start using other tapes
 

Hi,

I bought the XH-a1 and allready have the HV20.
On my XH-a1 I use the panasonic miniDV AMQ mastergrade tapes.
On the HV20 i use the Sony HDV DVM63HD tapes.

The problem is, the sony HDV tapes are much more expensive then the panasonic
tapes. I would love to use the panasonic tapes in my HV20 also.
I know I shouldnt be switching tapes. But does anyone know if it could harm
when i switch tapes 1 time and then stick with the panasonic tapes.
Should it be a problem?

You can switch tapes. I would recommend running a head cleaning tape like the Panasonic Dry type cleaning cassette before you start using the new tapes.

I heard that some of the head cleaning tapes can harm
your system because they are kind of agressive. Is this true or
is it another made up story?

head cleaning tapes are okay if they aren't used very often.

I started out using Panasonic PQ series tapes in my A1. The first few tapes worked fine, then I switched to AMQ series. They were okay but do not come in an 83 minute length. Now I use Sony HDV tapes. The 63 minute ones work without a dropout, but the 85 minute ones occasionally.

Buddy