2IntroductionCleaning the Video HeadsDigital video camcorders record video signals on the tape in very thin lines (as thin as1/8 of the width of a hair). The following symptoms may appear if the video headsbecome dirty even a little.• Mosaic or other blocky video artifacts (Fig. 1) or banding(Fig. 2) appear on the picture during playback.• Sound becomes distorted, or there is no sound duringplayback.• The message “HEADS DIRTY, USE CLEANING CASSETTE”appears.If such symptoms appear, clean the video heads with the CanonDVM-CL Digital Video Head Cleaning Cassette* or acommercially available dry cleaning cassette.If the symptoms reappear shortly after the cleaning, thevideocassette may be defective. Stop using it.* Availability differs from area to area.Video heads may become dirty under the following conditions:• When using the camcorder in humid or hot places.• When using cassettes with damaged or dirty tape.• When using the camcorder in dusty places.• When using the video heads without cleaning them for a long time.NOTES Before you make important recordings, clean the video heads and make a test recording first. Wealso recommend cleaning the video heads after use, before storing the camcorder. Do not use wet type cleaning cassettes as this may damage the camcorder. Even after cleaning the video heads you may not be able to play back correctly tapes that wererecorded with dirty video heads.Fig. 1Fig. 2
