"Unpacking"/"Striping" MiniDV Tape

[swwack91]

This weekend I'll be taping upwards of 20 hours of video. I'm going out and getting the MiniDV tapes I'll be using later today.

I usually "unpack" or "stripe" the tapes by recording all the way through them, establishing a stable timecode over the tape for Firewire-controlled capturing.

Now, I really don't have the time to record through all the tapes so here's my question:

I'm going to be taping (on 1 hr tapes) for almost an hour straight with only maybe 2 or 3 recording stops in between. The timecode should stay consistent instead of restarting, right? It usually only jumps if you go back and watch the video, messing up the exact position it left off, right?

and as far as quality, it won't be changed, right?

 

[bigbossbmb]

yeah, you should be fine.

another thing that tends to break timecode is turning the camera off. so when you do the recording breaks, be sure to keep the camera on.

 

[swwack91]

k thanks.

thats what i figured but i thought i should get another opinion...

so i have someone besides myself to blame if i mess it up!!! lol

 

[-DH]

Striping or blacking a DV tape with timecode does absolutely no good at all. All you accomplish is that when done, you now have used tape to record on since it already has one pass on it.

Striping/blacking is a hold-over from the old analog tape format days. Unless you're using very high-end professional camcorders, ALL consumer and prosumer DV camcorders will erase any previous recording BEFORE the tape reaches the record head.

The key to have unbroken timecode is to make sure you have enough pre and post roll between each shot. Since your upcoming shoot will most likely be continuous recording you don't really have anything to worry about.

-DH