Craig: Thanks for the offer. I think the problem was a classic case of Wet Tape/Dry Tape and sent it back to Canon for Warranty repair. I've also picked up a second HV20 and have already put a sticker on it: "Use Panasonic Tapes Only"

Also stopped by ProTape and picked up 25 of the mid-grade Panasonic tapes - can't remember the name offhand. Recorded downtown yesterday. No dropouts.