I don't know anything about mini-dv. I know it stores onto a mini-dv tapes, but I want to know?

Question

is when you finish filiming and put the video onto a dvd or your computer. do i then need to buy a new tape or can i erase the same tape and use it all over again? And does the tape only record 80mins worth of video?

Answer 1

i think for archiving and peace of mind use the tape only once. they are cheap and you don't want to lose your precious memory for the sake of saving a few bucks.

buy in bulk and save around 10 to 20% off retail.

hope it helps!

Answer 2

you can erase them (but not literally) but u need to sort of impose the old one with the new one, so just move to the very first of the tape and start recording again. make sure u use it until it's fully used (if not the old one remained not imposed will still be there)

Answer 3

Do you "need" to buy a new tape? No, you can re-use - but it is not recommended. And actually, wouldn't it be fun to put the full tape (lock it with the little tab on the side) somewhere cool and dry... and look at it in a couple of years?

When you "transfer" to your computer or optical disc, you may delete it from the computer and the disc might get scrathed or lost or whatever... if you still have that original tape, you will be able to get to that footage sometime in the future. This is known as "archiving".

At around $3 per tape (I buy them in 8-packs at Fry's, but they can be cheaper at tapestockonline.com), miniDV tape is pretty cheap...

I would recommend getting new tape.

MiniDV tapes come in 2 "lengths". 60 minute and 80 minute - when they are used in "normal" SP mode. When you set the camcorder in LP mode, the tape will record longer, but this increases the chance that there will be dropped frames. If yuo combine LP mode with tape re-use, you are setting yourself up for video problems during playback or transfer to computer (or direct to a DVD recorder). LP mode is NOT recommended.