Click here to return to homepage
or 
Home > Categories > Video Hardware > FAQ's, Hints and Tips > FAQ: Video Recorders - Heads review
Sick of adverts? Click here to join up for free and be rid of them.
The major causes of image degradation when recording or playing video tapes.
1) POOR QUALITY TAPES
Cheap, poor quality tapes make use of substandard materials, some of which can be harmful or overly abrasive to the heads. They can also deposit dust, dirt or oxide-layer residue on the heads at a rate faster than normal. Always use high quality tapes, and have your nearest NEXT technician clean the heads regularly.
2) DUST and DIRT
Dust can get between the tape and the video heads, causing scouring and excessive abrasion. This can result in the appearance of horizontal lines on screen. Place your video in a position free from dust, and always store tapes in their cases away from dusty environments.
3) DAMPNESS
It is important to plug your VCR (Video Cassette Recorder) into a live power socket for at least an hour before playing a tape. This allows the mechanism to remove any moisture. Unless it is faulty, your VCR should always be connected to a live power socket to ensure dampness is kept out of the unit.
4) CLEANING TAPES
It is NOT recommended that cleaning tapes be used on VCRs or Camcorders, as they can cause excessive head wear, and permanent damage to the heads if not used correctly. To extend the life of your video heads and tape, it is recommended that only a qualified service technician should clean the heads and tape path.
PLEASE NOTE: You may find that tapes recorded prior to the VCR servicing still PLAY BACK poorly. This is due to them having been made while the unit was faulty. Poor recordings will always REPLAY poorly, there is no cure for this. To prevent re-damage, *DO NOT* use the tape that caused the issues in the first place, as this will only deposit more residue on the heads.
Product reviews...
Review by: kiwireviewer-00
Dated: 12th of April, 2004
I have 3 VCRs, and with a video library made up mostly of ex-rental tapes, clean heads and clean tapes are a top priority for me. I used to buy cleaning tapes, but at the rate of 6 cleaning tapes every 3 months, it became really expensive.
So about 4 years ago, I invested in some good advice, and asked my local NEXT tech what I should do. He gave me the same advice as listed above, and so I booked my machines in for regular servicing in a rotating order, meaning I always had 2 units on hand.
I also took my video collection (amounting to over 600 tapes at the time) to a local video store who had invested in a commercial Tape Conditioning machine, and had them run all the tapes through twice, to remove all surface residue, and any loose flakes and dust.
Since then, despite my main focus moving to DVDs, I still watch my tapes regularly, and am always impressed how a tape that has been watched hundreds of times still gives great quality on screen, when played through a VCR machine almost 2 decades old! It's older than my car, and that's saying something! (Especially if you have seen my car.)
The quality of the workmanship at NEXT is second to none, and I would always choose them first, when considering servicing of my electronic equipment.
Guest comments...
There are currently no comments on file. Will you click here and be the first?
Random listing from 'Video Hardware'...
If you're tired of missing your favorite TV shows or never have the time to watch TV recordings or movies at home because you're always on the go, then the SanDisk V-Mate is for you! Characterized by its ease-of-use, the SanDisk V-Mate is a video memory card recorder that captures video content from an analog source directly onto a flash memory card. You can then playback recorded video content by simply inserting your flash memory card into a ... more...
All trademarks, images and copyrights on this site are owned by their respective companies.
This is a free public forum presenting user opinions on selected products, and as such the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of KIWIreviews.co.nz and are protected under New Zealand law by the "Honest Opinion" clause of the Defamation Act of 1992. KIWIreviews accepts no liability for statements made on this site, under the assumption that they are the true and honest opinions of the individual posters. In most cases, prices and dates stated are approximate and should be considered as only guidelines.
"Why do toasters always have a setting so high that could burn the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?"
unattributed
