I've been using panasonic "consumer grade" mini-dv tapes for 2 years (3-4 dollars each at bh photo).
I don't really know why but a couple months ago I switched to the pro quality. Guess I thought: more money-better quality. I didn't notice any difference although yesterday I recorded some guitar licks to post on a site only to discover that the tape would not play back. I kept getting the message: "needs service" so I tried the tape in another camera(both gs70's) and got the same message. Another pq tape worked OK. Has anyone else run into this problem? Never had this problem with a panasonic "consumer grade" mini-dv tape.
doug

I think that the most likely cause is a randomly defective tape cartridge causing too much drag resistance. In my tape rewinder I've noticed that some tapes sail through the process silently, some make a clattering sound, and occasionally one causes the rewinder to stop repeatedly.

Thanks Fred. Thought that might be the problem. I appreciate your input.
doug