Panasonic Mini DV Tape $3.66 shipped!

[DougyDanger]

<< Terrific prices on many of their tapes....beware, however changing tape manufacturers, it can screw up the heads on your DV camera very quickly. >>



Not true. A few years ago it was, but those days are behind us. Its one of those facts that spreads quickly, but the info about changes are slow to spread.

 

[wabwab]

In my opinion, I wouldn't switch back and forth between Sony and Panasonic tapes frequently because one brand uses particulate lubricants and the other uses liquid lubricants. If you mix them you get... mud. Sticky oily mud. That's my opinion.

 

[wabwab]

For shipping, our web site goes to the UPS web site and gets a real-time quote based on the zip codes and package weights. This quote is added to the order form (again in real-time) and this is what we charge the customer. There are no additional charges or handling fees but if you are in California the web site will also show you what the sales tax charges are.

I'd suggest you put in a sample order for what you need and let our web site give you a shipping quote. It will give you an exact quote before it even asks for your credit card number. You can even use your browser's back button to select a different form of shipping and get a quote for that too. Once you get a shipping method that you like, you can put your credit card number in and proceed with your order.

We have a UPS pickup at the warehouse every weekday afternoon and about 95% of the orders get shipped the same day (or on Monday if they were placed over the weekend). Mondays are really hectic (with all the weekend orders) so we usually take care of all the overnight, 2-day and 3-day orders first and some of the standard ground orders might wait till Tuesday to go out if there are an unusually large number of orders over the weekend. Also once-in-a-while we get multiple huge orders for some particular items over the course of a couple days and may run out of something unexpectedly. If that happens, we always notify the customer immediately and we can usually work something out if the timing of their order is crucial.

Thanks for your interest, and I know you won't be dissapointed.

Regards,

Christian Swanson
TapeStockOnline.com

 

[wabwab]

There's some heated discussion going on over in this thread. Can any body back me up here?

 

[lex]

I ordered from TapeStockOnline and got my order fast, prices were good, and shipping was great. paid a couple bucks (like $5?) for shipping for 30 mini dv tapes!

 

[wabwab]

Regarding tape lubricants: I'm going to take back what I said earlier. I just took apart a Sony, a Fuji, a Panasonic and a TDK tape and found no evidence of any lubricants in the tape, either particulate or liquid. So from that, I'd say it probably doesn't hurt a thing to switch brands.

 

[Delbert]

May be a wifes tale, but do a search on google for "mixing DV tape brands. Several sites still say it's a no-no.

 

[wabwab]

I just noticed that I didn't answer the EK vs EJ question. The EK and the EJ are the same "Linear Plus" tape. The EK is primarily a Japanese part number and the EJ is primarily a US part number. We sometimes get one and we sometimes get the other. In reality there is no difference.

 

[wabwab]

This single hot deal topic has now generated 100 orders. jchu14 I don't know you but thanks for the good word about our company. I wish I had a t-shirt to send you.

 

[wabwab]

I just lowered prices on Sony Hi-8 120s to $3.22, TDK Mini DV (red) to $3.19, TDK Mini DV (green) to $3.19 and Panasonic Mini DV Pro 63s to $4.75. On the site I've also got quantity discounts, so you may want to check them out.

Regards,

Christian Swanson
TapeStockOnline.com
Your lowest price source for video tape

Mini DV * Hi-8 * SVHS * VHS * Betacam SP * Digi Beta * DVCPro * DVCam * DAT * DVD-R

 

[wabwab]

The EL tape is the one with the 4K memory chip. Neither the EJ or the EK have a memory chip. 99% of the people who purchase tapes with memory chips do so because they think it's better. Don't waste the money on tapes with memory chips unless you read the user manual for your camera first and find some features that will only work with tapes with memory chips. The recording quality is identical with or without memory chips.

Regards,

Christian Swanson
TapeStockOnline.com
Your lowest price source for video tape

Mini DV * Hi-8 * SVHS * VHS * Betacam SP * Digi Beta * DVCPro * DVCam * DAT * DVD-R

 

[wabwab]

We're now out of the TDK Green.

 

[vinnyracer]

What is the difference between these 3 Panasonic DV tapes listed on the website?

Panasonic 63 Minute Professional Mini DV

Panasonic 60 Minute Mini DV

Panasonic AY-DVM60EJ 60 Minute High-Grade Mini DV

 

[superflysocal]

Panasonic miniDV 60 minutes is again on sale at Fry's this weekend for 3.99 no rebate in Houston

 

[WingsOverVirginia]

A quick note about a quote from the other thread.


<< Regarding SVHS vs VHS tapes: Myself, I go the other extreme I use SVHS tapes for my VHS recordings. I find that SVHS tape is worth the extra money because the tape surface seems to be more consistent and gives me a better signal to noise ratio, which is the sticking point for VHS. I've always hated how noisy the video is on VHS recordings and using a really high quality VHS deck with SVHS tapes gives me the best result. Many of the better decks will play back SVHS recordings. I'm not familiar with the Philips deck that you mention, but perhaps you should buy one SVHS tape and experiment with it. >>



Only use SVHS tapes in a VCR that specifically says it is meant to playback SVHS tapes (either real SVHS or Quasi-SVHS playback). The tape heads in regular VHS decks are not meant to play SVHS tapes (due to the metal content of the tape itself) and the tapes will destroy the heads. Check your owners manual or call the tech number for your brand of VCR if you aren't sure. Most regular VCR warranties will be voided if you use a SVHS tape in the machine. And you should never use a SVHS-c tape in a camcorder that does not specifically state that it is SVHS compatible. Also quasi-SVHS compatible decks are only compatible with SVHS playback, the record heads are not meant for SVHS tape recording.

