I no longer have my A1U (long story) but have about 75 tapes shot with it over several years that I need to transfer to my computer. Can I use any HD mini-dv camcorder or deck to transfer the video, or should it be another A1U, or at least another Sony HD camcorder?

Any Sony or Canon HDV camcorder should do the job. Hope this helps,

Chris is correct - IF the tapes were shot as 1080i HDV. If using 30p or 24p HDV modes, then there can be compatibility issues. For instance, my Sony FX7 only shoots 1080i and will NOT play 24p HDV tapes shot with other HDV cameras.

An inexpensive "player" camera for 1080i HDV tapes would be a Canon Vixia HV20, HV30, or HV40. They are on Ebay every day for $150-250. I have an HV20 that has been a real workhorse for many years.

I'm assuming your tapes are HDV. If shot as DV (standard def) then most any miniDV camcorder should play the tapes. Whatever you get, I would run a head cleaning tape prior to playing your tapes, as you don't know what brand of tape was used by previous owner and I've had first-hand experience that mixing tape brands can cause head clog issues.

Thanks

Gentlemen, thanks very much for the replies. Yes, shot only on Sony HDV tapes in 1080i. Thanks for the Canon and head cleaner recommendations, I'll head to eBay and get this project going. Really appreciate the advice!