MiniDV Tape Rewinder

Find a MiniDV Tape Rewinder

If your camcorder uses MiniDV tape, one of the best things you can do for it is spend something under $30 on a tape rewinder. Basically, it's a simple device that does nothing other than rewinding or fast forwarding MiniDV tapes used in both HDV and MiniDV camcorders. The mechanism that turns the tapes in your camcorder is one of the most likely parts to break down and can be prohibitively expensive to fix. You can give it a break by offloading the rewind task to a rewinder, which is a great way to prep your video for ingesting into your editing application of choice, or simply applying some tension to the tape before storing it away for months. My preference is for the type that runs on battery power with optional AC input, so that I can easily take the rewinder in my bag without needing a second AC adapter. Of course, if you've got money to burn, the Sony GVD-1000 is a nice option for off-loading rewind duties and previewing your video at the same time.