Sony MiniDV Cleaning Cassette
This high performance cleaning cassette maintains clear pictures in DV format and is recommended for use when picture noticeably deteriorates. The digital tapes that DV Cameras use are heavily loaded with metal particles that shed during use. The result of particle shedding will tend to appear on the play back screen as white dots or lines. Using a cleaning tape can help reduce the particle build up on the heads, lessening the possibility of having to take your DV camera to the service shop for costly cleanings.
Sony MiniDV Cleaning Cassette Accessories
 Sony DVC-60 PR/5 Premium Minidv Videocassette (5-Pack)
Belkin F3N401-06-ICE IEEE 1394 4-Pin/6-Pin 400 Mbps FireWire Cable (6 Feet)
Sony High Definition Minidv Videocassette (2-Pack)
Panasonic MiniDV Tapes (Pack of 5)
Canon BP-2L14 Battery for Canon HG, HV, ZR, Optura, and Elura Camcorders
Jvc Mdv60Du10 Mini Digital Video Cassette (10-Pk)
Sony NPFH70 H Series Actiforce Hybrid InfoLithium Battery for most Sony Camcorders
Belkin F3N402-03-ICE 4-Pin to 4-Pin FireWire Cable (3-Feet)
Sony BCTRP Battery Charger for DCR-HC, DCR-DVD, HDR-HC3, HC5, HC7, HDR-UX5 & UX7 Camcorders
JVC MDV60ME10P Mini DV Tape (10 Pack)
Sony MiniDV Cleaning Cassette Reviews
But after seeing a few questions about how many times you can use this thing, I'd thought I'd try to clarify. It says you can rewind and use again ONCE, so about 132 cleanings total. Me being the skeptic, if I get five-10 cleanings before the tape ends, that's 10-20 total, that's still a good deal. Put a regular cassette in to check if the heads are clean. Press STOP. -Remove cassette cleaner without rewinding it.
-Press PLAY or START button. Again, that's if there's actually 11 minutes of cleaning tape on the cassette and you let it run for exactly 10 seconds a shot. My camera says there's 11 (eleven) minutes of tape in the cassette, so if that's accurate (I don't know if it is because I don't want to forward/rewind the tape), you'll get about six 10-second cleanings a minute, so 66 cleanings for one pass of the entire tape. -If not, run the cleaner again. Thankfully, my digital camera takes movies too (but not quite as good as the video camera), but that's another story. So I search the internet and the Sony cleaner had the best reviews. They're not wrong, so I don't need to add one more. And alas, with no cleaning cassette with me and no time to hunt for one, I have to leave it in the hotel room.
Hope this helps. Instructions included say (after inserting cassette into the camera of course):. For the first time in my Sony video camera's 4.5 year life, I get the "dirty head" notice ON MY SECOND DAY OF MY PARIS TRIP (even with annual pro-cleaning). Run for 10 seconds. They suggest to run it NO MORE than five times consecutively (again, 10 seconds at a time without rewinding the tape). So in my estimation, you'll get between 10-132 cleanings from one cassette (lol, how's that for broad range). So far, I've gotten two with plenty of tape to spare.
Sony makes a great product. The use of DV tape is still alive and well and still used in the professional industry. We use this cleaner when tapes have been sitting for some time and could cause head clogs from the oxide flaking off. This Sony head cleaner cassette is an asset. So Keep one on hand to be prepared. And is best with Sony camcorders, DV player/recorders and other camcorders. Although tape may seem to be dead or dying with the advent of flash and hard drive memory cameras and systems.
Only Sony products that I only trust to work for my 3 video cameras and nothing else for the past 5 years.
I'd recommend this cleaner for MiniDV cam users experiencing "digital snow", intermittent picture/sound dropouts, and other problems related to dirty heads. Make sure to review the instructions before using the cleaning tape. This dry MiniDV format tape head cleaner works well with my Canon Optura 400.
Took a couple attempts, but took care of dropped frames. Recommend having one of these in your camera bag at all times. Chose not to use anything but a Sony cleaner on my Sony heads.
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