Distorted VIdeo

[tchurch]

For some reason, when I take a good mini dv tape out of one camera, and put it into the other, (which is a different brand of mini dv camera) the video looks distorted.

The video looks just fine in the camera that I am taping in, just not the other ones I put the tape into.

The distorted look, in detail, is sort of like large pixels on the left hand side of the screen.

Any ideas?

[Skyman]

does it happen in reverse? is it there when you transfer the video to the computer? if it were analogue i would say your heads needed cleaning. or the tape was out of alignment. if it was the whole video I would say the two cameras use different codecs. canon cameras for instance used to use a different audio bitrate that meant your audio might go out of synch on another brand of camera. I am afraid without seeing the end result i can't be of any more help. maybe a trip to your local camera repairer is in order?

[tchurch]

Yes, when the tape from the my main camcorder (Sony) is in my secondary camcorder (Samsung) the video is distorted no matter what. Even when I am capturing on my computer.

My main camera is a Sony Handycam Dcr-Trv20, and my other camera is a Samsung SC-D353. The reason that I want to capture with the Samsung is because the Sony has trouble capturing on my computer. If I can get the Sony to capture, I will not have to try to get the Samsung to play or capture the Sony tapes, but I do not know how to do that.

And, yes, it is the whole video that has the distortion.

[Skyman]

when i said the whole video i was referring to the entire frame (you said only the left hand side is distorted) normally I would expect that the entire frame would be distorted, this is why i am thinking the tracking may be different between the two cameras.

[tchurch]

Is there a way that I can fix the tracking?

[Skyman]

not without taking it to a technician.