Blank screen on record, audio fine

[mrscities]

I have a HC14e handycam which plays back fine but when I record I get a blank screen.  The audio works fine though.  any suggestions anyone as to a solution or whether it needs a proper repair? and if so is it likely to cost me a fortune?

Many Thanks

[Mick2011 · Accepted solution]

Hi mrscities, welcome to the Sony Forums

This sounds very much like a CCD chip error. The camera uses the chip to digitise images before recording to tape, so the tape mechanism may be fine, both for playback and recording, but if the CCD is non-functional the tape will only record the audio track.

It is repairable but I'm afraid it won't be cheap and a little extra put towards a new camera would almost certainly be an option. Of course its always worth keeping the camera to replay your miniDV tapes with.

There's a slim chance that Sony might help you out, as these chips were prone to error when they first launched and Sony repaired a good many cameras free of charge. While it's unlikely you'll get a free repair now, it won't harm to bring the issue up with Sony customer care, using the details on this page, and see what they suggest.

Cheers

Mick