/xmas gift. They can sort and burn to DVD at their leisure. Seek a Sony or Cannon. A deck(vtr) might be in better condition. You'll be in good shape if you already have an analog to digital converter box(to USB) or board(PCI bus). Format any external USB drive used for video capture as NTFS so you can make files as big as you need. Go get 'em.

vac8