I recently played back a DVCam recorded tape in my Sony TRV25E not realising that it was a DVCam tape rather than a DV tape recording. However, I did learn that my camera appears to play back DVCam tapes ok.

But soon after that my camera chewed up a tape and is now having problems playing any tape (dropout of sound/ pixellation of images). A head cleaning cassette hasn't cured the problem and I've had to take it in to a Sony agent for repair.

Could my playing back of the DVCam tapes on the camera have caused a malfunction or is this purely coincidence? Is the camera designed to play back DVCam tapes? I can't find anything in the instructions that says whether it will or won't.

Sony's from 1999 on tend to playback DVCAM tapes without any problems, all that is altered is an increased tape transport speed, this may have aggrevated an exsisting problem, but it is unlikely to have caused the problem.

Sony don't advertise this fact, the same way as they dont advertise that DVCAM cameras can record DVCAM on regular DV tape, or that the cameras can be made to record regular DV (i.e. an hour on an hours tape as opposed to the usual 40mins) as well.

Thanks Roy - very helpful