DV tape Question

[sasam]

I bought a dv camera few days ago (sony DCR-HC17E) , and I tested it, I recorded and rewinded the tape, but sometimes stripes appeared on recordings. I also got several messages that the head is dirty.
I went to the store and they said that the tape is weared out, and that dv tape can be rewinded only 4 times. Is that true?
How long would it last if I dont rewind but just record and play backwards when I want to rewind?

[sasam]

It works with new tape, but the question is if I use play backwards instead of rewind would it last longer?

[defaulk9]

Agree with A830 here. That's a very ridiculous explanation that you can only rewind DV tape 4 times. I've rewound my tapes several more times than that and they work fine.

While it's true that it's not good for the tape to be rewound a lot, 4 times is nothing. After a lot of seeking (many many times more that four), you could experience gradual tape degradation or shorten tape life.

Also, playing backwards is probably going to be worse as A380 said for the reason he mentioned.