Ok, I'll go over this again as I don't seem to have a sticky topic on it.

Digital camcorders record digital (1s and 0s) signals to tape.  If the signal is recorded, it is full quality.  Higher quality (more expensive) tapes do not make the video look any better than consumer tape.  You won't get more resolution or better color saturation with more expensive tapes.  If your video doesn't drop out but looks bad, it is because it was recorded badly, not because of the quality of your tape.

HDV does not put 'more stress' on the recording ability of tape because it has higher resolution.  It has the same data rate as DV.  However, because MPEG2 (HDV) uses a 15 Group of Pictures (GOP) encoding, a dropout will affect 1/2 second of video (15 frames out of 30 frames per second) versus only a frame or two with DV.  Therefore, dropouts on HDV are more severe than when recording DV.

There are minimum standards that must be met for a miniDV tape to ensure it will work in all miniDV camcorders.  All name brand tape manufacturers meet those standards.  Name brand tape is not always manufactured by the manufacturer named on the tape.  Most manufacturers hire OEM factories to make their tape and label it for them.  Just because a tape says 'Panasonic' on it does not mean Panasonic manufactured it.  It could have been made by Maxell or Fuji or Sony and labeled 'Panasonic'.  OEM manufacturers make tapes for a range of brands.  They cannot affort to retool their factories for each brand of tape.  Therefore, all the tapes they make must meet the quality standards for the different brands they are labeling.  So, don't get hung up on brand names.

Consumer tapes will work fine for recording HDV.  Some manufacturer's brands may work better with your camcorder than others.  The only way to know for sure is to try different brands until you find one that is available in your market, is cost effective and is reliable in your camcorder.

Higher grades of tape (Professional or Master grades) are manufactured to higher tolerances than consumer tape.  They generally have better signal to noise ratios than consumer tape which means they are less likely to experience dropouts.  They also have more robust carrier and lubricant layers which means they are less likely to stretch or wear out when reused.  The cassettes are also higher quality.  However, buying higher grade tape does not guarantee that you will get more reliable performance.  It is just less likely that you will get degraded performance.

Lastly, mixing tape brands.  There is so much urban legend and unscientific anecdotal 'evidence' out there that it is almost impossible to provide facts on this subject.  The best practice is to select and use one brand of tape, preferrable staying with one batch of tapes from that brand.  If you must switch, thoroughly clean your heads and transport first.  If you are traveling and run out of tape, don't panic.  You can switch brands if you can't find your regular brand.  Just be sure to clean the heads with a cassette cleaner first.  And, to be on the safe side, throw salt over your left shoulder.

Ok.  Tape brands I use and recommend (doesn't mean others won't work equally well).  Panasonic and Fuji.

Here's my own personal "sticky" on the topic, which I post whenever this question comes up:

Tape rules:

Don't waste your money on HDV tapes. There is no difference in picture quality between these and regular MiniDV tapes -- it's all digital. Sony Premiums are fine and can be had online for a little over $2 each.

Tape manufacturers often say that HDV tapes are built to higher standards than regular MiniDV tapes.  That's frequently claimed but so far no one has ever presented any statistical evidence, anywhere, that this is so.

Even if it is true you need to do a cost-benefit analysis to decide if overpaying for all your tapes is worth the reduced chance of a dropout, especially if such dropouts are easily cut around (as they are in all the shooting I do). If it's a once in a lifetime event and you want to maximize your chances of having every frame be perfect, then the more expensive tapes may be worth it for you.

When I first started shooting DV I used the TDKs available at Costco for about $2.50 each.  I used a couple of hundred without a dropout or any other problem.  Later I switched to the Sony Premiums because even with shipping they were cheaper.  I’m on my fourth case of 100 and have had maybe three dropouts total in two years.  Costco now sells the Sony Premiums instead of the TDKs.

Don't mix tape brands. Sony uses a different lubricant than others and switching could gum up your heads. Run a cleaning tape for 10 seconds and then pick one brand and stick to it.

Never re-use your tapes. They should go through your camera exactly twice: once when you shoot and once when you capture.

Try this:

http://www.tapeonline.com/MiniDV/Sony_DVM60PRL.aspx

Dear friends..
I bought ny GS150 on 2006 an for almost 4 years and use it with some tape's brand, usually Panasonic,Sonny and JVC, indeed it's not giving problem at all, I can record,playback (on the camcorder) and transfer it to computer easily.

But recently, I have playback problem on my camcorder which is when I use (new) Panasonic tape to record. When playback then display it show black horizontal bars, no sound and time frame indicator is keep skipped (not running smooth). But after shaking the camcorder suddenly it can play smoothly. This is happen again even I change to use new Panasonic tapes

But this problem is not happen when I using JVC tapes, I can record and playback it as normally. So it's still make me confuse somehow if my camcoder hardware began to breakdown or maybe for old camcoder there will be start to show symptom of choosing exact brand of tape 

Well....just like Alzheimer disease began to develop on older people....
Sadly, the good old forum is now dissapear so hopefully I can still find the solution from all of you here

regards,
4nn4

Dear Mr. Shaun,
Well I think you're correct perhaps my hardware began to deteriorate.
However is there any simple way to fix it.
Well, it's hard for me to bring to service centre, afraid that dismantle it may cause more problem on it.

Thanks,
4nn4

Hi Shaun

Me too BUT I never used a tape more than once!!! I never had to clean heads either cos a new tape has virtually no loose oxide on it to clog the heads!!

4nn4, the problem here to me sounds like the capstan roller has gone hard so the tape now slips and skids between the spindle and the roller ..My old DS30 did that!! A temporary fix is to lightly sand the roller with some water paper but it still means that the cam has reached retirement age as well!!
Panny quoted me a whopping $600 to fix the drive train!!! I sold the cam on ebay as is and bought a new one!!  Maybe, if the problem is the drive train, it's an ideal time to upgrade to a card based camera..nothing to wear out !!! If you want to get another GS it will more than likely be cheaper to grab one of ebay as a repair will cost you a lot more than a used camera!!

Chris

As far as the GS150 model goes, my first camcorder was a "Demo" GS150. It immediately had to go in for repair for a focus issue. Once I got it back I used it heavily until I bought a "closeout" GS300. I then made the GS150 a capture deck (and a backup, backup camera). I then purchased a Canon GL2, and more recently, another GL2.

This whole time my GS150 has been my capture deck and initially saw at least 3 brands of tape. Once I read the good advice about sticking to a brand, I went with Sony Premiums.  My GS150 has never had its heads cleaned and has served me very well.

4nn4 - Like Chris said, it may very well be time to retire your GS150. Mine was also a 2006 model but is still working great. It will only retire (or get sold) when I move over to HD.