Risks when using DV camcorder for ichat video conferencing..

Question

I have a sony dcr pc350. Bought it January of this year and havent had problems with it until recently. For some reason, the video head was damaged. When i play my DV tapes on it, thick gray horizontal lines appear, or sometimes it refuses to play the tapes completely. I just recently read one of the topics in the ichat AV FAQ and it mentioned that there's a risk that using a DV camcorder for ichat AV video conferencing can actually damage the camcorder. Now i'm wondering if that's the reason why my dv cam is damaged now. I haven't been using it to shoot some video footage for a while now, but i have been using it to video conference very often for about over a month now. And then recently, when i had to use it to shoot some video, that's when i saw that the camera needed repairs. As i've mentioned, I havent been using it for anything else (not even to shoot video) and i havent dropped it or anything. I pretty much take good care of it. So i'm thinking that it was my constant use of it for video conferencing that did the damage.
So my question is:
Has anyone else experienced some camcorder damage that might be related to frequent video conferencing use? If it does indeed damage the camcorder, what specifically does it do to it (what does it damage, how exactly does it cause the damage, etc...)? I'd like to know so I can be more specific when I bring it to the service shop for repairs.

Answer 1

Hello Albert,
I do NOT think that using your Sony with iChat AV poses any greater risk than using it for other things.
I used my Sonys (DCR-TRV17 and DCR-TRV70) for a while, but I switched to iSight before I damaged them. (I am clumsy.)
The kinds of damage I contemplated in the iSight vs Camcorder or other web-cam FAQ were:
 - dropping or tipping the camera or the tripod upon which it was mounted,
 - contamination from dirt, body oils, or dust, etc.,
 - wear on the heads and internal moving components, and
 - wear on the camera's electrical connections.
Moreover, regular professional clean and adjust is required for my Sonys based on usage hours. Such is NOT required for iSight.
Some of those risks can be mitigated by careful placement and use and by keeping the tape out when using the camera, but some risk always exists when using the equipment. My thought was that, if I wore out or damaged a camera by using it for hundreds of hours of video chat, I would rather wear out or damage iSight, which is cheaper than my Sonys were.
Please post back what your Sony Service Tech finds. I will be eager to read whether your camera needed more than a professional clean and adjust.
EZ Jim