My canon camera seems to work fine in record mode. The LCD shows the video and the timestamp, and tape is moving. Yet in playback mode no matter what Tape I use (even if I know the tape has video on it) the LCD just shows a blue screen and the timestamp does not move even though I can hear the tape moving. What could be wrong here?

There are companies who can transfer video files to DVD - see if one of them can help

This link may help you :

Canon Camera ZR65 MC

hi, if you get blue screen,but your recording has been ok, then you must be change LCD FLAP, you sure get fix your camera,

If your Sony DCR-HC14E shows fine picture in playback of old tapes and does not give live view in camera mode to record then its CDD Imager problem that Sony will repair free of cost.
Click Sony CCD Imager Support for details.

Seems your Canon doesn't support LP mode playback. Please see its user manual and check its specifications for LP mode playback.

I think your problem is in the analog to digital converters. They seem to not be working, It is probably cheaper to buy a new camera rather than fixing yours.

You can see an image in a camcorder viewfinder any time the camera's actually on in record mode, whether or not the camcorder is actually recording. So that's no guarantee.

Assuming the obvious (you have the right kind of tapes, they're not in write-protect mode, you rewind before playing, etc). I recommend that you borrow a tape of the same kind from someone else and check it on playback in your camcorder. This should lead you know understand if you have a playback problem or a recording problem.

I Had a similar problem with my 8600. Most likely the camera
is also no longer recording. There were two problems I found,
either one could have caused the problem. 1) the 8mm tape was not
actually moving through the record/play head. With modern cameras. there are no indications that the tape is actually moving.
2) the record/play head is dirty. What I did was remove the
side plate that covers the tape cassette to allow me to verify that
the tape was moving properly. After that, I removed the tape, removed the battery, and used isopropyl alcohol and a q tip
to clean the head. I imagine there are cleaning tapes that one
can buy to do this as well. though I doubt they work as well as
a q tip. THere are two screws that hold the cover on.

needs to be cleaned and possibly tension adjustments. most cases this will fit it but the video heads could need replacing.

Hello, there can be some contact errors at the flat cables and connectors from the mechanism to the main board. Please contact your nearest Authorized Sony Service. Best regards, Arpi