Either it's wearing out, or the camera doesn't fully erase the tape. I've been told these tapes last a long time without degrading. They are better than the computer for long term storage. You might want to rethink your erase policy.
I have been recording over and over on the same Mini DV tape since I purchased my Sony camera about a year and a half ago. Frankly, I feel that the beauty of the digital camera is being able to store video on computer or DVD, not on tape. So I always immediately capture my recording sessions on my computer. Then I rewind to the beginning of the tape. But, lately it seems my recordings have been showing unwanted artifacts, as if the tape is not quite retaining all of the data properly. Does anyone know if Mini DV tapes have a limited re-recording capacity?

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