In the early days of MiniDV, DV camcorders were reported to last approximately 50 hours. The reason for this was discovered to be a difference in tape lubricant across brands (more specifically, Sony having a different formula to everyone else) causing almost irreperable head clogging. Those days have passed, but a
DVdoctor Column suggests that Sony have done it again with the latest high definition camcorders. This is a very serious matter for DV enthusiasts, who may be damaging their expensive recording equipment by using different tape brands.
