If you have a good tape that you strongly suspect the picture-quality has become fuzzy/distorted....?

Question

...because you played it in a video recorder that has dirty heads, then you tried to play that same tape on another video recorder, would the condition of that tape cause damage to any other players or simply just have a fuzzy-looking screen?

Answer 1

It is possible for a video recorder to cause damage to a tape.

A unit which has a very dirty head and / or drum may transfer contamination to a tape which could subsequently be transferred to another unit, and clog its heads.  This is not a common occurrence, but I have seen it happen a few times.

There are other causes of damage to a tape by a recorder such as bent or misaligned tape guides and rollers, and out of spec tape tension, or even loading mechanism problems.  Such defects can cause wrinkles, stretching, or other distortion of the tape which will permanently damage it.

You could try to visually inspect the tape you suspect is damaged.  If you open the trap door of the tape while pressing on the release pin, you may possibly see little lines or scratches on the tape surface, which may indicate damage by a recorder unit.  Use caution and do not touch the tape, or you may inadvertently cause damage to it in the inspection process.

You may also try cleaning the heads of the second machine, which may restore it to normal operation, and then it may be best to discontinue use of the damaged tape.

Good luck.