From: David Tetzlaff (email suppressed)
Date: Fri Jun 27 2008 - 16:46:13 PDT
I'm not an engineer, but just based on experience...
> I've read about drop out and image bleeding (both which interest
> me) is it safe to say this would happen after something like 20 uses?
No, unless it's pretty crappy tape.
> I've also read that multiple uses of a tape is not good for the
> heads of a camera, could this damage a camera permanently?
Drop-outs mean oxide is coming off the tape. The more oxide off the
tape, the more inside the VCR to act like goop and/or abrasive and
gum-up or add wear to the heads. So, if you're trying to generate
drop-outs, use a cleaning tape after every few passes. If you're
trying to generate wear on a DV tape, you might want to search the
used camcorder listings on eBay for one that has a broken camera
section but a still-functioning VCR section. Camcorders broken the
other way (imager OK, transport dead) are more common, but the VCR-ok
ones show up often enough and can be had for less than $50 -- a much
better idea than trying to distress tape in your 'A' camcorder...
__________________________________________________________________
For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.