Lens cleaner on lcd screen?

Lens problems with my camcorder (it's a Sony Handycam Vision Hi-8)...?

• Yesterday I took my camcorder out to get it ready for a holiday party. I opened the LCD screen and all I saw was black and what looked like lots of tiny green and white dots (or pixels, maybe) all grouped together. It looks the same when I take the lens cap off; I can't see anything out of the view finder or the LCD screen besides black and little green pixels. When I record that's all that shows up when I play it back. If I play a tape that was recorded when the camcorder worked properly (on the LCD screen), it shows up just fine. I've tried turning it on and off, removing the battery, wiping off the lens with a soft dry cloth, and pressing various buttons and effects; nothing helps. I've had this camcorder for about 3 years; it has never been dropped (to my knowledge) and is stored in a padded camcorder case in a cupboard. No idea what's wrong with it and don't have the money to buy a new one. If anyone knows why this is happening and how I can fix it, please help me. Thanks!

• Answer:

  Sounds like your camcorder suffers the CCD problem tht Sony announced on their website some time ago ( i wish i could remember the link to that announcement ). Sony stated that some Hi8 camcorders from the year 2003 onwards r known to suffer this problem and they were offering a free CCD service to users, but im not sure whether it;s still valid. CCD is the chip that captures your footage. Its one of the expensive piece in a camcorder. However, just to be sure, bring your cam to a Sony service centre and tell them. Also ask them about the CCD problem i said earlier, if they said they dont know, then they r probably stoopid or just lazy n ignoring u.. My sister's Hi8 was having the same prob for months but somehow it turned out fine by itself..it was pure luck.