 

[AmitPatel]

Got my order yesterday, great deal! I got 10, since the shipping for 10 is the same as the shipping for 1.

 

[wabwab]

This deal is still cranking along. I just wanted to post to it again to bring it back up in the active lists.

 

[SIGKILL]

Any ETA on when the TDK miniDV will be back in stock?

By the way, does the Panasonic AY-DVM60 EJ come with the 4K eeprom? I don't see it on your page, but you mention that it did in this thread? Is "LinearPlus" technology the real deal or just a marketing buzz?

 

[wabwab]

The EL tape is the one with the 4K memory chip. Neither the EJ or the EK have a memory chip. 99% of the people who purchase tapes with memory chips do so because they think it's better. Don't waste the money on tapes with memory chips unless you read the user manual for your camera first and find some features that will only work with tapes with memory chips. The recording quality is identical with or without memory chips.

Regards,

Christian Swanson
TapeStockOnline.com
Your lowest price source for video tape

Mini DV * Hi-8 * SVHS * VHS * Betacam SP * Digi Beta * DVCPro * DVCam * DAT * DVD-R

 

[wabwab]

Now we've got the TDK Mini DV back in stock again. We're selling them for:
$3.19 each
$3.15 each for 15+
$3.10 each for 75+
$2.99 each for 150+

Regards,

Christian Swanson
TapeStockOnline.com
Your lowest price source for video tape

Mini DV * Hi-8 * SVHS * VHS * Betacam SP * Digi Beta * DVCPro * DVCam * DAT * DVD-R

 

[wabwab]

Sony Mini DV 60s have just been reduced to $3.99 each!

Regards,

Christian Swanson
TapeStockOnline.com
Your lowest price source for video tape

Mini DV * Hi-8 * SVHS * VHS * Betacam SP * Digi Beta * DVCPro * DVCam * DAT * DVD-R

 

[sevo]

Originally posted by: wabwab
Regarding tape lubricants: I'm going to take back what I said earlier. I just took apart a Sony, a Fuji, a Panasonic and a TDK tape and found no evidence of any lubricants in the tape, either particulate or liquid. So from that, I'd say it probably doesn't hurt a thing to switch brands.

The lubricant is a part of the tape's emulsion, it's not something you can feel or see. The advice not to mix Sony and other brands is a sound one.

 

[wabwab]

I just lowered the Panasonic AY-DVM60 EJ tapes to $3.38 each!

Regards,

Christian Swanson
TapeStockOnline.com
Your lowest price source for video tape

Mini DV * Hi-8 * SVHS * VHS * Betacam SP * Digi Beta * DVCPro * DVCam * DAT * DVD-R

 

[gopalkk]

Ok. This is one more self promo. thread.

BTW, Are DVM-60PR2/1B and DVM-60PR2 same?

If so, I found DVM-60PR2/1B for $3.88 in Yahoo! shopping.

This guy is selling it for $4.50 + CA Tax.

I will hold.

I don't think Brand matters anymore. They (Sony) must have fixed
their problems in media by now. It must be kept secret to sell us tapes too.

 

[hapahaole]

"The lubricant is a part of the tape's emulsion, it's not something you can feel or see. The advice not to mix Sony and other brands is a sound one."

No, it isnt, it is simply ignorant FUD that continues to be passed around. It has been a dead issue for almost 3 years now.

I spent a couple of days researching this a month or two back. Sony DID have lubricant problems prior to 1999, when they reformulated their tape to make it more compatible with the rest of the industry (basically only Sony, Fuji, and Matsushita make all the tape stock for all the various brands if I remember right). Even then it only arose if you used Sony (or other single brand) consecutively for a lot of tapes, 10-30, and then switched. This problem comes up even if you mix new Sony tapes with pre-99 (older) Sony tape so in this regard it is NOT brand specific.

It is an old, tired, and much FUD-filled claim that mixing brands of tapes will cause you problems. Just like the FUD that "Sony tape gives a better picture." Ignorant hype that even professionals laugh at. Do your research, and not just from hearsay or colloquial accounts.

Also, the DV enthusiast community is a pathetically small one compared to the general consumer market at large. If there was as much of a problem as the FUD-spreaders make it out to be, the thousands and thousands of people who buy DV cameras and tapes at retail who blissfully and ignorantly use different brands of tapes every day would be having problems in epidemic proportions and the consumer reviewers like CR would be having a field day. Yet... no word of these problems, and the only place you ever heard of this "dangerous" problem was a DV message board, or a forum, or "some guy who knows video", or your local enthusiast, etc.

Tape brand mixing is NOT a problem. Unless you have a lot of pre-2000 era sony tapes that you constantly use, buy the tapes that fit your budget and purpose and mix to your delight. Professional consensus is that if you truly want to spend to get fewer dropouts (the only real measure of picture "quality" since DV is digital and thus the picture will be the same no matter what brand you use) the real difference is between regular and PRO tape (not dvcpro, that is a different format), NOT brands per se.

End of rant. The panasonic's are a good deal, don't fear any FUD about mixing tapes.