Does Using A Crinckled VHS Tape Ruin The Video Player?
One of the issues of mylar tape is that it does get damaged on occasion from jam-ups in the machine. Even after it’s fixed, it’s still somewhat damaged. You’ll see the video distortion and hear a ‘sizzling” of audio as it passes the heads. It won’t actually “ruin” the VCR, but it’s also not harmless. Crinkled mylar tape does have the bad property of minute amounts of oxide coating (the magnetic recordable part that carries the audio & video) to flake off and potentially clog the heads. This is why there are head cleaners, since it happens even with the best of tapes. Just not as often or fast. Also, the video heads are sensitive and crinkled tape puts additional pressure on them, causing them to wear slightly faster. It won’t ruin your player just from happening a few times. Or even several times, for that matter. Doing it daily for week after week, and in a few months, you’ll start seeing reduced performance from your player. If you have the ability to transfer the content to a good b
