Anyone help?

I have a tape that i can't recover footage from, timecode is there when i fast forward or rewind but no audio/video when i play - time code also stops when playing.

Suggestions?

Is it an HDV tape you are trying to play back in a DV deck/camera? I've seen that behaviour in similar circumstances.

Could also be LP recorded and the deck can only play SP (if DV).

If it's non of what Shaun said, and your editing software capturing is not working properly.

Sometimes I capture tape in Quicktime Player 7, it seems to work around all sorts of problems:
File > New Movie Recording.

But first make sure: File > Preferences > Rocording:
Quality is set to Device Native

Tape heads are clean?

Sigh, here we go again..............

Check out this thread on DVinfo, been a long standing problem with HDV tapes, seems you're another lucky customer.

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/canon-xh-series-hdv-camcorders/500362-output-lcd-monitor-blue-screen.html

If it's actually a DV written tape instead of an HDV written tape I can offer no guidance whatsoever, as it's (DV) error correction ability is far higher than HDV.


CS

Might be a tape shot as 60P instead of the regular NTSC 60i - the JVC GY-HD series for example.

I recently had a small gig capturing six tapes with my GY-HD100 - a whole wedding shot 60P. The guy didn't really know what he was doing, he thought he set his cam to 720P (JVC actually calls 480P "HD60P", which technically is correct, although confusing, anything above 480i60 is HD in the world of electronics), then sold the camera hoping he can capture with any HDV camera...

Oops, I see the OP is in the UK, but I think there is no difference, the same is true for PAL.