Affected Products: MiniDV Camcorders

If the “Remove the Cassette” warning appears on the camcorder's LCD screen:

If your camcorder experiences an error, you may be presented with a “Remove the Cassette” message. There are several reasons that this message may appear, but it is essentially a safety warning that is designed to protect the camcorder and/or tape from damage.

The camcorder’s tape drive mechanism is made up of many precision components that, once damaged, may cause further problems if the mechanism continues to operate. When a problem is detected the safety mechanism is activated. The “Remove the Cassette” warning and the camcorder’s safety mode may be activated by a variety of conditions such as:

1.     Condensation is detected – If condensation is detected by the camcorder, the “Remove the Cassette” warning may occur.


2.     Component failure – If an electrical or mechanical component in the camcorder fails, the safety mode may activate to prevent any further damage to the camcorder.


3.     Sand or grit damage – The camcorder’s tape drive mechanism consists of many tiny gears. Sand or grit can cause a gear to jam and stop turning. This will cause the camcorder's safety mode to activate.


4.     Impact damage – If a camcorder is accidentally dropped or bumped against a hard surface, it is possible that a misalignment of the tape drive mechanism may occur.


5.     Liquid damage – If either the camcorder or the tape is exposed to water or any other liquid, a variety of malfunctions may result. Please avoid this situation.


6.     Improper videotape insertion – If a tape is forced into the cassette compartment, or if the cassette compartment is pressed down while the tape is loading, damage may occur to the tape drive mechanism. Please refer to the User's Manual.


7.     Damaged or defective tape – If a tape becomes damaged, please discontinue its use.

Operational Recovery Steps

Depending on the conditions that caused this message to appear, it is possible that the camcorder operation may recover. Please follow these steps:

1.     Eject the videotape
       Insert a new or known good videotape. If the message does not persist, it is possible that
       the tape was damaged. If the camcorder  still displays the message with a new tape, please
       proceed to step 2.


2.     If condensation had been detected causing the Remove the Cassette warning, remove the
       cassette, and allow at least one hour for the moisture to dry.

If the "Remove the Cassette" message continues, the camcorder may require service.